Rice paper rolls packed with prawns, vermicelli, herbs and lettuce — light, refreshing and endlessly customisable.
Vietnamese fresh spring rolls (gỏi cuốn) are one of the lightest, most refreshing foods in Asian cuisine — transparent rice paper wrappers encasing a carefully arranged filling of cooked prawns, rice vermicelli, crisp lettuce, cucumber, and an abundance of fresh mint and coriander. They are served immediately with a peanut dipping sauce or nuoc cham (fish sauce, lime, chilli) that elevates the delicate flavours inside. The technique is entirely about freshness and assembly. Each wrapper is briefly dipped in warm water until just pliable, then filled and tightly rolled. The translucency of the finished rolls, showing the colourful ingredients through the wrapper, makes them one of the most visually beautiful foods to eat. The key is not to overfill — too much filling prevents tight rolling and the wrapper tears. Gỏi cuốn are perfect for hot weather, dinner parties, or healthy weekday lunches. They can be prepped with all fillings ready and assembled at the table for a participatory, social eating experience.
Serves 4
Whisk peanut butter, hoisin, lime juice, sriracha and water together until smooth. Adjust consistency — it should coat a spoon but flow.
Arrange all fillings in separate dishes. Fill a large bowl with warm water for dipping wrappers.
Dip one rice paper wrapper in warm water for exactly 10–15 seconds — it should be just pliable, not fully soft.
Under-dipping leaves the wrapper brittle; over-dipping makes it tear. 10–15 seconds is the sweet spot.
Place wrapper on a clean damp surface. Lay 3 prawn halves in a row in the bottom third. Add a small bundle of noodles, a lettuce leaf, cucumber, mint and coriander. Fold sides in, then roll tightly from the bottom up.
Serve immediately with peanut dipping sauce. Cut in half if desired.
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Wet the wrapper for the exact right amount of time — it continues softening after you remove it from the water.
Don't overfill — a tightly rolled spring roll with less filling is better than a bursting one.
Work quickly — wrappers dry out and become difficult to roll within a few minutes.
Replace prawns with thin slices of grilled pork or five-spice tofu.
Add mango strips and avocado for a tropical version.
Best eaten immediately. Store assembled rolls wrapped in damp paper towel for up to 2 hours.
Gỏi cuốn (literally 'salad roll') are a staple of southern Vietnamese cuisine, particularly associated with the Mekong Delta region where rice paper production is traditional. They are considered a lighter, fresher counterpart to the fried chả giò spring rolls of northern Vietnam. Gỏi cuốn are one of the most internationally recognised Vietnamese dishes and have become a healthy eating staple in Western food culture.
Fresh spring rolls (gỏi cuốn) are wrapped in translucent rice paper and never cooked after wrapping — they are a raw assembly of fresh ingredients served immediately. Fried spring rolls (chả giò) are wrapped in a thinner rice paper or wheat wrapper and deep-fried until crispy. Both are Vietnamese but from different regional traditions — gỏi cuốn from the south, chả giò traditionally from the north.
Don't stack them directly on top of each other — lay them side by side on a lightly oiled or damp plate with a little space between each, or separate layers with damp paper towel if you need to stack them. Serving them within an hour or two of rolling also helps, since the wrappers get tackier the longer they sit.
Yes — replace the prawns with strips of pan-fried tofu, extra vegetables like carrot or avocado, or thin omelette strips. Keep the same vermicelli, lettuce and herb base, and swap the peanut dipping sauce's hoisin for a vegetarian brand if needed, since some hoisin sauces contain fish sauce.
Per serving (150g / 5.3 oz) · 4 servings total
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