Bò Bía is a Vietnamese street food consisting of vegetables served in rolled rice paper. Like a spring roll, Bò Bía usually features a selection of vegetables, traditionally Vietnamese jicama, with various other ingredients depending on the region in which they’re prepared.
Other common ingredients include slices of omelet, dried red krill, lettuce, Chinese sausage and herbs.
Bò Bía is considered one of the cheapest street foods in the world. It takes just seconds to prepare, making it a popular choice throughout Vietnam’s street food culture.
Origin & Cultural Significance
Bò Bía is the Vietnamese name for popiah, a Fujianese/Teochew-style Chinese spring roll that originated in the Fujian province of mainland China in Quanzhou, Xiamen and Zhangzhou. Teochew immigrants introduced the dish to Vietnam.
The street vendors who serve the dishes in Vietnam are often older Teochew men and women. However, the ingredients are heavily influenced by Vietnamese tastes and influences. Traditionally, Chinese popiah was made using wheat flour pancakes, while Vietnamese Bò Bía uses Vietnamese rice paper.
Bò Bía or popiah is enjoyed all across Asia, particularly in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
It is enjoyed as a snack on a daily basis up and down the country. Cheap eats such as these are particularly popular with students and it’s not uncommon to find street vendors setting up outside schools, colleges, and universities. However, the dish is traditionally served during the Lunar New Year celebrations.
When making Bò Bía at home, it is often a communal task, bringing families together to roll each individual spring roll.
Vietnamese Bò Bía Recipe
Bò Bía is a Vietnamese street food consisting of vegetables served in rolled rice paper. Like a spring roll, Bò Bía usually features a selection of vegetables, traditionally Vietnamese jicama, with various other ingredients depending on the region in which they’re prepared
Ingredients
- Rice paper wrappers - 10
- Jicama - 1 cup
- Carrot - 1 cup
- Chinese sausage - 1/2 cup
- Cooked shrimp - 1/2 cup
- Lettuce leaves - 10
- Fresh mint leaves - 1/2 cup
- Fresh cilantro leaves - 1/2 cup
- Hoisin sauce - 1/4 cup
- Crushed peanuts - 1/4 cup
Instructions
- Prepare all the julienned vegetables, sliced Chinese sausage, cooked shrimp, and assemble them for easy rolling.
- Fill a shallow dish with warm water.
- Dip a rice paper wrapper into the warm water, ensuring it is fully submerged for about 3-5 seconds until it softens.
- Place the softened wrapper on a clean surface.
- Layer a lettuce leaf on the lower third of the wrapper, leaving some space at the edges.
- Add jicama, carrot, Chinese sausage, shrimp, mint leaves, and cilantro leaves on top of the lettuce.
- Drizzle hoisin sauce over the fillings and sprinkle crushed peanuts.
- Fold the sides of the wrapper over the fillings and roll from the bottom, creating a tight spring roll.
- Repeat the process with the remaining wrappers and fillings.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 140Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 292mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 5g
Nutrition is provided and calculated by Nutritionix. It is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimation.