Let’s make Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls, or goi cuon, also known as Summer Rolls. They are like portable salad rolls that are packed with lots of delicious ingredients. We are also going to pair them with two types of dipping sauces — peanut sauce & nuoc cham sauce. I don’t know about you, but I’m super excited!

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls Recipe

Serves: 24
Prep time: 2 hours
Cook time: 45 minutes

For the fresh spring rolls:
1 pound pork belly, or replace it with other cuts
3 slices ginger
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
7 ounces rice vermicelli noodles, soaked in water for 20 minutes
24 rice paper wrappers (banh trang)
½ head lettuce
1 ½ cups mint leaves
1 cucumber, cut into strips
1 ½ cups bean sprouts
1 ½ cups cilantro
1 handful chives, trimmed

For the peanut dipping sauce:
1 tablespoon avocado oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 ½ cups reserved shrimp cooking water

For the nuoc cham dipping sauce:
1 cup hot water
5 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons fish sauce
5 tablespoons lime juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 red finger hot peppers, sliced, or replace it with bird’s eye chili peppers

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls Instructions

To prepare the ingredients:

• In a pot of water over high heat, place in the pork belly, and ginger, and bring it to a simmer. Skim off any impurities and forms. Turn to low heat and continue to cook for about 30 minutes until thoroughly cooked through. Remove the pork belly and wait until cool. Cut it into thin slices.
• In another pot of water over high heat, and bring it to a boil. Place in the shrimp and cook until pink for 2 minutes. Remove it and drain. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the shrimp cooking water. Slice the shrimp in half and set it aside.
• For the rice vermicelli noodles, soak them in water for 20 minutes. In a pot of water over high heat, bring it to a boil. Add the rice vermicelli, and cook until al dente for 3 minutes (or based on your package instructions). Take it out, cool down in running water to stop cooking, and drain. Set aside.

To make the dipping sauces:

• To make the peanut dipping sauce, in a pot over low heat, add the avocado oil (or oil of your choice), and the garlic, and cook until aromatic for 1 minute. Then add the peanut butter, hoisin sauce, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Pour in the reserved shrimp cooking water. Constantly stir and bring to a boil.
• To make the nuoc cham dipping sauce, in a bowl, add the hot water, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, and red finger hot peppers (You could also replace it with bird’s eye chili peppers, or other chili peppers that you enjoy.) Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

To assemble the fresh spring rolls:

• Prepare a plate of water. Dip the rice paper in it for about 1 second. Add the lettuce, mint, cilantro, cucumber, bean sprouts, rice vermicelli, and pork belly by the bottom corner. Fold the sides of the rice paper inward, and roll it up halfway. Place 3 slices of shrimp, pink side down. And, add a piece of chive on it. Roll it up all the way. (Trim off the chive if it’s too long.) Enjoy!