Recipe: Vietnamese Steak Salad Summer Rolls (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Vietnamese spring and summer rolls? ›

Spring rolls are wrapped in a dough made of flour and water and then fried, while summer rolls are wrapped in a translucent rice-wrapper and served cold. And egg rolls are a variant of spring rolls in which the wrapper batter has egg added to it.

Make-Ahead

A few hours ahead: You can assemble a few hours before they are needed but as soon as they are assembled, keep them refrigerated, covered with a damp kitchen towel so the wrappers don't get dry. If stacking layers of spring rolls, place the damp towel between layers as well.

Another fried spring roll is the Vietnamese spring roll (cha gio). This version of spring roll is filled with pork, wood-ear mushroom, and other aromatics. Thai spring rolls are very similar to lumpia. The wrapper is made with rice flour and water.

Make-Ahead Tips

To prep the ingredients ahead: Almost all of the ingredients can be made ahead — the shrimp, vegetable filling, and even the rice noodles can be cooked and chilled the day before. Store the cooked rice noodles in cool water to keep them from sticking.

Fresh spring rolls are very healthy, especially if you pack them full of raw veggies and lean protein. The biggest question people have about the healthfulness of spring rolls is the wrapper. Spring roll wrappers are low in fat and calories. One piece of rice paper usually has between 30-40 calories.

Some Asian restaurants in the United States also refer to them as "crystal rolls", "soft rolls" or "salad rolls". The name "summer roll" was popularized by some Vietnamese American restaurants for easier marketing and as a seasonal play on the term "spring roll".

Not keeping them crispy after they are cooked

This is because vegetables retain moisture, which in turn makes the spring roll soggy from the inside. Make sure you thoroughly dry the vegetables after washing them so that no more moisture is added to your spring rolls than is absolutely necessary.

If you have leftover summer rolls for the next day …

These summer rolls can be stored like this for up to two days for best results. Be sure to bring the rolls to room temperature for about 30 minutes before eating, and don't forget a good creamy peanut dipping sauce!

Fresh and full of texture, Vietnam's spring rolls are known and loved worldwide. However, the country has a more passionate love affair with hand-rolled bites than you might expect. From the ultra-fresh to the deep fried, món cuốn dishes are culinary staples across the country.

Fried spring rolls are generally small and crisp. They can be sweet or savoury; the former often with red bean paste filling, and the latter are typically prepared with vegetables. They are fully wrapped before being pan-fried or deep-fried. Non-fried spring rolls are typically bigger and more savoury.

Are spring rolls from China or Vietnam? ›

It is believed to have originated in China

People would make this dish to commemorate the first day of spring. During the Ming Dynasty, cooking skills were more developed and elevated. The cooks during this time would roll these traditional pancakes into what they are today: spring rolls.

The next time I used parchment paper under each soaked rice paper. They are much easier to handle and never stick to each other. Also, note- if you soak them for too long they become unmanageable.

The wrapper might be too tight around the fillings, causing breakage. Try rolling them more loosely. The wrapper might have dried out too much and stuck to your work surface. Try placing a damp towel on your work surface, dampening your existing towel a bit more, or wrapping the roll more quickly.

“Lettuce” Show You!

Use lettuce to wrap your summer roll fillings before rolling them in the rice paper! The ingenious trick tastes great — adding color and extra crunch — while also pinning down small ingredients like shredded carrots, grated radish, and slippery rice noodles.

The traditional fried Vietnamese spring rolls are made of minced pork, shrimp, egg, vegetables, glass noodles, and spices, all of which are wrapped inside rice paper and then fried until their color turns light brown. The tasty rolls should be served hot with dipping sauce and vermicelli.

Summer rolls are also called Vietnamese spring rolls, fresh spring rolls, and salad rolls. The main difference between spring rolls vs. summer rolls is the inclusion of fresh, often uncooked vegetables in the filling. Summer rolls also contain a healthy addition of meat in their fillings.

In the US, spring rolls are usually filled with cabbage, carrots, glass noodles, and pork, and wrapped in either a thin crisp wrapper (spring roll) or a thicker crunchy wrapper (egg roll).

Spring roll wrappers are thinner and more delicate than egg roll wrappers. Vietnamese spring rolls (or gỏi cuốn) contain pork, shrimp, rice vermicelli noodles, and vegetables in a rice paper wrapper.