These light and refreshing rice paper rolls are packed with vegetables and protein. A fun finger food that is also a great DIY project.
Time: 2/5
That is, if you have the ingredients on hand.
Effort: 2/5
Literally just assemble and consume.
Flavour Physics
These rice paper rolls (Goi Cuon) are my latest and greatest addition to my Carnivore Rehab series. They’re a good way to learn to eat vegetables, because you’re bundling them up with meat and dipping everything in a super tasty sauce that keeps you coming back for more.
That sauce is Nuoc Cham. Your first thought might be that it’s based on fish sauce, but in my humble opinion you are instead better served thinking of it as a syrup. Sweetness should be the predominant note, balanced out with citrus and fish sauce.
The way I make my Nuoc Cham is a bit different. A traditionalist would insist on only using fresh limes for a more vibrant and fruity flavour, but I don’t use limes often enough to buy them fresh.
Bottled lime juice is a better fit for my kitchen because it is shelf stable, and since the citrus isn’t fresh it doesn’t matter if the sauce sits in the fridge for a day or two. That gives me an opportunity to give the garlic and chilis an overnight soak in the Nuoc Cham, which brings out much more of their flavour.
But, the key structural element in these rice paper rolls is the vermicelli. These thin noodles pack a ton of surface area, which lets them suck up plenty of the Nuoc Cham by capillary action. You’ll be surprised how much sauce each roll drinks up, and you would be wise to make plenty of extra sauce – besides Goi Cuon, it’s a great multipurpose sauce for all sorts of finger foods and salads and noodles.
You may think that having the vermicelli and the rice paper together in the same dish is redundant. But the carb-on-carb caloric overlap is easily compensated for by using a low-fat protein source like shrimp. I happened to have some sous vide chicken breasts lying around, which fit the bill just as well after I shred them up. There’s only so much meat you can fit in a roll though, so I also had some chicken on the side.
As for the vegetables, it’s really up to you as long as the texture and shape doesn’t get in the way of eating the rolls (you’d have trouble trying to fold broccoli into a roll). Lettuce leaves wrap well, as do bean sprouts and grated carrots.
All in all, Goi Cuon is a complete package. They’re light and refreshing, but still satisfying because of the sauce-drenched vermicelli. They’re perfect for balancing out a more decadent feast later in the day, or as a quick and easy meal during a fat loss phase.
Posts since the last recipe that was actually served with rice: 1
Dramatis Personae
Served 2.
For the rice paper rolls
- Rice paper
- 50g vermicelli
- 100g shredded chicken
- 1 head lettuce
For the dipping sauce
- 1 fresh Thai chilli pepper, minced
- 3 tsp fish sauce
- 3 tsp sugar
- 100ml water, boiling hot
- 5 tsp lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
Executive summary
- Dissolve sugar in hot water. Add the other sauce ingredients and mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste, and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, gather the ingredients. Wash and separate lettuce leaves.
- Hydrate the rice paper in a plate of water, move it to a wrapping surface, then wrap up the fillings before moving the rolls to a serving platter.
- Repeat until out of filling or wrappers.
- Assemble and serve.
Play by Play
The Nuoc Cham itself is pretty simple. Just throw all the ingredients together into a bowl, and let the flavours diffuse and spread in the fridge overnight.
The rice sticks also need a bit of prep. Just simply boil briefly until soft and rehydrated.
Now that everything is ready, I can set up my wrapping station. It’s like a factory assembly line – water to my left, the roll I’m working on in front of me, completed rolls to my right, and the toppings in front of me within easy reach.
I’m not an expert by any means, but here’s what I do. I wrap it like a burrito, bringing in the sides before rolling it and turning it seam side down.
Repeat until you run out of filling, or rice paper. These rolls are good room temp, or slightly chilled. An ngon nhe!
Low Calorie Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls and Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
For the rice paper rolls
- Rice paper
- 50 g vermicelli
- 100 g shredded chicken
- 1 head lettuce
For the dipping sauce
- 3 tsp fish sauce
- 3 tsp sugar
- 100 ml water boiling hot
- 5 tsp lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 fresh Thai chilli pepper minced
Instructions
- Dissolve sugar in hot water. Add the other sauce ingredients and mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste, and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, gather the ingredients. Wash and separate lettuce leaves.
- Hydrate the rice paper in a plate of water, move it to a wrapping surface, then wrap up the fillings before moving the rolls to a serving platter.
- Repeat until out of filling or wrappers.
- Assemble and serve.
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