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Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls Recipe

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★★★★★

5 from 145 reviews

Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls are fresh, light, and flavorful spring rolls made with delicate rice paper wrappers filled with cooked prawns, soft lettuce, vermicelli noodles, mint leaves, and bean sprouts. Served with a creamy and tangy Vietnamese peanut dipping sauce, these rolls make for a healthy appetizer or light meal with authentic Vietnamese flavors.

Ingredients

Scale

Rice Paper Rolls

  • 7 – 14 sheets of 22cm/8.5″ round rice paper
  • 11 small cooked prawns/shrimp (about 12cm/5″ in length, unpeeled including the head)
  • 50g / 1.5 oz dried vermicelli noodles
  • 7 lettuce leaves (soft type like Oak or Butter Lettuce)
  • 14 mint leaves
  • 1 cup bean sprouts

Vietnamese Peanut Dipping Sauce

  • 1 tbsp peanut butter, preferably smooth
  • 2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
  • 1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar or lime juice
  • 1/3 cup milk (any fat %) or water
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 tsp crushed chilli, samba oelek or other chilli paste (optional, adjust to taste)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Peanut Sauce: Combine all peanut dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl. Mix briefly—they won’t fully combine yet—then microwave for 30 seconds. Stir again until smooth and set aside to cool. Adjust the sourness with more vinegar, salt with salt, and spiciness with chili paste. Adjust thickness with more milk or water once cooled.
  2. Prepare the Vermicelli Noodles: Place the vermicelli noodles in a bowl and cover with warm water for 2 minutes or follow packet instructions until softened. Drain thoroughly.
  3. Prepare the Prawns: Peel the cooked prawns, slice them in half lengthwise, and devein carefully.
  4. Prepare the Lettuce: Remove the crunchy core from the lettuce leaves. For easier rolling, place some vermicelli noodles and bean sprouts inside each leaf and roll it up tightly to form lettuce bundles.
  5. Soften the Rice Paper : Fill a large bowl with warm water. Submerge two rice paper sheets together for about 2 seconds each side to soften them. If the bowl is small, rotate rice papers to wet entire surface thoroughly.
  6. Assemble the Rolls: Place the two softened rice papers on a flat surface with the smooth side facing down. On the top part, lay down 3 prawn halves with a mint leaf between each one. Place one lettuce bundle in the center.
  7. Roll the Rice Paper: Fold the left and right edges inward. Starting from the bottom edge, roll the rice paper over the filling and continue rolling firmly until sealed. The sticky rice paper will hold itself closed.
  8. Serve: Serve the rice paper rolls immediately alongside the prepared Vietnamese peanut dipping sauce.

Notes

  • Peanut Free Sauce Alternative: Use sweet chilli sauce instead of the peanut dipping sauce.
  • Use 2 rice papers per roll for easier handling and less tearing; the thicker ends will still be soft enough to enjoy.
  • Butter or oak lettuce is ideal because their soft pliable leaves won’t tear the rice paper. Avoid crunchy lettuce like iceberg unless shredded.
  • Adjust the peanut sauce flavor to taste by adding more peanut butter, vinegar, or milk/water for thickness. Milk lightens the color but doesn’t affect the flavor significantly.
  • Wrap the bean sprouts and vermicelli in the lettuce before the rice paper to create a secure bundle.
  • Store rolls wrapped individually in cling wrap in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours; avoid storing with damp paper towels to prevent off smells and sogginess.
  • DIY option: Lay out all ingredients with a bowl of water and let guests make their own rolls.
  • Other filling ideas: julienned carrots or cucumbers, alfalfa, watercress, tofu, shredded chicken, or herbs like coriander/cilantro and chives for classic Vietnamese flavor.
  • Original peanut dipping sauce (more authentic to some readers) uses smooth peanut butter, sugar, hoisin sauce, sweet soy sauce, garlic, chili, sesame oil, lime juice, and water.

Keywords: Vietnamese spring rolls, rice paper rolls, fresh spring rolls, peanut dipping sauce, healthy appetizer, no-cook rolls, Vietnamese appetizer

Find it online: https://dinewithlily.com/vietnamese-rice-paper-rolls-recipe/