Gỏi cuốn,[ Spring roll showdown in Little Saigon, Orange County Register (archived from the original on 2011-11-26).][ Beyond Egg Rolls: 9 Spring Rolls Everyone Should Know About, Thrillist][ VIETNAM: Gỏi Cuốn Vietnamese Spring Rolls are Fresh! (Recipe), Will Fly for Food]
Gỏi cuốn are served fresh, unlike similar rolls that are fried, like the Vietnamese chả giò.
Preparation
The
bánh tráng (
rice paper) is dipped in water, then laid flat on a plate with the desired amount of ingredients placed on top. The fresh
gỏi cuốn is then rolled up and ready to be eaten.
Gỏi cuốn can be served with
tương xào (also known as
hoisin sauce), which consists of ground
tương (
tương đen or
tương xay) and mixed coconut water (or broth), before being stir-fried with garlic and some sugar and then sprinkled with chili powder and ground peanuts. Alternatively,
gỏi cuốn can be served with peanut sauce or other Vietnamese dipping sauces, such as
nước chấm, a condiment based on fish sauce.
In Vietnam and in various parts of Southeast Asia, Vietnamese can be seen hand-making bánh tráng (rice paper) and placing them on the rectangular bamboo trays around their houses. Traditionally, gỏi cuốn are eaten with a large group of people at a home setting.
Regional
In southern Vietnam, these rolls are called
gỏi cuốn, meaning salad rolls, while in northern Vietnam, these rolls are called
nem cuốn, meaning
nem rolls. In central Vietnam, they are simply called "rice paper" rolls. In the West, these rolls are called by several different English names, including "salad roll", "spring roll" and "summer roll." Sometimes the word "Vietnamese" is added at the beginning of these words; for example, in
Hong Kong, they are called "Vietnamese rolls", and in Australia and the United States they may be called "Vietnamese spring rolls" (although specifically in
Australia they may sometimes be referred to as "cold rolls"). Some Asian restaurants in the United States also refer to them as "crystal rolls", "soft rolls" or "salad rolls". The name "summer roll" was popularized by some Vietnamese American restaurants for easier marketing and as a seasonal play on the term "spring roll". But many Vietnamese American restaurants still use "spring roll" as the English translation.
Fresh rolls are easily distinguished from similar rolls by the fact that they are not fried, and the ingredients used are different from (deep-fried) Vietnamese egg rolls.
In Cambodia, Vietnamese
gỏi cuốn are called
nime chao, meaning "raw rice paper"; they are produced by a different technique in the Siem Reap and Battambang areas from that in Vietnam. Another dish called
kuy tieu kat ("cut rice noodles") is created by steaming the water mixture and adding meat, vegetables and other assorted condiments. In Japan, they are called ("raw spring rolls"), and are typically filled with shrimp.
Variants
The fillings can vary from the standard pork slices, Vietnamese sausage slices (
chả), and shrimp; fish, pan-fried seafood (such as squid), beef poached in a lemongrass broth, grilled
nem nướng sausages, braised pork, and egg are among some of the other popular spring roll variations. Vegan variations include tofu, mushrooms or avocado.
See also
External links
