Goi Cuon
Fresh rice-paper rolls of shrimp, herbs, and vermicelli.
Ingredients
- 12 Rice paper
- 300 g Shrimp
- 150 g Rice vermicelli
- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- 1 bunch Mint
- 4 tbsp Hoisin sauce
- 1 clove Garlic
- 50 g Peanuts (optional)
Method
- Boil the shrimp until pink, then cool and halve them lengthwise.
- Soak the vermicelli until tender, then drain; pick the herbs and tear the lettuce.
- Blend the hoisin with garlic, crushed peanuts, and a little water into a dipping sauce.
- Dip a sheet of rice paper in warm water for a few seconds until it softens, then lay it flat and roll it up around the shrimp, vermicelli, lettuce, and herbs.
- Serve the rolls with the peanut-hoisin dip.
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About Goi Cuon
Goi cuon are Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, the translucent rice-paper bundles often called summer rolls in English to distinguish them from the fried kind. They come from the southern Vietnamese table and are essentially a hand-held salad: poached shrimp, soft rice vermicelli, lettuce, and a generous tangle of fresh mint wrapped in a softened rice-paper sheet. Nothing is cooked into the wrapper, so the appeal is coolness and freshness, with the pink shrimp showing through the near-transparent skin.
Biting through the tender, slightly chewy wrapper you get crunch from lettuce, the slip of vermicelli, sweet shrimp, and a rush of herb, all of it a foil for the dip. The traditional partner here is a peanut-hoisin sauce, blended smooth with garlic and crushed peanuts, which brings salty-sweet richness and a nutty texture to balance the clean rolls. They're served as an appetizer or a light lunch, ideal for warm weather and for eating with your hands. The one technique worth getting right is the rice paper: a brief few-second dip in warm water is enough, since it keeps softening on the board, and rolling snugly around the filling keeps the parcels tight and neat.
Goi Cuon: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Goi Cuon?
A serving has about 425 calories — 23.1g protein, 67.3g carbs, 7.1g fat, 5.7g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Goi Cuon gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Hoisin sauce. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Do I need every ingredient to make Goi Cuon?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out peanuts — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Goi Cuon make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.