Gỏi Cuốn (Fresh Spring Rolls)

Gỏi Cuốn (Fresh Spring Rolls), Step by Step

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

1. Simmer the pork belly in salted water for 30 minutes until tender, then cool and slice very thinly.

   Mark done Start 30 min timer

2. Poach the prawns in the same water for 2 minutes until pink, then cool and slice each in half lengthways.

   Mark done Start 2 min timer

3. Cook the vermicelli according to the packet, rinse under cold water and drain thoroughly.

   Mark done

4. Whisk the hoisin, peanut butter, garlic, vinegar, chilli sauce and warm water into a smooth, pourable sauce, then top with crushed peanuts.

   Mark done

5. Fill a wide shallow dish with warm water. Dip one rice paper for 2 to 3 seconds only — it should still feel slightly stiff — and lay it on a damp board.

   Mark done

6. Place four prawn halves cut-side down across the upper third, then a lettuce leaf, vermicelli, pork, cucumber and a generous handful of herbs across the lower third.

   Mark done

7. Fold the bottom edge up over the filling, fold in both sides, then roll upward tightly, sealing the prawns against the top.

   Mark done

8. Set on a plate under a damp cloth and repeat. Serve within 2 hours with the peanut sauce.

   Mark done

Related guides: Choosing rice · Ingredient substitutions.

Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.

Tips for Making Gỏi Cuốn (Fresh Spring Rolls)

• Two seconds in the water, not ten. The wrapper softens fully while you fill it.
• Work on a damp surface; rice paper welds itself to anything dry.
• Do not let finished rolls touch each other — they fuse together permanently.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the chilli. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Serving Suggestions

• A cold lager or jasmine tea
• Serve with nuoc cham as a second dipping sauce
• Follow with bún chả

Leftovers and Storage

Best within 2 hours. Keep under a damp cloth, covered, at room temperature. Refrigeration makes the wrappers hard and cloudy.

Gỏi Cuốn (Fresh Spring Rolls) Nutrition

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.

Gluten-free when made with hoisin sauce labelled gluten-free.

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

Your own rating out of 5

5 stars★ 4 stars★ 3 stars★ 2 stars★ 1 star★

Your note

Save note

Private to you: notes and ratings are saved in this browser only, are never sent anywhere, and other readers cannot see them.