Gỏi cuốn
Gỏi cuốn is a Vietnamese dish traditionally consisting of pork, prawn, vegetables, bún (rice vermicelli), and other ingredients wrapped in Vietnamese bánh tráng (commonly known as rice paper). They are served at room temperature (or cooled) and are not deep fried or cooked on the outside, making them perfect for a healthy, filling, clean snack.
Below is my favorite recipe for gỏi cuốn, omitting pork, and just using shrimp. However, I always use whatever I have left in my fridge for a quick and easy dish– does anyone else absolutely hate grocery shopping? I encourage you to experiment with other ingredients, like thin sliced steak, pickled carrots, bean sprouts, etc. These are best made fresh before the rolls dry out. You can find them at your grocery store, in the international foods aisle, where the Asian foods are. These are great with a peanut sauce, but also pair well with thai chili sauce, and soy sauce with a little garlic and rice vinegar.
Ingredients (Makes 10 Rolls)
For the peanut sauce:
- 3/4 cup natural-style creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 1 1/2 medium limes)
- 4 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons chile-garlic paste or sriracha
- 1 medium garlic clove, mashed to a paste
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
For the rolls:
- 1 lbs shrimp (cooked)
- 2 tablespoons salt
- ½ bag of rice vermicelli
- Assortment of lettuce, cucumber, scallions, cilantro, fresh mint leaves
- 10 (8-1/2-inch) round rice paper wrappers
Directions:
For the sauce:
- Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
Make the rolls:
- If using raw shrimp, make sure you let them completely cool before starting.
- Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Prep all your ingredients: cut cucumber into matchsticks (same with carrots if using), slice your scallions and lettuce into strips, etc. Place all prepped ingredients next to each other, in close range of where you will be rolling. I like to use my large cutting board as a surface to roll the rice paper.
- Working with one wrapper at a time, hold the rice paper wrapper under hot tap water, rotating until the whole wrapper is wet. Place the wrapper down on a surface and rub the water in with your hands, flip and repeat to other side. Wrapper should be soft and pliable within 20 seconds.
- Working quickly, layer a small bed of noodles, an assortment of your vegetables and herbs, and 3 shrimp in a row, just above the center of the wrapper, leaving about 1 inch of space on each side.
- Start rolling up the bottom end, tightly tucking in the filling as you roll up. Tuck in the sides when you are half-way through rolling. Continue to roll up. Putting the shrimp on top allows you to see them through the rice paper for presentation.
