Vietnamese summer rolls

This post isn't about a restaurant to go to. Nor is it a recipe. I guess it's essentially a shopping list and instructions in pictures. If you've ever gone to Chinatown and didn't know what to buy, or tried to make this based on written instructions alone, this post is for you.

Here are wrappers and noodles. There are thinner noodles available. These are pretty thick. (Sorry, I used up all my thin noodles and didn't have any left to take a picture.)


I prefer this brand of spring roll wrapper in the plastic container (as opposed to the plastic bag), because the sheets are less likely to be cracked. Cracked sheets make for an exercise in frustration.

I usually make these with shrimp boiled in salt water, but I didn't have any shrimp this day, so I fried some ground pork with chili garlic sauce and oyster sauce. (I would have just used garlic and oyster sauce, but was also out of garlic. That's okay, it came out good anyway.)


The other ingredients are from my garden (clockwise from top left): chinese parsley, green onions, mint, and basil. I also included lettuce and shredded carrots which were not from my garden and not pictured.


Pass the wrapper under warm water and put on a surface that it doesn't stick to. Just pass the wrapper under the water and put it down while it's still a little stiff. (If you water it until it's soft, it will be impossible to work with. If it's too stiff when you're finished, you can always dampen it with more water.) Then arrange all the ingredients inside.


Fold the sides in.


Roll as tightly as possible without ripping. I know, easier said than done, but with practice, you'll figure out how to do this. A lot of it has to do with wetting the wrapper just right, rather than your rolling technique.


The sauce pictured here is actually for the fried spring roll, but we like this one better than the peanut-y one, so here it is. Like I said, this isn't a recipe, but it's basically sugar, fish sauce, vinegar (or something sour to contrast like calamansi) and the hot garlic sauce. And voila... vietnamese summer rolls.


Thank you to my step-mother Oanh for teaching me how to make these and what to buy in Chinatown.