Vietnamese food is the ultimate “accidentally healthy” food. There are some deep-fried recipes. Most Vietnamese dishes, however, are fresh and full of vibrant flavors. They’re also loaded with herbs, salads, and a little bit of protein. The dressings and sauces in Vietnamese cuisine are light, fresh, and free of oil.

Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls are one of those dishes that people love but think are too difficult or fiddly to make. Let me dispel that myth by telling you that I’m not into fiddly. You won’t find any fancy-decorated cakes on my blog. I don’t have enough patience or coordination to make fiddly sweets or savory dishes.

This recipe was posted when I first started my blog. My photos are a bit better now, but what’s more important is the video! It is great to have a video to show how to make the rolls.

Serve DIY spreads

Set out the ingredients and a bowl of water to dip the rice paper into, then let everyone make their own. The DIY version is available in many Vietnamese restaurants around Sydney. I order it every time!

How to make Vietnamese rice paper rolls

Two little tips can make the life of your Vietnamese rice paper roll maker so much easier.

  1. Wrap up any fly-away pieces in a lettuce leaf. Bean sprouts and vermicelli noodles are my favorite fillings. (See the recipe notes for other suggestions). You can use lettuce to wrap the filling until you perfect your rolling technique. It will make it easier to roll up the rice paper. This will also stop things like cucumber, bean sprouts, and carrots from piercing through the rice paper.
  2. This is another tip for the Rice Paper Rolling Master. This makes it easier to roll. Due to the triple/quadruple layers, the ends can be a bit chewy. It’s not at all tough. It’s only tough in comparison to the softness and fragility of a single sheet of rice paper. It doesn’t deter me at all. It didn’t prevent my mother from eating four of them in minutes. It never ceases to amaze me how a woman can consume so many things so quickly. (PS: She was my hand model in the video. It was hard to do this by myself!)

The prawns are arranged in different positions to make the prawns easier to see. I.e., Pretty Rolls.

Peanut Dipping sauce for rice paper rolls

This peanut sauce has it all!! This is a Vietnamese Peanut Dipping Sauce. Peanut butter and hoisin are the two main ingredients. They can be thinned with milk or water. I prefer milk because it gives a nicer color. The sauce becomes darker when water is added. It’s also good to add vinegar for some tanginess (really needed) and garlic (it’s not Asian without garlic!). You can add a little chili (which I like) if you wish.

This Vietnamese Peanut Sauce is different from Thai, Malaysian, and Chinese peanut sauces. I believe you will be very close friends with this Vietnamese Peanut Sauce.

Ingredients

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

VIETNAMESE PEANUT DIPPER SAUCE

  • Peanut butter, smooth is best (but crunchy is fine too).
  • 2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
  • Use 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar or lime juice
  • 34 cup water or milk (any fat percentage)
  • One minced garlic clove
  • Add to taste 1/2 tsp of crushed chili or samba oak or any other chili paste.

Instructions

  • Peanut Sauce: Combine all ingredients for the Peanut Dipping Sauce. Mix briefly (it will not come together), and then microwave it for 30 seconds. Mix again until smooth. Let cool. To taste, adjust the sourness with vinegar and saltiness with salt. Once cooled, you can adjust the thickness with water or milk.
  • Place vermicelli in a large bowl, cover with warm tap water, and let sit for 2 minutes. Drain (or follow the instructions on the packet).
  • Peel the prawns and cut them in half (see video).
  • Watch the video to learn how to remove the core of the lettuce leaves.
  • Tip – LETTUCE BUNDLE – (Note 4): Place a few vermicelli noodles in a leaf of lettuce, and then roll the whole thing up. Finish with the seam facing down. Repeat.
  • Fill a large, wide bowl with warm tap water. The bowl does not need to be big enough to hold the entire rice paper at once.
  • If using 2, place two rice papers together. The smoothest side should be on the outside of the roll. Submerge both rice papers in the water at once for 2 seconds. You can rotate the bowl and count for 2 seconds each time you submerge a section of rice paper into the water if your bowl is not large enough.
  • Place the rice paper (one on the top; they will stick to each other) with the smooth surface down on a counter or board.
  • Place three prawns on the top of the rice paper with a mint leaf in between. See the picture below.
  • Place the lettuce bundle, seam side down, on the middle of the rice paper.
  • Roll the lettuce up by folding the right and left edges in. Then, keep rolling firmly. It will self-seal because the rice paper is sticky.
  • The rice paper roll should look nice if you place the ingredients, as shown in the photo. Place the prawns and mint leaves along the smooth side and the seam either on the side or underneath the roll.
  • Serve immediately with peanut dipping sauce.