Whether summer, winter, fall or… well, spring – spring rolls are a timeless delight, always serving as the perfect fresh, flavor-packed meal. Hailing from Vietnam, these culinary gems are traditionally enjoyed during T?t, the Vietnamese New Year, symbolizing wealth and prosperity.
Whenever the warm weather is right around the corner, our bodies are ready to feel the sun upon our faces again. The flowers blossoming, gardens blooming, the time is right for light, fresh and healthy food. What better way to welcome the sun than with this wonderful Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Roll recipe?
Made from rice paper and rice noodles, this recipe is gluten-free and serves as a perfect appetizer or snack for any occasion. Pair it with a spicy peanut sauce and it will be guaranteed a hot item with any crowd.
Save yourself the work and engage guests in a little interactive culinary experience, inviting them to roll their own. After all, the beauty of these rolls lies in their imperfections. Any missteps can be quickly – and deliciously – eaten away.
Feel free to substitute the shrimp for bbq chicken, avocado, jicama – let your imagination create new and exciting flavor combinations. These spring rolls are best eaten the day they are made but can also be covered with saran wrap and eaten the next day.
Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Description
Whether summer, winter, fall or… well, spring – spring rolls are a timeless delight, always serving as the perfect fresh, flavor-packed meal.
Ingredients
FOR THE SPRING ROLLS
- 2 ounces rice vermicelli (60 mL)
- 8 rice wrappers (8.5 inch diameter)
- 8 large cooked shrimp – peeled, deveined and cut in half
- 1 1/3 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai basil (20 mL)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves (45 mL)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (45 mL)
- 2 leaves lettuce, chopped
FOR THE PEANUT SAUCE
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (120 mL)
- 2 tablespoons water (30 mL)
- 1 tablespoon gluten free hoisin (15 mL)
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha (5 mL)
- Handful of peanuts, crushed
Instructions
FOR THE SPRING ROLLS
1. Soak vermicelli in cold water until soft. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and cook vermicelli for 2-3 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for a second and lay the wrapper on a flat surface. In a raw across the center, place 3 shrimp halves down and top with vermicelli, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce – leaving about 2 inches on each side. Fold the uncovered sides inward and roll the wrapper tightly. Serve with Spicy Peanut Sauce.
FOR THE PEANUT SAUCE
1. Mix peanut butter and water together until thoroughly mixed. Add more water (1 teaspoon at a time) if the consistency is too thick. Stir in hoisin and Sriracha and top with crushed peanuts. Serve with spring rolls.
I love this recipe, thank you:)
Great photos and recipe, I really enjoyed this post
I love spring rolls, but I’ve never really mastered rolling them up. Yours are so pretty!
Hi Joy, I just wanted to stop by to say hello and that I’m excited to see your recipes here.
Love spring rolls, these look FABULOUS. I make these on special occasion with tofu and i also like something crispy inside, i learned that from my favorite restaurant here in Seattle, they make the best spring rolls and their secret is to add something crispy inside. Very nice work, love the picture too.
I just wanted to mention that hoisin sauce is not gluten free… you might want to note that while the rolls are GF, the dipping sauce is not.
Hi Meghan – thanks so much for noticing that the link to gluten free hoisin was missing! It’s corrected now.
Oh, spring rolls and summer rolls are great family (perfect for kids) or single person options! They are also wonderful because you can generally make them without done any actual cooking time, so they help keep the house cool in the summer.
The last couple of weeks I’ve been packing them in my lunches, with lots of variation in the fillings. Collard greens work really well for the outside wrapper (either alone as described here, or on top of the rice paper) help keep them separated for packed lunches. It’s a great way to add extra greens to your diet too.