Gỏi cuốn
The fresh, un-fried rolls — shrimp, pork, herbs, and rice noodle in translucent paper.
Soft rice-paper rolls (not fried) packed with poached shrimp, pork, vermicelli, lettuce and herbs, served with a thick peanut-hoisin dip or a fish-sauce dip. Light, cool, and a good antidote to a week of rich food. Not to be confused with the fried nem / chả giò.
How to eat it well
- These are the fresh ones; if you want fried, ask for "chả giò" (south) or "nem rán" (north).
- The peanut-hoisin sauce is southern; northern versions lean on a clearer fish-sauce dip.
- Great for a light lunch or a bus snack — they travel well for an hour or two.
Where it’s best
Everywhere, but the southern peanut-sauce version is the classic.
Easy to find or request vegetarian — tofu-and-herb rolls are common.
Make it at home
EasyNo cooking beyond boiling water — the skill is in the rolling, which takes a few tries.
- 1Soak a sheet of rice paper in warm water for 5–10 seconds until pliable; lay it on a damp board.
- 2Near the bottom third, stack lettuce, a few mint and coriander leaves, cooked vermicelli, poached shrimp halves, and pork or tofu.
- 3Fold the bottom up over the filling, fold in the two sides, then roll tightly to the top.
- 4For the dip, whisk hoisin and peanut butter with a splash of water and a little lime; top with crushed peanuts.
- 5Eat fresh — they go gummy in the fridge within a couple of hours.
Eat next
A crackly turmeric crêpe stuffed with shrimp and bean sprouts — wrapped and dipped.
Bánh mìBanh miThe colonial-baguette sandwich Vietnam perfected and the world stole.
Nem rán / Chả giòFried spring rollsThe crisp, deep-fried rolls — "nem rán" in the north, "chả giò" in the south.