Sunday, March 6, 2011

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

My daughter Gianna is half Vietnamese and half American (Sicilian Portuguese), and she's a multi - cultural eater.  She enjoys all the different cuisines we make at home, but spring rolls are her favorite.  The ones they serve at many restaurants are full of shredded lettuce filler, which I really don't like.  I make Gianna's spring rolls with only the best ingredients that my mom made for me.


12 large deveined shrimp (26-30 count)
Thin rice vermicelli
Spring Roll Wrapper/Skin
Mint, Cilantro, Thai Basil (whatever herbs you like)

  1. Follow package directions of vermicelli (Bring water to a boil, drop a small amount of noodles in for 3-4 minutes, then drain.)
  2. Place the shrimp in a small saucepan.  Put just enough water in the pan to cover the shrimp.  Season with Tony Chachere's or Old Bay.  Bring to a boil, then immediately pull the pan off the heat and drain the shrimp in a colander to cool.  Don't rinse or add ice.
  3. Take one piece of rice paper and run under warm water in the sink.  When both sides of the rice paper feel soft, lay on a plate.  Top with noodles, shrimp, and herbs of your choice.  See picture.
Fold left and right sides in.  Roll up 4 of these and prepare sauce:

You'll need:  1/4 cup Fish Sauce
1/2 cup warm water
1 Thai Chili Pepper
2 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Cloves Garlic
1/2 Lime

Mince the garlic and chili pepper together, scrape into a bowl, and add the fish sauce.  Add the water next, then stir the sugar in until it dissolves.  Squeeze in half a lime, and mix slowly.  If you like extra spice, add some chili garlic sauce.  Below, you'll see what the packaging looks like for the rice paper and rice noodles.  You can find these at Asian markets, or Kroger Marketplace carries similar brands.

Over the years, my friends and I have added other meats to the shrimp including grilled lamb, medium rare duck breast, pork tenderloin, and even grilled venison.  That's what you get in this Vietnamese Italian fusion kitchen!  


  1. I think the first time I had these, they were made by your mom.