How to Make Vietnamese Spring Rolls

We love spring rolls because there are no hard and fast rules on what to stuff in the wrapper. You do need the rice skin wrapper. I'm not a purist on this so I buy the wrappers pre-made. Almost any grocery store with an ethnic food aisle will carry them.

There are two things to remember before you start.

• Have your fillings already cooked, cut to size, and cooled.

• Have your dipping sauces already made.

The process goes so fast you won't have time to do these things later.

Fillings: You can do almost anything, just make sure it's prepped ahead of time.

Choose your protein
• Shrimp
• Pork
• Chicken
• Tofu

Choose your veggies
• Lettuce
• Cabbage
• Spinach
• Julienne carrots
• Snow peas
• Green onions
• Julienne cucumber
• Avocado

Choose your aromatics
• Mint
• Cilantro
• Thai basil

Choose your starch
• Sticky white rice
• Rice Vermicelli
• Soba noodles

I like mine with rice vermicelli, cilantro, shrimp, lettuce, green onions, cucumber, and avocado.

Line up your fillings in order. In a large bowl of warm water, dunk your wrapper, flipping it to either side. It only takes a couple of seconds. Don't let it linger too long in water or you'll end up with a gooey mess.

It should still be firm enough to handle when you lay it out flat. It'll continue to soften so work quickly, layering your ingredients. I start with the lettuce or spinach as a base, then the vermicelli, the other veggies, then top it with shrimp.

Fold it into a burrito shape. The wrapper, still moist will glue to itself.

That's it. Eat and enjoy with hoisin sauce, plum sauce, or a fish sauce mixture that I personally love. For detailed instructions on the sauces, I follow this recipe.

Mine are never as pretty as the ones done by professional cooks, but they're just as tasty. Just remember to have everything prepped before you start building your rolls.

When I made these last, I had run out of cilantro and my avocado wasn't soft enough yet. I really missed them, so I made up for it with extra shrimp. Just pick the ingredients you love best already sliced and diced and ready to roll.

Have you ever tried Vietnamese spring rolls?