Fresh and Easy Vietnamese Spring Rolls

When I think about summer, one of the first things that comes to mind is classic Vietnamese spring rolls. The combination of fresh herbs and vegetables, succulent shrimp, chewy rice noodles and rice paper makes for a refreshing appetizer or light meal. 😋 These spring rolls are packed with cool Thai basil, mint, and cilantro. Although they seem complicated with many moving parts, these spring rolls are surprisingly easy to make – not to mention the process is really fun too!

This type of dish is perfect for group dinners on summer days! ☀️ Preparing the ingredients is relatively straightforward – it just involves washing and chopping the vegetables and hydrating the rice noodles and rice wrappers. And once all the ingredients are ready (preferably in neat piles), then you can start assembling the spring rolls with your friends!

The Process

Start by laying out the hydrated rice paper wrapper on a clean surface. Try to keep the rice paper as spread out as possible. Keep some boiled water nearby to pour onto the rice paper in case it begins to dry out. (Make sure the rice paper is well-hydrated to avoid it tearing during the rolling process!) Lay out a leaf of lettuce slightly above the center of the circular rice paper. Put a handful of rice noodles on top of the lettuce leaf.

Place the chopped Thai basil, cilantro, and matchstick carrots on the bed of rice noodles. Try to keep the noodles, Thai basil, cilantro, and carrots all contained snugly within the leaf of lettuce for easy rolling in the next step.

Roll up the leaf of lettuce like a burrito. 🌯 Place three shrimp halves face-down in a row below the lettuce burrito. It doesn’t matter what the orientation of the shrimps are, as long as they are all face-down and pointed in the same direction. Keeping them face-down will ensure that the uncut side of the shrimp half is facing outward once the spring roll is all wrapped up.

Place two leaves of mint between the three shrimp halves. I personally like to place them at an angle (because of the aesthetic 🍃🍃) but it doesn’t make a big difference on the end product.

How to Roll Your Spring Rolls

Now comes the fun part! Start by rolling up the left and right sides over the filling. Fold down the top side of the rice paper over the lettuce, and continue to roll in the same downward direction until the spring roll is all wrapped up. At every step, try to the keep the rice paper tightly wrapped around the filling so that the spring roll is not loose and filled with air bubbles.

Rolling up the spring rolls takes practice to perfect, but that also means that getting it down is all the more gratifying. Crafting these spring rolls is a great activity to do for parties since everyone can be involved in a fun way! On a hot summer’s day, there’s nothing more enjoyable than the refreshing herbs and hands-on process of creating these perfect Vietnamese spring rolls with friends. Enjoy on its own or with peanut sauce!

The Recipe

Fresh and Easy Vietnamese Spring Rolls

breaderwithoutgluten

Refreshing to taste and fun to make. Vietnamese spring rolls have never been easier.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Vietnamese

Servings 8

Calories 103 kcal

Equipment

• Pot

Ingredients

  

• 2 oz Rice Vermicelli Noodles
• 8 Rice Wrappers
• 12 Shrimp Preferably de-veined
• 1/3 cup Thai Basil
• 1/3 cup Cilantro
• 1/3 cup Green Onion
• 16 Mint Leaves Whole
• 8 Lettuce Leaves Softer lettuce, e.g. butter lettuce
• 1 Medium Carrot

Instructions

 

• Prepare the herbs and vegetables. Wash the Thai basil, cilantro, carrot, and lettuce. Finely mince the Thai basil and the cilantro. Chop the green onions. Peel the carrot and cut it into matchsticks. 
• Cook the rice vermicelli noodles. In a medium saucepan, boil water over medium heat. Once the water boils, add in noodles. Cook for about 3-5 minutes until the noodles are soft. Store noodles in a bowl and set aside to use later.  
• Boil the shrimp. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil over medium heat. Add in shrimp and boil for 2-4 minutes. You'll know they are done once they turn pink. Put shrimp aside in a bowl with ice to cool. Once cool, peel shrimp. Cut the shrimp in half. 
• Hydrate the rice wrappers. On a large plate, place one sheet of rice paper and wet it with warm water so that it is no longer hard. Drain water from the plate and either move it to a cutting board or keep it on the plate to wrap. It may be helpful to have warm water nearby to pour it over. 
• Add the fillings. Get a piece of lettuce and place it on the rice wrapper. Add in rice vermicelli noodles, Thai basil, cilantro, green onions, and carrots inside the lettuce. Roll lettuce so that the ingredients inside are enclosed.
• Add the shrimp and mint leaves. Place three shrimp in a row with the outside of the shrimp facing away from you. Place two mint leaves on top of the shrimp. 
• Wrap the spring rolls. Tuck in the sides of the roll tightly. Then tuck in the top tightly and continue to roll.

Notes

You may want to roll slowly to make sure the rice wrapper doesn’t tear. Keep boiled water nearby to rehydrate the rice paper as needed.

Keyword Gluten-Free, Spring, Summer