Gỏi Cuốn Chay is a Vietnamese summer roll consisting of lettuce, mushrooms or tofu, carrots, thin rice noodles and herbs like mint and cilantro all wrapped in translucent rice paper. It contains no meat or seafood and is served with a peanut sauce or fish sauce condiment.
‘Gỏi’ translates to bundle or wrap. ‘Cuốn’ translates to roll and ‘chay’ can mean to have a vegetarian diet or to be without meat or meatless. Similar to the spring roll which is very popular in the West, Gỏi Cuốn Chay is a summer roll because of its rice paper wrapper and because is not fried or cooked and is served raw.
Variations of Gỏi Cuốn Chay include different fillings, such as different types of tofu, tempeh, mushroom varieties or different vegetables and herbs. Some rolls are made with crushed peanuts for extra crunch and flavor. The dipping sauce can also vary in terms of ingredients and spiciness.
Gỏi Cuốn Chay has other names in different Vietnamese regions such as Gỏi Cuốn or salad roll in Southern Vietnam or nem rolls in Northern Vietnam. Additionally there are rolls with similar names and ingredients such as Bì Cuốn Chay which is a vegetarian roll made with jicama and Bánh cuốn chay which is also a meat-free roll, but is steam cooked.
Origin and Cultural Significance
Gỏi Cuốn Chay originated in Vietnam and is especially appreciated during the hotter months as a refreshing meal since it requires no cooking and is eaten cold.
Vietnamese Gỏi Cuốn Chay Recipe
Gỏi Cuốn Chay is a Vietnamese summer roll. It contains no meat or seafood.
Ingredients
- Rice paper wrappers (banh trang) - 12
- Lettuce (optional) - 2 oz.
- Dried shiitake or wood ear mushrooms (rehydrated, thinly cut in strips ) - 1 oz,
- Basil (leaves only) - ½ bunch
- Mint (leaves only) - ½ mint
- Cilantro (leaves and stems) - ½ bunch
- Carrot (julienned) - 1
- Cucumber (julienned) - 1
- Rice vermicelli (very thin) - 8 oz.
- Firm tofu (thinly sliced) - 12 oz.
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the rice vermicelli for 2 minutes until tender.
- Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
- Fill a large bowl with hot water to moisten the rice paper wrappers.
- Submerge one dry rice wrapper in the water.
- Place the moistened wrapper flat on a plate, cutting board or dampened cloth.
- Place a small portion of each ingredient, including salad, herbs (basil, cilantro, mint), tofu and vegetables (carrot, cucumber, mushroom) on the bottom side of the wrapper closest to you.
- Add rice vermicelli.
- Wrap the roll by taking the edge closest to you and flipping it up just over the filling.
- Gently roll the filling up until reaching the halfway point, then pull the sides in and roll it the rest of the way.
- Serve with hoisin or peanut sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 101Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 9mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 4g
Nutrition is provided and calculated by Nutritionix. It is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimation.