Vietnamese Prawn Summer Rolls

These summer rolls are fresh, packed with purple cabbage, cucumber, carrot, avocado, red chili, coriander and cooked prawns. Serve them with a traditional Vietnamese sweet and spicy dipping sauce making for the perfect accompaniment. A delicious and simple summer recipe

I have been seeing summer rolls aka Vietnamese spring rolls everywhere lately. These summer rolls are packed with some of my favorite veggies and prawns. It is a fantastic way to use up any leftover veggies from the fridge and same wit the protein. If you don’t want to use prawns you can use leftover over roast chicken or steak pieces. To make these summer rolls recipe vegetarian use tofu or mushrooms. Before we get into how to make these prawn summer rolls, let us learn a thing or two about them.

What are Vietnamese spring rolls aka Vietnamese summer rolls?

Vietnamese spring rolls, Vietnamese summer rolls or fresh spring rolls are also know as gỏi cuốn in the south Vietnam, and nem cuốn in north Vietnam. They are also referred to as fresh spring cold rolls and salad rolls, often with the word “Vietnamese” at the beginning. They are rolls wrapped in rice paper that is softened by dipping in water, stuffed with a variety of fillings including veggies and meat. These summer rolls recipe are usually served with a dipping sauce that is sweet and spicy.

What is the difference between spring rolls and summer rolls?

Spring rolls are wrapped in a dough/pastry made with flour and water. The filling may be precooked but it is always fried, baked or air fried. Summer rolls are wrapped in rice paper wraps and never cooked. They can be pan fried sometimes but traditionally they are served without cooking, which means the filling is precooked, unless the ingredients do not need to be cooked and cane consumed raw.

Can you make summer rolls the day before?

The components for summer rolls can be prepared ahead of time. Meaning, you can prepare the veggies, cook the prawns, the rice noodles (if you are adding them), the dipping sauce ahead of time. However the rice wrappers cannot be soaked ahead and the rolls cannot be rolled ahead of time. They will get soggy and sticky if you store the for a long time.

How do you make summer rolls less sticky?

Dip the rice wrappers in water for less time and assemble the spring rolls over a damp tea towel to help the rolling process. Rice paper rolls will also stick together after preparation hence always store them with a little space between each other.

Are summer rolls healthy?

With the addition of multiple veggies in one meal this recipe is definitely healthy. They are very easy to make and packed with nutritious value. Add protein in the rolls to make them a well balanced meal/

Are summer rolls Thai or Vietnamese?

Summer rolls have history in Vietnam but they are found across all southeast asian countries. They might have different names and serving styles but the concept is similar. Indonesia calls them Lumpia Basah while Cambodia calls them Nime Chow which usually includes herbs and shrimp.

Why is it called a summer roll?

Truthfully, the name “summer roll” was popularized by a few Vietnamese American restaurants for easier marketing and as a seasonal play on the term “spring roll” but since they are most often than not not cooked like spring rolls are – this term became famous. Also with a hot and humid climate this appetizer/main course is a winner with it being served chilled.

Why do my summer rolls fall apart?

If you over fill the rolls they are most likely to fall apart and break. Also they can tear the rice paper wrapper if there is too much filling. However, the filling quantity will vary on the size of the rice wrapper.

How do you fold summer rolls?

Start by filling the rice paper wrapper that has been soaked in water a couple of times. Fold over the edge of the wrapper away form you, tucking the filling with your fingers as you fold over using the rice wrapper. Continue until you have a little log. You could fold both the edges into the filling before rolling into a log to seal the edges as well.

Are summer rolls served hot or cold?

Summer rolls are served cold and uncooked. However there are some places that pan fry them today if needed, traditionally they are served cold and uncooked. If adding rice noodles into the spring rolls, they must be soaked in water to hydrate aka cooking them before using.

How to cut vegetables for summer rolls?

Vegetables must be julienned aka cut into think long strips for summer rolls. The preparation is important as this will determine how well they roll and look later. As the rice paper is translucent you can see the veggies and the colors which are beautiful.

How long to soak rice paper?

I like to soak the rice paper twice for 5-8 seconds and place on a damp kitchen towel before filling and rolling.

How do you keep summer rolls soft?

They are best eaten immediately but you can store them for a few hours before they dry out but covering with a damp tea towel.

What country are summer rolls from?

They are originally from Vietnam however they can be easily found across all south asia.

What ingredients do you need to make these Vietnamese Prawn Summer Rolls?

I have made these spring rolls with cooked prawns, purple cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, avocado, coriander, garlic, red chili, spring onion. I served these summer rolls with a sweet and spicy Vietnamese dipping sauce called Nước chấm which includes water, sugar, fish sauce, rice vinegar, red chilis, carrot, ginger garlic paste.

What equipment do you need to make these Vietnamese Prawn Summer Rolls?

We need a knife and chopping board to prepare the veggies, we will need a kitchen tea towel to help roll these summer rolls. To make the sauce we need a mixing bowl and spoon.

How to make these Vietnamese Prawn Summer Rolls?

To make the sauce we need to mix the warm water and sugar until dissolved. Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and stir until combined. Place in the fridge until ready to serve. To make the summer rolls we start preparing all our ingredients. If you don’t have leftover prawns, pan fry a few of them with lime, salt and pepper, set aside to cool down. Slice all the veggies and I like to ensure they are all laid out in front of me so I don’t forget to add any one of them into the rolls while making them. We need to set up our workspace, so to make the spring rolls we get a bowl (large enough to soak the rice sheet/paper into it) of water, clean kitchen towel, all the prepared ingredients and the serving platter. We start by soaking a rice wrapper into water. Make sure the entire wrapper is submerged into the bowl of water (5-8 seconds), this will soften it.

Once it is not crispy/hard and soft to touch place the wet rice wrapper on the clean kitchen towel, start layering the shrimp and vegetables into the center of the wrapper. Fold two opposite sides into the center and roll the wrapper into a little sausage. Be gentle while rolling it as we don’t want to tear the wrapper. Hence once the rice wrapper is wet and soaked, don’t waste time since it will get sticky and might tear while rolling it. Repeat the process until all the filling is over. Serve it cold with the dipping sauce and lime wedges.

Serving these Vietnamese Prawn Summer Rolls?

I love serving these summer rolls with the dipping sauce and lime wedges but you could also serve it with a peanut dipping sauce if you like. They must be served cold and immediately. Preferably with a beer.

Storing these Vietnamese Prawn Summer Rolls?

This recipe is meant to be served right away. The components can be prepared ahead of time but once they are rolled they must be served at the soonest. You can cover them with a damp tea towel to kept hem soft and not dry out the rice paper wrapper.

Pro tips to make the best Vietnamese spring rolls:

Do not over soak the rice wrappers as they will get very flimsy and difficult to handle.
Once the rice wrappers are wet, don’t waste time and start building the spring roll.
Use a clean kitchen towel to help you roll the spring rolls as the wet rice wrapper could get stuck your kitchen counter top/ chopping board.
Make sure to use colorful vegetables but also different textured veggies and diverse flavors to ensure they taste as good as they look.
Don’t skip on the sauce, you could also serve the spring rolls with a sweet chili sauce.

Looking for more healthy summer recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this Vietnamese Prawn Summer Rolls Recipe, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more healthy recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.