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–+ servings
Close up of rice papper rolls with dipping sauce

Vietnamese rice paper rolls (summer rolls)

Fragrant, light and absolutely delicious with a great peanut dipping sauce. Perfect summer meal for the family (hence the aka summer rolls name). These little plump rolls also make great appetisers for when you've got guests over.
5 from 4 votes
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 463kcal

Ingredients

  • 8 rice paper wrappers
  • 24 raw, peeled and deveined prawns/shrimp (large) about 300g/10oz
  • 1 cup cooked vermicelli rice noodles about 150g/5oz
  • 1 cucumber cut into thick matchsticks
  • 1 bunch of mint leaves
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • salt

Peanut dipping sauce

  • 1 tablespoon peanut sauce
  • ½ tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon fresh lime juice about a squeeze
  • ½ teaspoon dark brown sugar or caster sugar
  • 2 teaspoon water add more or less depending on desired thickness

Instructions

  • In a non-stick pan on medium heat, add oil and garlic. Once the garlic starts to sizzle, add prawns/shrimp and a pinch of salt in the pan.
  • Toss the prawns/shrimp in the pan and set aside once cooked. Takes about 3 - 4 minutes.
  • Cook vermicelli noodles according to packet instructions. Generally, it is just soaking in hot water for 5 - 8 minutes.

Assembling rice paper rolls

  • Once ready to assemble, pour warm water into a bowl or a round cake pan. Set aside.
  • To make the rice paper roll, dip and soak 1 rice paper wrapper in the warm water for 5 seconds. Then, place rice paper wrapper onto a clean bench or a large plate.
  • Now the filling: in the centre of the wrapper, slightly further down, place 3 prawns, a couple of cucumber matchsticks, 2 or 3 mint leaves and a small pinch of vermicelli noodles (about 1 - 2 tbsp). (note 1)
  • Fold in the bottom of the rice paper, covering the filling, then fold in left and right of the rice paper. Finally, roll upwards, firmly. Kind of like wrapping a spring roll or a tiny burrito.
  • Repeat for the rest of the rolls.

Making peanut dipping sauce

  • In a small bowl, combine all dipping sauce ingredients, except the water. Mix with a teaspoon until a smooth consistency has formed.
  • Now, add and mix in 1 teaspoon of water at a time. You may want to add a little more or less water depending on how thick you want the sauce to be.

Notes

Note 1. Filling suggestions There are no hard rules with rice paper rolls. This recipe is a basic one with prawns. Feel free to use more types of proteins and vegetables for variety!
  • Other protein suggestions: steak slices, pan-fried fish, sushi-grade salmon slices, teriyaki chicken slices, firm tofu, etc
  • Other vegetable suggestions: thinly sliced red cabbages, carrot matchsticks, baby spinach leaves, watercress, avocado, etc. 
When rolling, be mindful of the amount of filling you add. Too much will cause the wrapper to rip! A general rule of thumb - put enough for about 3 mouthfuls. 
Make it interactive! Like tacos, prepare all the ingredients, the sauce, couple of bowls of warm water and place them on the dining table. Each person makes their own rolls and this is particularly fun as you can mix and match different filling to your liking!
Other dipping sauces to use aside from the peanut dipping sauce, below are two other sauces you could use:
  • Nước chấm, a Vietnamese dipping sauce that is generally made of: fish sauce, water, sugar, lime juice (with or without vinegar) and chilli.
  • Sweet chilli sauce often seen at sushi takeaways, straight out of the bottle, no prep required.
 
Making ahead rice paper rolls are best served as soon as they're rolled. However, they're okay to be made 1 to 2 hours before serving. Do not put them in the fridge. Store at room temperature, covered with a lightly oiled cling film/plastic. Rice paper rolls dry out and harden in the fridge and this, unfortunately. is irreversible. Avoid the fridge at all cost!
Nutritional value listed excludes the dipping sauce. 
Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!

Nutrition

Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 69.3g | Protein: 25.8g | Fat: 7.9g | Saturated Fat: 1.2g | Potassium: 278mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2.7g | Iron: 1mg