Vietnamese Spring Roll (G?i cu?n)

In Vietnam there is a non-fried and refreshing spring roll known as "G?i cu?n" which include ingredients such as boiled or fried pork, shrimp, chicken, fresh herbs, lettuce, cucumber, rice vermicelli and etc. All the ingredients are all wrapped in moistened rice paper and eaten with a cold dipping sauce.



Here is my version of preparing this Vietnamese Spring Roll using cooked prawns, vegetables and fresh herbs.



6 Sheets of Large Vietnamese Rice Paper

12 Medium Cooked Prawns, shell removed

1/2 Medium Carrot, peeled and julienned

1 Small Japanese Cucumber, peeled and julienned

24 Mint Leaves

Handful of Thai Basil Leaves

Some Lettuce Leaves, tear into small portion









1. Fill a large dish or bowl with warm water, soak each sheet of rice paper for a second or two then transfer to a slightly damp cotton dish towel.



2. To assemble, arrange 2 cooked prawns, carrot, cucumber, lettuce, 2 mint leaves and some basil leaves at about 1/3 of the way from the edge nearest you.(refer to the photo above)



3. Roll from the edge nearest you and tuck in the sides as you go near to the other end. Carefully not to tear the wrapper with too much strength.



4. Serve whole or diagonally cut in half with dipping sauce.





There are a few ways to prepare this dipping sauce for the Vietnamese Spring Roll but here we love this version without minced garlic and instead I add in some chopped peanuts to enhance the flavour and texture.



2 Tablespoon Lime Juice

1 Tablespoon of Fish Sauce

60ml Hot Water

1 Teaspoon of Caster/Brown Sugar

1 Small Red Chili, seeds removed and slices

1 Small Green Chili, seeds removed and slices

1/2 Tablespoon of Chopped Peanut, optional





1. Whisk together all ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.





Although this might seems a bit troublesome to prepare as it used many ingredients as an appetizer or salad but trying it can be worth for getting away with our usual food routine. For this you can use all kind of vegetables according to your preference and if you do not like the taste of raw herbs, you can omit them in this recipe too. Moreover eating this Vietnamese Spring Rolls can be lots of fun too as you can mix and match the ingredients, wrap it and enjoy a light and refreshing meal while chatting with group of friends around the table.