Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Dipping Sauce

Name: Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Dipping Sauce
Ingredients: Assorted fresh vegetables; half Vietnamese rice paper wrappers, cut in; Warm water infused with butterfly pea flowers (for rinsing the rice paper); Boiled chicken breast, Vietnamese pork sausage, Vietnamese grilled pork sausage, imitation crab sticks—use your favorites; ~~Vietnamese Dipping Sauce Ingredients~~; 1 tablespoon cilantro roots, pounded; 1 tablespoon garlic, pounded; 1 tablespoon chili, pounded; 1 tablespoon shredded carrot; 1 tablespoon shredded daikon radish; 1 –2 tablespoons simple syrup (or 1 tablespoon palm sugar); 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 1 –2 tablespoons lime juice or vinegar; 8 –10 tablespoons fresh coconut water; 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad cream without lime juice or vinegar

ChollY @cook_6272036

You can call these salad rolls, fresh spring rolls, Vietnamese spring rolls, or whatever you like! I just want to share my special Vietnamese dipping sauce recipe, a family secret from my mother. It goes perfectly with fresh vegetables. This version doesn’t use lime or vinegar, making it great for older adults who may have joint pain from those ingredients. My mother-in-law has gout, so I adapted the recipe so she can enjoy it too.

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Ingredients

Assorted fresh vegetables
halfVietnamese rice paper wrappers, cut in
Warm water infused with butterfly pea flowers (for rinsing the rice paper)
Boiled chicken breast, Vietnamese pork sausage, Vietnamese grilled pork sausage, imitation crab sticks—use your favorites
~~Vietnamese Dipping Sauce Ingredients~~
1 tablespooncilantro roots, pounded
1 tablespoongarlic, pounded
1 tablespoonchili, pounded
1 tablespoonshredded carrot
1 tablespoonshredded daikon radish
1–2 tablespoons simple syrup (or 1 tablespoon palm sugar)
2 tablespoonsfish sauce
1–2 tablespoons lime juice or vinegar
8–10 tablespoons fresh coconut water
2 tablespoonsmayonnaise or salad cream without lime juice or vinegar

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Steps

1

Soak the rice paper wrappers in water for 5 seconds, then place them on a dry cutting board. Arrange the vegetables and fillings as you like, roll them up, and cut in half.
2

If you want the greens to show at the ends, let the vegetables stick out from both sides of the rice paper before rolling. When you cut them in half, the ends will look fresh and appetizing.
3

Soak the rice paper for only 5 seconds—it’s okay if it still feels a bit firm. By the time you finish adding the fillings, it will have softened just right and will be easy to roll without tearing.
4

To make the dipping sauce: Mix fish sauce and sugar or simple syrup, then add the pounded chili, cilantro roots, and garlic. Add fresh coconut water (or canned coconut water), then half the shredded carrot and daikon. Taste and adjust for salty, sweet, and spicy flavors with a hint of daikon aroma. **It won’t be sour yet because you haven’t added lime.** Before adding lime juice, set aside 5 tablespoons of the sauce to mix with mayonnaise or salad cream for older adults. Add lime juice to the remaining sauce to your preferred level of tartness. Now you have two types of dipping sauce!
5

Tip: The secret to this Vietnamese dipping sauce is using coconut water instead of plain water. It gives a fragrant, sweet, and slightly tangy flavor. Canned coconut water is usually sweet, so you can reduce the sugar in the recipe. The daikon adds a slight sharpness and a hint of bitterness, which helps balance the spicy, salty, sweet, and sour flavors, making the sauce well-rounded.