Vietnamese Summer Rolls

By Mark Bittman

Updated May 22, 2017

  • Evan Sung for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(773)
Comments
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If you have ever considered making a Vietnamese summer roll, you may have been intimidated by the process. But these delicious rolls are not at all difficult. I learned my summer roll technique from a native of France. I learned three things: Rice paper is very forgiving; don’t overstuff; and the more you make, the easier it gets. The rolls include rice vermicelli, lettuce, shredded carrots, a variety of herbs (the best combination is basil, mint and cilantro), and pork or shrimp or both. I would consider only the herbs truly sacred, but substitutions would work elsewhere: hard-cooked egg or tofu for the pork or shrimp, shredded daikon or anything else crunchy for the carrots, chopped greens for the lettuce, any pasta for the noodles.

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Ingredients

Yield:16 rolls

  • 16 6-inch rounds rice paper

  • 8 leaves lettuce, washed, dried and torn or chopped

  • 2 cups cooked rice vermicelli, rinsed and drained

  • 1 cup shredded peeled carrots

  • ½ cup fresh mint leaves

  • ½ cup fresh Thai basil leaves

  • ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves

  • 32 slices cooked pork or 32 poached or grilled shrimp, split lengthwise in half, or use half pork and half shrimp

  • ½ cup fish sauce

  • 1 tablespoon sugar, or to taste

  • 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

  • 1 teaspoon Vietnamese chili-garlic paste, or to taste, or chopped fresh chilies to taste

  • Salt and black pepper to taste

  • Lime wedges

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

57 grams carbs; 36 milligrams cholesterol; 367 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 8 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 861 milligrams sodium; 15 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Dip a sheet of rice paper a third of the way into a bowl of hot water for about 2 seconds. Turn it and dip remaining section, then lay on a damp towel.

  2. Step 2

    Working on bottom third of rice paper, spread a bit of lettuce, noodles, carrots, herbs and pork and/or shrimp. Fold up bottom edge to cover, then fold in the sides. Roll tightly. Continue with remaining ingredients.

  3. Step 3

    Combine fish sauce, sugar, ginger, chili-garlic paste and about ¼ cup water. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary.

  4. Step 4

    Serve rolls right away, or refrigerate, lightly covered, up to 2 hours. Cut each roll into 2 or 3 pieces, then serve with dipping sauce and lime wedges.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
773 user ratings
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Comments

rerer

I have to ask..where is the chili peanut sauce?

Miz

I have found it difficult to roll the rolls tightly enough. So, after rolling them, I wrap each in a sheet of saran wrap and roll them tightly. I refrigerate for several hours, then, when ready to eat, unroll--they’re nice and tight--and cut in half. It works beautifully.

Marie R

Sarah's Sauce

1 tbs fish sauce
3 tbd lime juice
1 tbs white wine vinegar
1 tbs sugar
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 tbs fresh mint
1 tbs cilantro

Sarah dips sheets in lukewarm water & puts them on wet towel on plate to roll and then on serving dish covered with a wet towel

Traci

This is delicious but do yourself a favor and buy the Trader Joe’s peanut sauce. This recipe is labor intensive enough as it is.

marisa

PSA "two cups of rice vermicelli" is two cups cooked which is radically different from two cups dry. also "eight leaves of lettuce" is way too much if the leaves are big.

Jen

This is a great and easy recipe! I have always been nervous about making spring rolls but these were astonishingly easy. I would halved the fish sauce and added some lime and scallions to the dipping sauce - I also got some hoisin for dipping as the toddler wasn't up for the one in the recipe. I bought some ready made carnitas (without spice) to put in the rolls as I didn't want to cook pork in a heatwave - but will definitely make these again when I have leftover pork or chicken.

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