Vegetable Spring Rolls: Fresh Vietnamese Gỏi Cuốn

Fresh, colourful and full of herbs, Vietnamese vegetable spring rolls are a light and refreshing way to enjoy one of Vietnam’s best-known rolled dishes.Known as gỏi cuốn chay in Vietnamese, these fresh spring rolls combine rice vermicelli, crisp vegetables, aromatic herbs and other plant-based ingredients inside soft rice paper.

What Are Vietnamese Vegetable Spring Rolls?

Vietnamese vegetable spring rolls are fresh rice paper rolls filled with a combination of rice noodles, vegetables and herbs. Depending on the recipe, the filling can include lettuce, cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts, fresh mint, coriander and other Vietnamese herbs.

Tofu can also be added for more texture and flavour. The result is fresh, crunchy and aromatic, with the translucent rice paper holding everything together.

How to Make Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls

Dip one sheet of rice paper briefly into lukewarm water. Don't soak it until completely soft. The wrapper will continue to soften while you add the filling. Place it on a clean, flat surface.

Add lettuce, rice vermicelli, cucumber, carrots and fresh herbs toward the lower third of the rice paper.

If using tofu, place a few pieces separately so they remain visible through the wrapper. Fold the bottom of the rice paper over the filling, bring both sides inward and continue rolling gently but firmly.

The finished roll should be compact enough to hold together without being so tight that the rice paper tears.

The Secret to Perfect Fresh Spring Rolls

The key to beautiful fresh vegetable spring rolls is balance. Don't overfill the rice paper. Keep the vegetables and noodles well drained.

And don't leave the rice paper in water for too long. Fresh spring rolls should have a soft, slightly chewy wrapper with crisp vegetables and fragrant herbs inside.

The different textures are an important part of what makes gỏi cuốn so enjoyable.

What Sauce Goes With Vegetable Spring Rolls?

A good dipping sauce brings fresh vegetable spring rolls together. They can be served with a rich hoisin and peanut-style sauce or a lighter Vietnamese dipping sauce.

For gỏi cuốn chay, make sure the sauce is also vegetarian. Traditional Vietnamese dipping sauces can contain fish sauce, so a plant-based alternative should be used when preparing a fully vegetarian version.

The sauce should complement the freshness of the vegetables and herbs rather than overpower them.

Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls vs Fried Spring Rolls

Although both are called “spring rolls” in English, they are very different. Fresh vegetable spring rolls, or gỏi cuốn chay, are wrapped in softened rice paper and eaten fresh. Vietnamese fried spring rolls are cooked in oil until golden and crispy.

One is cool, fresh and herbaceous. The other is hot, rich and crunchy. Understanding this difference is useful when exploring Vietnamese food, because the English term “spring roll” can describe several very different Vietnamese dishes.

A Fresh and Colourful Vietnamese Dish

Gỏi cuốn chay shows another side of Vietnamese cuisine — one built around freshness, herbs, vegetables and contrasting textures. Soft rice paper, rice vermicelli, crunchy vegetables and aromatic herbs come together in a roll that is simple but full of character.

At Hanoi 1988, it is this balance that we love about Vietnamese food: fresh ingredients, vibrant flavours and dishes designed to be shared. Sometimes, the simplest roll can say a lot about the way Vietnam eats.