The bulk of the time prep for this is in the chopping. Then you let everyone do the wrapping themselves! You can customize these with a variety of fillings. Due to my non-pork, non-shellfish observation at home, and also to keep costs lower, I recommend substituting in chicken instead of the typical shrimp or pork filling. You can also make a fully vegetarian version.
I originally made this as a dinner of 3, but we had so much left over that I made 2 more meals and still had plenty of material to wrap probably another 3 meals, which is why I estimate this serves 6 – 8 instead.
Recipe: Vietnamese spring rolls with chicken, garnished with a peanut sriracha sauce
Serves: 6-8 people (about 3-4 rolls each)
My set-up for the first time I tried this. I added a miso soup as a starter. Finished rice wrappers and peanut sauce not in the picture
Ingredients (some prices reflect the smallest unit I could buy at my local grocer and would perish within the week):
– Rice paper wrappers (6″) (an example online) – $2.50
– A packet of vermicelli noodles (minimum 6 oz) – $2.50
– 2 cucumbers – $2
– 8 lettuce leaves – $1
– cilantro to taste – $2
– mint leaves – $2
– 2 pounds of chicken (frozen from Trader Joe’s) – $4
– 1 red bell pepper – $2
(more optional veggies include bean sprouts and carrots, but the 6″ wrappers are small and you probably can’t fit it all)
For the chicken:
– salt and pepper, red pepper flakes optional
– 3 – 5 garlic cloves – $0.50
– half a cup soy sauce OR fish sauce, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons white or rice vinegar – $1.00
For the sauce:
– half a jar of peanut butter – $2
– 3 – 5 tablespoons of sriracha sauce – $1
– lime juice from 1 lime (optional) – $0.50
Total cost: ~$25
- Defrost chicken, then score the chicken so more marinade can seep in. Season chicken with salt, pepper, then marinating it in the soy sauce / sugar / vinegar / garlic marinade for 10 – 15 minutes.
- Cook chicken (some days I bake it in the oven, some days I sautee it, there are many ways to do this). When done, cut into thin half inch strips
- Chop cucumbers, bell peppers into thin slices, while also boiling a pot of water
- When the water has boiled, turn off heat, and put vermicelli noodles in to cook according to package instructions (for the most part you are blanching them until soft). Scoop the vermicelli from the water and put it on a plate
- Wash the remaining vegetables and rip the lettuce into 4″ x 2″ strips
- Mix the peanut butter, sriracha, and lime juice. Add hot water to liquefy it
- Take some of the remaining hot water and put it into a large boil where you can fit the entire wrapper flat and also reach in with your hand – I use a large mixing bowl for this. Mix enough cold water in so that it doesn’t scald your hand
- To make a wrapper, first line a plate with a wet paper towel with the water squeezed out. Dip the wrapper in the water for about 5 seconds and then shake the water off, and put it on the plate. It will still seem stiff but will soften over the next 30 seconds
- Add ingredients! I often like 2 – 3 mint leaves, some cilantro, a small amount of vermicelli, a small strip of chicken, and a few strips of the veggies. Don’t overload the wrapper
- Add sauce – I usually use a spoon and line the sauce in a stripe below the ingredients directly on the wrapper, you can dip it too
- Roll the wrapper and enjoy!
So I did have leftovers, and no savvy saver would throw this all away! Some ideas for what I plan to do next:
– Use vermicelli, lettuce, + tofu, to make soup
– Add garlic + vinegar to cucumbers to turn them into a traditional Chinese appetizer
– Add bell pepper and cilantro into egg omelettes
– Freeze the mint and cilantro
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