My friend made Goi Cuon (or Vietnamese Spring Rolls) for the baby shower the other weekend. I was amazed by the way she rolled them. She is a master goi cuon roller. They looked so professional. It is not surprising because her family owned/owns several restaurants and they make some of the best goi cuons in San Diego.
I watched her roll them the morning of the shower. She used 1½ skins for each roll. She had a stack of very large round skins and a stack skins that were cut in half. I asked her why she had the half circles. She told me that it is trick used to help the rolls stay fresh for several hours. The trick worked.
There is quite a bit of prep work that goes into making these rolls. It is an exercise in mise en place. Once everything is prepped, you can either roll them all or wait for your friends to come and everyone can roll their own. Rolling spring rolls is another exercise of self-control and moderation. One must possess enough self control to not over-stuff the rolls. It is tempting to want to jam-pack all the yummy ingredients in the roll but one must remember that we are making spring rolls and not burritos.
Ingredients for 20 large rolls:
30 extra large shrimp
1 pork loin, poached, and cut into thin slices (I don’t like pork in mine.)
1 head Green leaf lettuce, washed and torn into pieces
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch mint, leaves only
2-3 cups bean sprouts
1/2 package vermicelli rice noodles
green onions or chives (I think this is optional. It makes the rolls pretty but I always pull it out before eating.
30 large rice paper wrappers
Mise en Place:
1. Shrimp – Put shrimp (with shells on) in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Add about 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoons vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt. Boil until pink. Drain and allow to cool. Once shrimp is cool, carefully remove the shells. (Also devein them. I buy already deveined shrimp.)
2. Poach pork loin, cool and then slice.
3. Mix lettuce, cilantro, mint and bean sprout. Wash and drain.
4. Boil vermicelli noodles.
I watched my friend roll them but I couldn’t remember so I emailed her. She responded using her phone. Her response is below.
"I cut the wrapper in half dry with scissors
place half sheet in middle of whole sheet, hold together and then wet
I always use the larger wrappers with the three girls on it (my fav wrapper it's hole proof lol)
I like all my veggie and meat on the edge close to me like 1/4 the ways up then line shrimp in front of veggie pile
roll bottom wrapper over pile just enough to enclose stuffing then sides one by one and finish rolling up
if it's unclear call me"
I watched her roll them the morning of the shower. She used 1½ skins for each roll. She had a stack of very large round skins and a stack skins that were cut in half. I asked her why she had the half circles. She told me that it is trick used to help the rolls stay fresh for several hours. The trick worked.
There is quite a bit of prep work that goes into making these rolls. It is an exercise in mise en place. Once everything is prepped, you can either roll them all or wait for your friends to come and everyone can roll their own. Rolling spring rolls is another exercise of self-control and moderation. One must possess enough self control to not over-stuff the rolls. It is tempting to want to jam-pack all the yummy ingredients in the roll but one must remember that we are making spring rolls and not burritos.
Ingredients for 20 large rolls:
30 extra large shrimp
1 pork loin, poached, and cut into thin slices (I don’t like pork in mine.)
1 head Green leaf lettuce, washed and torn into pieces
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch mint, leaves only
2-3 cups bean sprouts
1/2 package vermicelli rice noodles
green onions or chives (I think this is optional. It makes the rolls pretty but I always pull it out before eating.
30 large rice paper wrappers
Mise en Place:
1. Shrimp – Put shrimp (with shells on) in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Add about 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoons vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt. Boil until pink. Drain and allow to cool. Once shrimp is cool, carefully remove the shells. (Also devein them. I buy already deveined shrimp.)
2. Poach pork loin, cool and then slice.
3. Mix lettuce, cilantro, mint and bean sprout. Wash and drain.
4. Boil vermicelli noodles.
Vermicelli Rice Noodles:
After cutting the shrimp, I arrange them to make it easier to use the same side shrimp for each roll.
I watched my friend roll them but I couldn’t remember so I emailed her. She responded using her phone. Her response is below.
"I cut the wrapper in half dry with scissors
place half sheet in middle of whole sheet, hold together and then wet
I always use the larger wrappers with the three girls on it (my fav wrapper it's hole proof lol)
I like all my veggie and meat on the edge close to me like 1/4 the ways up then line shrimp in front of veggie pile
roll bottom wrapper over pile just enough to enclose stuffing then sides one by one and finish rolling up
if it's unclear call me"
I'll do the assembly instructions using photos. (This is my interpretation of my friend's method. It is not her method.)
1. Count 10 wrappers and cut them in half. (You will need a total of 30 wrappers to make 20 rolls.)
2. Hold the half skin in front of the whole skin and dunk in warm water.
3. Place on large plate.
4. Arrange veggies and noodles centered on lower edge of skin. (This is also the time to add the sliced pork loin, if using.)
5. Roll up and arrange the shrimp pieces.
6. Fold the edges.
7. Tightly roll.
Peanut Hoisin Dipping Sauce
I like to make the sauce (and prep the shrimp and vegetables) the night before.
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup peanut butter
MSG
1/2 cup water
Huy Fong Foods Chili Garlic Sauce (aka cock brand chili garlic sauce) - to taste
Method:
Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and garlic. Cook until garlic is golden. Add the rest of the ingredients and allow to slowly melt together.
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