Vietnam: Goi Cuon

Goi Cuon are the fresh spring rolls you'll find in any typical Vietnamese restaurant in the U.S. When I lived in Seattle, my office was above a Vietnamese restaurant (Vietnamese cuisine is HUGE in Seattle). I would order spring rolls for lunch nearly every day. They were inexpensive, healthy, filling, and absolutely delicious. Ah, such sweet memories. Now that I'm back in Scranton, PA, where Vietnamese restaurants are scarce, well actually, non-existent, making them at home is my only option. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy do-it-yourself Goi Cuon turned out to be.

Be aware, some of the ingredients may not be readily prevalent in every grocery store (specifically, the vermicelli and rice paper). I found mine at Wegmans, and if your area has an Asian mart, you'll be able to find them there as well.

Ingredients:

For the spring rolls:
8 round rice papers (maybe a few extra just in case!)
About 2 cups vermicelli, cooked
About 20 medium sized shrimp, sliced lengthwise (so they lay flat)
2 cloves garlic
Oil for sautéing
About 2 handfuls fresh cilantro, thai basil, or mint (or a combo of the 3!)
1 carrot, sliced into thin strips
1 cucumber, seeded and sliced into thin strips

For the dipping sauce:
.5 cup hoisin sauce
1 tbsp. chunky peanut butter
(Although not necessary, I added a few drops of Sriracha)

Step 1: Start by sautéing the shrimp with the garlic and oil until slightly charred. (I added a bit of sesame oil and fish sauce for additional flavor, but you can be as creative as you'd like). Set aside.
Step 2: In a baking sheet with edges, heat a thin layer of water over medium heat. It should be hot, but not too hot that you can't put your fingers in it.
Step 3: Place a rice paper rough-side up in the heated water. Cook for about 10 seconds until soft and remove to a flat surface. Repeat until all rice papers are cooked.
Step 4: Layer shrimp, cucumber, carrots, herbs, and vermicelli in the center of the rice papers. Wrap up tightly as you would a burrito.
Step 5: Combine the sauce ingredients together.

That's it! Try it with grilled pork instead of or in addition to shrimp.

Also, thanks to nestMeg for posting the recipe I (somewhat) followed.