traditional vietnamese spring rolls

We’re doing something a little different today, folks! Our lovely friends Seth + Vi had us over for dinner last week when we were in Iowa, and they made these amazing Traditional Vietnamese Spring Rolls for us. So, this post is sort of a guest post! I’m writing up the blog post but Seth took the pictures and Vi wrote up the recipe. Enjoy!

P.S. – Seth is a wedding + event photographer and his work is incredible! Check it out here.

this recipe

I should probably tell you that I NEVER thought I would like spring rolls. I have now seen the light! If you’re a little scared of trying new foods (I’m totally guilty of this!) this is a great place to start. Peanut sauce, rice noodles, shrimp, marinated beef – helloooo my new loves!

I need to try Pho next! I’ve heard so many good things and now that I know I like spring rolls, I think I’ll like Pho too. Have you guys ever tried Spring Rolls or Pho??

Seth took some great step-by-step photos to walk you through this recipe. Spring rolls are actually pretty simple to make and it’s a super fun recipe to make for a gathering with friends! This recipe makes enough for about 30 rolls, so you can definitely cut it in half if you’re not cooking for a group!

Okay, now down to biz.

First, you marinate and cook your meat (they used shrimp and beef!) with some onions.

Then, you cook your noodles, mix up your sauce, and get out your veggies (lettuce, cilantro, cucumber).

To assemble your spring rolls, quickly dunk the wrapper in some water. (Don’t be freaked out by that contraption that’s holding the water – you can get one at an Asian market or on Amazon – or you can just dunk the wrappers in a large bowl of water! I’ll have some more info on this in the recipe notes below, as well.) Don’t leave the wrapper in for more than a few seconds or it will get too soggy.

Add your toppings –

And roll the whole thing up like a tiny little burrito!

Easy peasy and so delicious! I probably ate, like, 5 of them. They’re seriously so good. I challenge you to get out of your food comfort zone and try something new this weekend! If you’ve never had spring rolls, let that new thing you try be this recipe.

Thanks Seth + Vi to introducing us to the wonder that is the Spring Roll!

Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo! 

Be sure to follow bluebowlrecipes on instagram and tag #bluebowlrecipes with your photo! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the bluebowlrecipes Facebook page. I’d love to see what you make!

4.91 from 11 votes

Traditional Vietnamese Spring Rolls

By Stephanie Simmons

A traditional Vietnamese recipe for spring rolls, made with marinated beef, shrimp, rice noodles, and veggies. So delicious and so fun to make with friends!

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 45 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ FOR THE SPRING ROLLS
• ▢ 1 lb eye of round roast, thinly sliced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• ▢ 1 tbsp sesame oil
• ▢ Pinch of pepper
• ▢ 2 tbsp coconut oil
• ▢ 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ▢ 1/2 of a white onion, thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 lb of rice stick noodles
• ▢ olive oil
• ▢ 1 package rice paper
• ▢ 1 head green leaf lettuce, rinsed
• ▢ 1 cucumber halved and sliced into thin strips
• ▢ 1/2 a bunch of cilantro, rinsed
• ▢ FOR THE NUOC MAM SAUCE
• ▢ 2 tbsp vinegar
• ▢ 2 tbsp sugar
• ▢ 2 tbsp fish sauce
• ▢ 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp warm water, 1/2 cup if you want it more diluted
• ▢ chili garlic sauce, to taste

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Instructions 

• Prep: Toss meat, garlic, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and pepper in a large bowl. Marinate the meat in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. 

  While meat marinates, prepare the rice noodles according to package instructions. Rinse the noodles under cold water after noodles are cooked and lightly drizzle them with olive oil to prevent them from sticking. Set aside. 

  Prepare the Nuoc Mam sauce by mixing the vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, warm water, and chili garlic sauce in a small bowl. Set aside. 
• Cook the meat: Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sautee the onion for a minute or two. Add the shrimp and sautee for 2-3 minutes. Add the marinated beef and and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat and shrimp are done. If you don't have a pan big enough to cook all the meat in at once, do this in two batches, adding half the onion, coconut oil, shrimp, and meat in the same order - and repeating with the remaining half of these things.  
• Assemble: Fill rice water bowl or a regular bowl with warm water. Dunk 1 rice paper wrapper into the bowl for a few seconds (no more than this or it will get too soggy!) and then transfer to a clean plate. Add noodles, meat and desired veggies. Roll the spring roll up like a burrito, folding in the ends as you roll. 

  Dip the spring roll into the Nuoc Mam sauce, Peanut sauce, or enjoy on it's own!

Notes

NOTE: The rice water bowl that Seth and Vi used can be found on Amazon but Vi also said you can usually find them at Asian markets. You can also just use a large bowl full of water, and sort of press the wrapper on the surface of the water for a few seconds. 

NOTE: Vi also says that if you can't find any of the ingredients in this recipe, an Asian market will have them and they are usually less expensive there! 

NOTE: We had peanut sauce with these rolls which was AMAZING. Vi just makes it up every time she makes it, so we don't have a formal recipe for it but here's a recipe I found online that sounds very similar to what she makes! She didn't use chile-garlic paste or garlic or sesame oil in hers though. Peanut sauce is super flexible, so add or omit things based on your personal taste!

NOTE: The first box of nutrition info below is for the spring rolls, and the second is for the Nuoc Mam sauce.

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