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    Home » Recipes » Appetizers and Snacks » Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls (Gỏi Cuốn Tôm Thịt)

    Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls (Gỏi Cuốn Tôm Thịt)

    Published: Mar 11, 2021 Modified: Apr 26, 2021 by Suzanne Nuyen This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads

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    Vietnamese gỏi cuốn tôm thịt are one of my favorite appetizers. You'll find these pork and shrimp spring rolls at practically every Vietnamese restaurant. I love munching on the fresh, herbaceous rolls dipped in a creamy peanut sauce. However, restaurants usually only give you two spring rolls, and I'm very picky about the ratio of meats to noodles and vegetables. Gỏi cuốn is super easy to make at home. Here, you can control what ingredients go in your spring rolls. Plus, this recipe makes 15-20 spring rolls – a real bargain!

    Pin Vietnamese Pork And Shrimp Spring Rolls To Try Later!

    You might see these rolls listed on menus as summer rolls. And then there's also the egg roll! So what's the difference between spring rolls vs egg rolls vs summer rolls? Some sites say that spring rolls are made with a flour based wrapper and fried, whereas summer rolls are made with a rice paper wrapper and not fried. The egg roll is a variant of spring rolls with extra egg added to the wrapper. For the purposes of this blog, I will only be using the phrase spring roll to mean fresh rolls wrapped in rice paper (Gỏi Cuốn) and egg rolls for fried rolls wrapped in a flour based wrapper (Chả Giò)

    A shrimp and pork spring roll cross section next to a small bowl of peanut sauce
    Make sure to add plenty of herbs to the filling for a fragrant spring roll.

    Jump to:
    • 🍤 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 💭 Tips and substitutions
    • 🍚 Serving suggestions
    • 🥡 How to store or make in advance
    • 👪 Serving size
    • 📋 Recipe

    🍤 Ingredients

    You will need:

    For the gỏi cuốn

    • 1 pack of rice vermicelli
    • 1 lb (453g) pork belly
    • 1 small shallot (about 15g, but it doesn't need to be exact)
    • 1 lb (453g) shrimp (I used easy peel, deveined shrimp)
    • 1 head lettuce (you can use green or red leaf lettuce, or romaine)
    • An assortment of herbs and vegetables (I used mint and thai basil. You could also add bean sprouts, chives and carrots)

    For the peanut sauce

    • 1 tablespoon neutral oil
    • ½ tablespoon minced garlic
    • ½ tablespoon minced shallot
    • ½ cup (120g) smooth peanut butter
    • ½ cup (128g) hoisin sauce
    • 1 cup reserved pork belly cooking liquid
    • sambal oelek chili sauce (optional)

    🔪 Instructions

    raw shrimp, raw pork bellt, herbs and dry vermicelli noodles on a wooden board
    I use easy peel shrimp that has already been deveined to make cooking easier.

    Preparing the fillings

    Cook the vermicelli according to the package's instructions. Drain and rinse the noodles and set aside to cool.

    Wash and dry all of the herbs and vegetables you plan on using.

    Meanwhile, add the pork belly and a peeled shallot to a pot of boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes, or until a fork/chopstick easily pierces the meat and the liquid coming out of it runs clear.

    sliced pork belly on a wooden board
    Cut the pork belly as thinly as possible.

    Remove the pork belly to cool but keep the cooking liquid. Slice the pork belly thinly.

    shrimp cooking in a pan
    Use a tiny bit of water to help the shrimp steam.

    Add 1 tablespoon water to a small saucepan or pan and cook the shrimp on medium high heat until the shrimp are pink and no longer translucent. Let them cool before peeling them and slicing them in half.

    sliced shrimp on a wooden board
    Cut the shrimp in half for easier rolling later.

    Making the peanut sauce

    minced shallots and garlic sautéing in oil
    Starting with a base of garlic and shallot makes the peanut sauce more flavorful.

    In a small saucepan, sauté the minced garlic and shallot in a tablespoon of oil on medium heat.

    a rubber spatula mixing peanut sauce in a small saucepan
    You could add plain water to the sauce instead of the pork cooking liquid, but that broth is more flavorful.

    Add the peanut butter, hoisin sauce, and reserved pork cooking liquid and stir until smooth.

    If you want a spicy peanut sauce, add a tablespoon or two of sambal oelek to taste.

    Assembling the spring rolls

    Start by dipping a sheet of rice paper into a bowl of warm water QUICKLY. It's likely the rice paper will still feel stiff in your hands. It will continue to soften as you assemble the fillings. Do NOT submerge the rice paper in water until it is soft, as it will fall apart by the time you are ready to roll.

    three ladies (ba co gai) brand rice paper for spring rolls
    This is my favorite brand of rice paper, but you can use whatever is available at the grocery store.

    I like to use the Three Ladies Brand rice paper. You can find it at most Asian grocery stores.

    For gỏi cuốn, you could add the fillings in any order you want, but generally you want the shrimp to show up on the outside of the spring rolls on one side and the lettuce to show up on the other, with the noodles tucked in the middle.

    a rice paper layered with shrimp, pork, herbs, noodles and lettuce
    A fully filled gỏi cuốn, ready to roll.

    To do this, start by layering the shrimp cut side up, followed by the pork belly, then herbs, then noodles, followed lastly by the lettuce.

    I like to start with my fillings on the bottom and roll upwards. My family starts at the top and rolls downwards. In any case, you want to roll the fillings as snugly as possible once around, then fold the two sides of the rice paper towards the middle. Then roll the fillings all the way to the other end of the rice paper.

    You can see a video of me rolling a spring roll in action here:

    @bunbobaeblog

    Spring Roll Series! Part 1: Goi Cuon #recipe #vietfood #fyp

    ♬ She Share Story (for Vlog) - 山口夕依

    Serve the spring rolls with the peanut dipping sauce. You can add some crushed peanuts to the sauce for extra crunch.

    A spring roll being dipped into a bowl of peanut sauce
    This peanut sauce is SO good!

    💭 Tips and substitutions

    I cannot stress enough how you should NOT submerge the rice paper sheet in water until it is soft. Your rice paper should still feel a little stiff when you are starting out. Take your time layering the ingredients and by the time you are ready to roll the paper will have softened enough to roll. The number one reason for a broken/exploded spring roll is using too much water to moisten the rice paper.

    If you are an expert gỏi cuốn wrapper, you could put the shrimp cut side up above the rest of the ingredients so that it is nestled underneath fewer layers of rice paper after rolling. This makes the shrimp pop more, but there's a higher chance of your spring roll ripping. See the photo below for how to set up the spring roll fillings in this way:

    gỏi cuốn ingredients in a rice paper.
    This is a different way of layering your ingredients for a prettier spring roll.

    If you don't want to cook and peel your own shrimp, you can buy precooked steamed shrimp instead.

    🍚 Serving suggestions

    This is often served as an appetizer at Vietnamese banquets. I usually pack 4-5 of these as a quick and healthy lunch. It's a good alternative to a typical lunch salad or sandwich!

    A close up of a goi cuon cut in half to show the fillings
    These make a great portable lunch.

    🥡 How to store or make in advance

    Gỏi cuốn tôm thịt, like all rolls using rice paper, is best eaten as soon as it is made. The longer you leave them out, the more the rice paper will dry out and harden. If you're making these in bulk for a party, you can wrap each spring roll individually in plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. They should be eaten within 24 hours of rolling.

    I like to prep all of my fillings at the beginning of the week and roll them as I go so they stay fresh.

    👪 Serving size

    This recipe makes 15-20 spring rolls depending on how much filling you stuff each roll with. For an appetizer, serve 2 rolls per person. As a meal, serve 4-6 rolls per person.

    📋 Recipe

    Shrimp and pork spring rolls (gỏi cuốn) on a round wooden board with a blue bowl filled with peanut sauce
    Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls (Gỏi Cuốn)

    This traditional Vietnamese spring roll (gỏi cuốn) recipe is fresh, healthy and full of herbs and veggies. They're irresistible paired with the creamy peanut sauce!
    Course Appetizer, lunch, Side Dish, Snack
    Cuisine Asian, Vietnamese
    Keyword Pork, Seafood, Shrimp, Spring Rolls
    Prep Time 30 minutes
    Cook Time 45 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings 17 spring rolls
    Calories 188kcal

    Ingredients

    For the gỏi cuốn

    • 1 pack rice vermicelli
    • 1 lb pork belly (453g)
    • 1 small shallot (about 15g, but it doesn't need to be exact)
    • 1 lb shrimp (I recommend easy peel, pre-deveined shrimp)
    • 1 head green/red leaf or romaine lettuce
    • an assortment of your favorite herbs and veggies (I recommend using Thai basil and mint. You could also add bean sprouts, chives and carrots.)

    For the peanut sauce

    • 1 tablespoon neutral oil (I used canola)
    • ½ tablespoon minced garlic
    • ½ tablespoon minced shallot
    • ½ cup smooth peanut butter (about 120g)
    • ½ cup hoisin sauce (about 128g)
    • 1 cup reserved pork belly cooking liquid (about 236 ml)
    • sambal oelek chili sauce (optional)

    Instructions

    Preparing the fillings

    • Cook the vermicelli according to the package's instructions. Drain and rinse the noodles and set aside to cool.
    • Wash and dry all of the herbs and vegetables you plan on using.
    • Ddd the pork belly and a peeled shallot to a pot of boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes, or until a fork/chopstick easily pierces the meat and the liquid coming out of it runs clear.
    • Remove the pork belly to cool but keep the cooking liquid. Slice the pork belly thinly.
    • Add 1 tablespoon water to a small saucepan or pan and cook the shrimp on medium high heat until the shrimp are pink and no longer translucent. Let them cool before peeling them and slicing them in half.

    Making the peanut dipping sauce

    • In a small saucepan, sauté the minced garlic and shallot in a tablespoon of oil on medium heat.
    • Add the peanut butter, hoisin sauce, and reserved pork cooking liquid and stir until smooth.
    • If you want a spicy peanut sauce, add a tablespoon or two of sambal oelek to taste.

    Assembling the spring rolls

    • Start by dipping a sheet of rice paper into a bowl of warm water QUICKLY. It's likely the rice paper will still feel stiff in your hands. It will continue to soften as you assemble the fillings. Do NOT submerge the rice paper in water until it is soft, as it will fall apart by the time you are ready to roll.
    • Layer the shrimp cut side up on one end of the rice paper, followed by the pork belly, then herbs, then noodles, followed lastly by the lettuce.
    • Roll the filling snugly once, then fold the sides of the rice paper towards the middle. Roll the rest of the fillings all the way to the other end of the rice paper.
    • Serve the spring rolls with the peanut dipping sauce. You can add some crushed peanuts to the sauce for extra crunch.

    Notes

    Calories are calculated to include all of the peanut sauce evenly distributed between 18 spring rolls. Without the peanut sauce, each spring roll is about 166 calories. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1spring roll | Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 238g | Protein: 6.6g | Fat: 11.3g | Saturated Fat: 3.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.6g | Cholesterol: 34.3mg | Sodium: 364.4mg | Potassium: 77.1mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6.2g | Calcium: 77.1mg
    Nutrition Facts
    Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls (Gỏi Cuốn)
    Amount Per Serving (1 spring roll)
    Calories 188 Calories from Fat 102
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 11.3g17%
    Saturated Fat 3.2g20%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9g
    Monounsaturated Fat 3.6g
    Cholesterol 34.3mg11%
    Sodium 364.4mg16%
    Potassium 77.1mg2%
    Carbohydrates 238g79%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 6.2g7%
    Protein 6.6g13%
    Calcium 77.1mg8%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Did you make this recipe? Please tag @BunBoBaeBlog on Instagram or leave a rating or comment on the blog!


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    • Dried Shrimp and Pineapple Stir Fry (Tép Khô Xào Dứa)
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    Hi! I'm Suzanne, your Bun Bo Bae. I'm a journalist, professional amateur baker, noodle enthusiast and food photographer living in Washington, DC. My immigrant parents taught me everything I know about Vietnamese home cooking, and now I want to share it with you!

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