Fresh Vietnamese Spring Roll

Finally, I get to do it. I have bought the rice paper since before Christmas last year and I am yet to use it until today. Actually I tried making it once long time ago but I guess my skill was not good enough at that time, and it end up in the garbage bin! Hahah..

So, with burning spirit..chewahh…hahah..I took my rice paper & decided that today appetizer will be Vietnamese spring roll. I like it raw & hubby like it fried so I did both. But FYI, if you are going to deep fried it, better make it double layer because the rice paper is very thin as compare to the normal popiah roll. So, if you only do one layer..mmg koyak abis. And it is not a good idea to fry it using vegetable oil!! Hahaha..but since palm oil and peanut oil is not easy to find here, so I have no choice but to use vegetable oil. And it's not even deep fried ..I think more like a pan fried spring roll. Hahah..as I don't like to use too much of oil.

Anyway..have your rice paper ready..

Found this at one of the Vietnamese store here…and this is how it look like for those who are curious..

I have been to Vietnam a couple of time, both for work & leisure. If you go out of the city centre, you will get to see lots of houses drying their rice paper just in front of their yard. It is either for sell or for their own consumption. The first time I ever ate this during my first trip to Vietnam, I feel a little bit weird but at the same time, telling myself…'no wonder dia orang ni kurus2. Makan nasi pun cam ni!!'..hahah..And I am not bluffing you guys because you can walk all over Vietnam and you can count with both your hand how many fat people you see!! My Vietnamese colleague even told me that..if I walk around town, they know I am not local because I am not thin!!! Muahahah…sedih nyerrr!!!

Ok. Let's go back to our recipe eh. So, you take one piece of rice paper and deep inside a pan of water. Making sure all the paper wet evenly & leave it for a few second until it really feel & look like thin film. 

 Then take it out and spread it out on top of a wet towel…can you see it?? Barely right?? Because the paper is very thin & transparent when it is wet. It is very important to wet the towel because if it is dry, the rice paper will get very sticky.

And we have the filling here..

My filling are mainly vegetable (carrot, cucumber and lettuce) and small shrimp. Basically, you can use any kind of filling according to your preference. That is the beauty of making it on your own because you can choose what you like. So, fill up your chosen filling on top of the wet rice paper that you spread on top of the wet towel…like this..

Don't overdoing it. If not you have problem rolling it later own. Once everything is there, start rolling it & making sure you folded both end on the side too ok. But for some, they leave one end open pun ok. So, mana2 la kan. For me, I prefer roll it all just like you roll your popiah (bagi yang pernah buat la kan)..heheh..

And there you go. You can have your Vietnamese spring roll..coming out direct from your own kitchen. You can use anything for the dipping..terpulang to your selera. But normally, the dipping sauce consists fish sauce, small chillies, soy sauce, lime and sugar. Marvellous!!

Enjoy!!