Vietnamese summer rolls & sauce

Our favorite recipe for summer rolls

Ingredients

100g thin rice noodles
1 tsp oil
2 carrots
1/2 cucumber
3 large lettuce leaves
3 sprigs of coriander
3 sprigs of mint
10-12 cooked shrimp and
1 pork loin or 200g tofu
2 tablespoons of oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
12 sheets of rice paper (22 cm Ø)
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp peanut butter
1 lime
1 bottle of ready-made hoisin sauce
chopped peanuts

preparation

Pour boiling water over the rice noodles for 2 minutes, then rinse with cold water.
Peel the carrots and cucumber and cut them into thin sticks. Cut the iceberg lettuce into fine strips. Pluck the leaves from the mint and coriander.
Clean the shrimp and halve them, or if using tofu, press it dry with paper towels. Cut into 12 long strips, fry in 2 tablespoons of oil for 10 minutes until crispy on all sides, and season with 3 tablespoons of soy sauce.
Boil the pork loin for about 30 minutes, then plunge it into cold water. Set aside about a quarter of the loin. Slice the rest into thin strips.

completion

Briefly dip the rice paper in water (ideally in a deep plate filled with water) and place it on a board. Layer rice noodles, vegetables, herbs, shrimp, and pork loin, or for the vegetarian version, fried tofu, on top. Then fold the bottom part and the right and left sides over the filling and roll it up.

sauce

You can serve it with classic peanut sauce or the typical hoisin sauce. The latter is preferred in South Vietnam, where I lived for many years, and is my clear favorite.

Peanut sauce:
Squeeze the lime and mix the juice with the peanut butter and soy sauce.

Hoisin Sauce:
Chop the remaining pork into very small pieces, fry in a little oil, and deglaze with the hoisin sauce. If necessary, thin with a little water and sprinkle the sauce with finely chopped peanuts.

Why summer rolls, anyway?

The name "summer rolls" derives from their freshness and the way they are served. In Vietnam, they are called gỏi cuốn – rolls that are not fried but enjoyed cold and are symbolic of warm days. Herbs, rice noodles, and delicate fillings are wrapped in moist rice paper, which retains its transparency and lightness. Unlike the crispy spring roll, summer rolls embody a cuisine that emphasizes balance.