Gỏi Cuốn with Peanut Hoisin Dipping Sauce

⏱ 50 min · Serves 4

Cool, translucent Vietnamese summer rolls packed with poached prawns, sweet pork, springy noodles and a fistful of herbs — all built for dunking into a glossy, salty-sweet peanut hoisin sauce. Rolling them is half the fun, so drag someone into the kitchen with you.

Per serving: 475 kcal · 26.0g protein · 48.0g carbs · 19.5g fat

Ingredients

• 200g pork belly or boneless pork loin, in one piece
• 12 raw king prawns, shell on
• 100g dried thin rice vermicelli noodles
• 12 x 22cm round rice paper wrappers
• 1 baby gem lettuce, leaves separated and thick ribs removed
• 1 large handful mint leaves
• 1 large handful coriander sprigs
• 1 small handful Thai basil leaves (optional)
• 1 carrot, cut into fine matchsticks
• 1/2 cucumber, deseeded and cut into batons
• 1 tsp salt (for poaching)
• For the peanut hoisin sauce:
• 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 4-6 tbsp warm water
• 1 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp chilli garlic sauce or 1 sliced red chilli, to taste

Method

1. Bring a small pan of salted water to a gentle simmer. Add the pork and poach for 20-25 minutes until cooked through. Lift out, cool, then slice as thinly as you can into small bite-sized pieces.
2. Return the water to a simmer and poach the prawns for 2 minutes until just pink. Drain, cool, peel and devein, then slice each prawn in half lengthways so you have flat pink halves.
3. Cook the vermicelli according to the packet (usually 3 minutes in boiling water), drain, rinse under cold water and drain very well. Loosen with your fingers so it doesn't clump.
4. Make the sauce: whisk hoisin, peanut butter, rice vinegar, sesame oil and garlic together, then loosen with warm water a tablespoon at a time until it's the thickness of double cream. Stir in chilli sauce to taste and scatter the peanuts over just before serving.
5. Set up a rolling station: a wide shallow bowl of warm water, a damp tea towel or board, and all your fillings within reach.
6. Dip one rice paper into the warm water for 8-10 seconds — it should still feel slightly firm; it will soften as you work. Lay it flat on the damp board.
7. On the lower third, lay a lettuce leaf, then a small nest of noodles, a few carrot matchsticks, cucumber batons, 2-3 slices of pork and a scattering of herbs.
8. Fold the bottom edge up over the filling, fold in both sides, then roll halfway. Lay 3 prawn halves cut-side down on the exposed wrapper above the roll, then finish rolling so they show through pinkly on top. Set on a plate, not touching its neighbours.
9. Repeat with the remaining wrappers, keeping the finished rolls under a damp cloth. Serve within an hour, whole or halved on the diagonal, with the peanut hoisin sauce for dipping.