Vietnamese Spring Rolls - My Take

The dipping sauce and the filling.

Rolled, but not yet fried.

Why do I prefer Vietnamese style spring rolls over Philippine lumpia, Turkish borek, or Chinese egg rolls? Memories of a city and a woman.  Let me take you back a few years to Paris, the capital of the Vietnamese universe.  I was roaming the back streets with a very special lady who’d never had Vietnamese food.  We were both ravenous, and as we turned a corner, the most delicious, spicy smells from a small, open-faced shop wrapped around us.  With my pidgin French, I asked for two of the crispy rolls, sitting in a large stack on the corner of the stove.  I earned a blank look.  My friend used her perfect French and if she’d ordered camel drool I probably would have lapped it up. Paris is that kind of city.  She was that kind of woman.

I still remember the lingering goodness of those spring rolls.  Crisp on the outside, a succulent blend of rubbery noodles, vegetables, shrimp, and fish sauce on the inside.  As I munched, a couple of splotches of hot oil dripped on my new shoes, scarring them forever.  I didn’t care.  Years later I would search in vain for the same taste.  Never found it until I decided to make my own.

The Recipes

Dipping sauce

1/4 Cup sugar

3/4 Cup warm water

1/4 Cup Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

Juice of one fresh lime

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Mix the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and let the sauce rest at room temperature for an hour or two.

For spring rolls

7 1/2 oz very thin bean or rice thread noodles

1/2 to 3/4 Cup thinly sliced green onions

2 garlic cloves, finely diced

1 Cup finely diced or grated carrots

1/4 Cup Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce

1/2 Cup chopped cilantro

1/4 Cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

1 lb shrimp in shell, peeled and de-veined

25 square, frozen spring roll wrappers, thawed

1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

2 Cups vegetable oil for fying

Put the noodles in a bowl of warm water and set aside, stirring occasionally.  Give them about 15 to 30 minutes to soften.  If you look closely, you’ll see the strands of noodles have little white dots in them.  When these tiny dots disappear, the noodles are ready.  Chop the noodles into 2 to 3 inch lengths.

Sprinkle a little oil in a large frying pan and lightly cook the shrimp.  When they’re lightly pink, they’re done.  Do not over-cook them.  The rolls will be fried and everything will cook completely.  Give the cooked shrimp a medium chop and set aside, or lightly pulse in a food processor.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Let the ingredients sit for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.  If the mixture has too much liquid, drain the excess.

Separate the wrappers and cover with a moist tea towel. Select an individual spring roll wrapper, lay it flat and place line of filling on it.  How much filling you use is up to you, but I recommend less rather than more.  2 heaping tablespoons seems to be about right. Less filling makes for a crisper spring roll.

The rolling technique is simple:  roll, fold, finish rolling, seal.  The secret is to roll the wrappers as tightly as possible and seal them well. Use the egg yolk to seal the wrappers.

Heat the oil to 365ºF or 185ºC.  When you fry the rolls, watch them closely!

Now that you know how roll your own, all you have to do is pick the woman you want to share them with. Take it from me, if she speaks French the taste of the spring rolls will linger.