Gỏi Cuốn – Spring Rolls
Spring rolls or fresh vegetables and noodles wrapped in rice paper. A popular dish that has reached main stream America. Its served in many American restaurants across America including Cheesecake Factory!
Due to popular demand, I’m sharing my spring rolls recipe made at Steve Kettman’s Big Birthday Bash. Enjoy!
Goi Cuon – Spring Rolls & Peanut/Hoisin
Dipping Sauce:
The dipping sauce varies from family to family and region to region. My mom’s invented this sauce in Utah back in the days when it was difficult to find Vietnamese ingredients. Here’s my Vietnameazy Recipe:
Dipping Sauce:
2 heaping Tbsp of peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1 small jar of Hoisin Sauce
Minced garlic
2 pinches ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth or water
1/4 cup roasted coarsely chopped peanuts
2 tsp vegetable oil
Heat oil in medium to low heat, add garlic. Sweat for a 2 minutes careful not to burn the garlic. Add all remaining ingredients except for chopped peanuts. Stir until all ingredients are mixed and wait until it bubbles. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to serve. Add more or less broth if you prefer a thicker or thinner sauce. If you prefer more peanut butter, you can add more as well. (I like mine with lots of peanut butter. 1 part peanut butter, 2 part hoisin)
Spring Rolls:
1/2 pack of thin rice noodles
1 pack of Rice Paper
1 head of lettuce
1 package of beansprouts
1 bunch of mints
1 bunch of cilantro
1 bunch of chives
Cooking noodles: The ones you typically find in American markets are Thai noodles and they have a clear consistency. The correct noodle will not be translucent but solid white and thin. But if you can’t find it, it’s ok to use the Thai rice noodles. Cook in boiling water, once cooked, run cold water over it to stop the cooking process. Drain and let stand for 1/2 hour before using.
Meats:
You can make spring rolls with any meat topping you like. The typical Vietnamese rolls are made with cooked shrimp and pork.To make these Vietnameazy, I like using pre-cooked roasted chicken.
1 lb of cooked shrimp shelled and deveined and sliced in half length-wise
or 1 Roast chicken from market, slice chicken in long thin strips
or 1 lb or sauteed beef marinated in oil, garlic, and lemongrass.
Rolling station:
Set out a large bowl of warm water. Quickly dip the dry rice paper into the water, set it on a plate. Arrange lengthwise some lettuce, cilantro, mint, bean sprouts, noodles, and your meat choice on top. Careful not to overstuff the rolls or the paper will break. This will take practice. Fold in the two sides, set a few long strands of chives length wise into the rolls leaving a long strand hanging out at one end like the photo (fancy presentation). Then roll the paper up like a burrito and voila!
Enjoy with the dipping sauce garnished with chopped peanuts and a little sriracha to give it a kick!!
