Vietnamese Fresh Salad Roll

I can’t think of another convenient way to eat fresh vegetables than wrapping them as a roll. This vegetable roll with prawn and noodles has always been my go-to menu for a picnic and healthy appetizer whenever I host a guest.

Make Vietnamese fresh salad rolls with me

Why you will like this Vietnamese fresh salad roll

This Fresh roll is easy to make, delicious, and healthy, especially when paired with my chili garlic sauce or Nước chấm. Plus, the fresh roll filling can be flexible to custom, as you can easily swap the protein for plant-based or reuse the leftovers from barbeque.

Traditional Vietnamese Fresh salad rolls often include pork meat alongside prawns. Since I don’t eat red meat, prawns are always an ideal combination with vermicelli noodles and vegetables. 

Often confused with Chinese fried spring rolls, this Vietnamese roll is said to originate from that version of the rolls from China, and the ingredients have been altered to suit Vietnamese tastes. I love both versions, but I prefer this one as the rice paper is healthier and gluten-free.

Vietnamese fresh rolls calories

Each of these rolls has approximately 100kcal. The calculation does not include the dipping sauce.

Ingredients to make Vietnamese fresh salad roll

You will need a rice paper wrapper (Bánh Tráng) and the filling. I classified the filling ingredients into a food group: vegetables, protein, and carbs.

Rice paper wrapper/Bánh Tráng

You can find Bánh Tráng or rice paper in supermarkets or most of the Asian market. If you see different sizes and are not sure which one to pick, choose the 22cm. This size will hold a standard fresh roll size in most Vietnamese restaurants. Another option you can pick is a brown rice wrapper. It is slightly brown, but the texture and taste are not different.

Is rice paper healthy?

Rice paper is made of rice flour (sometimes with tapioca flour), salt, and water. It is gluten-free, low in carbohydrates, and contains a decent amount of salt compared to other wrappers such as spring rolls and dumpling wrappers. Depending on the brand, most rice paper doesn’t have preservatives, coloring, or flavoring agents, which is why they are tasteless.

Eating the rice paper alone might not give you any nutritional benefits, but since it is often stuffed with fresh vegetables, herbs, and boiled protein, rice paper is a healthy option as a wrapper.

To determine whether the rice paper is healthy, depending on what you eat the rice paper with.

Vegetables

• Romaine lettuce / or any type of lettuce
• Purple cabbage
• Cucumber
• Carrots
• Avocado 

Cut purple cabbage, carrots, and cucumber into thin Julienne strips so it’s easier to eat. Before you go to this part, make sure you wash the vegetables and dry them.

Herbs

• Coriander
• Mint leaves – Feel free to use any type of mint leaves, including purple ones.

In this recipe, I use coriander and mint leaves. Feel free to add Thai basil and chives for more authentic Vietnamese fresh rolls.

Protein

• Prawn

Feel free to choose the frozen one or the fresh one. If you use fresh ones like me, you will need to peel the skin, devein, and wash them before boiling.

Carbs

• Vermicelli

There are many types of vermicelli in the market. If you don’t know which one to choose, I suggest going for the one in small bunches so it’s easy to cook it in small portions. Vermicelli will expand when soaked or boiled, so you don’t need so much. I like to use mung bean vermicelli because it has low carbs and calories.

How to wrap fresh salad rolls?

Step 1 – Dip one sheet of rice paper in a bowl of water for 5 seconds and lay it on a working surface/cutting board.

Step 2 – Arrange all the fillings on the quarter from the bottom.

Step 3 – Fold the sides of rice paper on top of the filling.

Step 4 – Continue folding from the bottom, overlapping the side fold. At the same time, use the other finger to bring all the vegetables closer and then roll them until the tip of the wrapper.

Dipping sauce for Vietnamese fresh rolls

If you prefer a thin sauce, I suggest going for the classic Nước chấm. It is a classic Vietnamese sauce made of fish sauce and lime juice that is good with almost every food. My favorite sauce is this chili garlic sweet sauce, made of chili flakes, garlic, vinegar, and honey. It is thicker in consistency and resembles Thai sweet sauce.

Useful tips

• Make sure the veggies are dried before you wrap them to avoid a watery roll.
• Rice paper can get too soft and easily tear when dipped for too long. The best is to count to 5 seconds before you bring the sheet out of the water.
• Make sure there is space between rolls when you arrange them in the serving dish. This is to avoid the rolls sticking to each other, which might result in tearing when you pick them.
• If you include the avocado, cut them last. Ripe avocados tend to ripen quickly and turn brown after a cut.
• Vermicelli noodles tend to stick to each other due to the starch. Make sure you wash them after boiling to reduce the starch.

How long you can keep the rolls?

This salad is best eaten fresh or on the same day. But if you can’t avoid keeping them, cover them with plastic film to prevent the skin from drying, or store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

 You may also like

• Oven-baked spring rolls cup
• Lemongrass chicken noodle salad
• Thai Mango salad
• Steamed silken tofu
• Oven-baked steamed fish

🥣 Did you try this recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comment below.