Summer Rolls (Gỏi Cuốn)

Pronounced: goy coo-un

Faith's Notes: These Summer Rolls are certainly worthy of their name. Filled with fresh vegetables and herbs and eaten at room temperature, they offer a light meal in the heat of summer. And they are delicious besides. We put julienned cucumber in ours, which provides a nice refreshing crunch, and the grated carrot adds a fresh sweetness. A few fresh cilantro leaves (I find too much cilantro overpowering) give them a nice, distinguishing flavor. We made both the Vinegar Dipping Sauce in the recipe and the peanut sauce suggested by the commenter below. I suggest making both sauces. You can use leftover chicken or pork in place of the shrimp. For a meatless version, use tofu if desired, and/or add julienned radish, beansprouts, shredded cabbage, etc.

A summer roll or fresh roll (Vietnamese: gỏi cuốn; literally "mix salad rolled") is a Vietnamese dish consisting of pork, shrimp, herbs, bún (rice vermicelli), and other ingredients wrapped in rice paper. They are served room temperature, and are not deep fried. Summer roll has gradually gained popularity among Vietnam's neighboring countries and in the West.

Summer rolls are served with a special sauce named tương xào consisting of ground tương (tương đen or tương xay), which is a fermented soybean paste, and ground chè đậu mixed with tamarind water, garlic and coconut water (or broth), before being stir-fried with garlic and some sugar and then sprinkled with chili powder and ground peanuts. Alternatively, gỏi cuốn can be served with peanut sauce (Nuoc Leo) or a few other Vietnamese dipping sauces.

Also see Summer Rolls w/ Shrimp & Ground Pork

Soft Asian Summer Rolls with Sweet and Savory Dipping Sauce
2007 Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved

Comment from one of the reviewers of Ellie's recipe - recipe for peanut dipping sauce:

"I'm Vietnamese and this is a classic thing that we eat all the time, the traditional vegetables to have in these are lettuce, cilantro, mint, cucumber, bean sprouts, and sometimes chives or scallions. I always have boiled, sliced pork in them as well.

If you don't like the fish sauce dipping sauce that she has, you can make peanut sauce by mixing equal parts chunky peanut butter and hoisin sauce and thinning it with hot water, then add Sriracha chili sauce to taste. Just some suggestions if you want something more authentic." Another recipe I found finishes the sauce with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil.

This sauce is excellent. Brian and I dipped them first in the vinegar dipping sauce below, then the peanut sauce. Delicious. I've seen this peanut sauce topped with about 1 Tbsp. of very finely chopped peanuts as in the picture above.

For the Summer Rolls:

2 ounces Vietnamese or Thai rice noodles (thin rice vermicelli)
6 rice paper rounds (banh trang)
1/4 cup, or 12 fresh Thai basil leaves (or regular basil leaves), rinsed and dried
6 medium shrimp, cooked and halved crosswise so they still look like shrimp on one side
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup, or 12 whole large fresh mint leaves, rinsed and dried (cilantro is also good)
3 red-leaf lettuce leaves, leaves, spines removed, leaving 6 halves
[Brian & I like to add cucumber strips along with the carrots, bean sprouts and a few cilantro leaves. The commenter above also adds thinly sliced cooked pork. I saw them made this way on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.]
Vinegar dipping sauce, recipe follows [Peanut Sauce above in comment is also good - we like to use both]

Bring water to a boil and cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse and cool (makes about 2 cups).

Line up ingredients in small bowls before beginning to make rolls. Fill a large bowl or saucepan with very warm water. Place a rice paper round in the hot water. Soak for between 30 seconds and 1 minute, or until rice round is pliable and pattern on the round is barely visible. Remove and place on a clean, slightly damp kitchen towel.

Place 2 basil leaves on the inner edge of the rice round, about 1-inch from the edge and leaving about 1-inch on each side. Top with approximately 1/4 cup cooked rice noodles. Place 2 shrimp halves on top. Top with about 2 tablespoons carrots, then 2 leaves of mint. Fold 1 piece of lettuce leaf and place on top of pile. Bring the edge over filling and tuck underneath. As you continue to roll, fold in the sides. Finish rolling, repeat with the other rolls, and reserve under a damp cloth or paper towel.

When ready to serve, slice in half and serve, cut ends up, with dipping sauce. Also see the peanut hoison sauce in the comment just above the recipe.

Vinegar Dipping Sauce:

1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons warm water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon chili sauce (recommended: Sriracha) (or red chili paste, such as sambal)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon fish sauce or low-sodium soy sauce (Squid Brand fish sauce suggested)
1 tablespoon finely shredded carrot
1 scallion, thinly sliced

Dissolve sugar in warm water, combine with other ingredients, and chill until ready to use.

6 servings