Lemongrass Pork Rice Paper Rolls

by Jessica Nguyen

 

Rice paper rolls was one of my favourite dishes to eat as a kid. It still is to this day and is such a fun dish to enjoy with your family. They are really versatile and great as the weather gets warmer. You can change up the filling with any protein you wish, but for this recipe I'm showing you how to make a lemongrass pork filling using pork shoulder which is an affordable yet tasty cut of meat, perfect for a large family meal.

The best way to enjoy it is to make it an interactive meal by preparing all the ingredients and fillings and then assemble and eat as you go, similar to how you enjoy tacos.


Serves- 6
Ingredients- 15
Cooking Time-  1.5 hours (plus overnight for pork to marinate)
Skill Level- Easy

Ingredients

  • 2kg of pork shoulder
  • 1 packet (375g) of rice paper
  • 1 packet (400g) of rice vermicelli
  • 3 cucumbers, preferably Lebanese, sliced into batons
  • 3 heads of cos lettuce
  • 1 bunch of fresh mint, washed
  • 1 bunch of Vietnamese mint, washed
  • 1 bunch of coriander, washed
  • 1 cup of Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

Lemongrass marinade

  • 5 stalks of lemongrass
  • 1 whole head or 10 cloves of garlic 
  • 3 tablespoons of fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of sesame or vegetable oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Watch the process

 

Method

  1. Start by preparing your pork to marinade the night before or at least a few hours before cooking. Make sure you have a sharp knife to cut the pork, especially the skin. Using a sharp knife, slice your pork shoulder into thin slices. My trick is that I place the meat into the freezer for about 30 minutes-1 hour so that the meat firms up. This makes it a lot easier to cut through the meat faster and cut even, thin slices. Place your meat into a bowl.
  2. Then prepare your marinade. Roughly chop your lemongrass into smaller pieces before placing into a food processor to hop into fine pieces until the lemongrass resembles saw dust. Tip the lemongrass into the bowl of pork. 
  3. Then peel your garlic cloves and pulse in your food processor until super fine. Tip into the bowl of pork.
  4. Then add in the fish sauce, sugar, sesame oil and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to make sure the pork is evenly coated in the marinade. Cover with cling wrap and allow to marinate overnight or at least for an hour in the fridge.
  5. The next day, prepare your greens. Wash your herbs, cucumbers and lettuce. Cut your cucumbers into batons with the skins on and separate your cos lettuce leaves. Place all onto a serving plate.
  6. Heat a griddle pan, skillet or even barbeque on high with a tablespoon of vegetable oil and begin cooking the pork in batches. Cook for about 5 minutes or until both sides are brown, crispy and the fat has rendered. 
  7. Meanwhile, cook your vermicelli by placing into a pot of boiling water and cook for about 4 minutes or until they are soft. Drain into a colander and run some hot water over them to remove any excess starch and to stop them from sticking to each other. Place onto a plate ready to serve.
  8. Pour your Vietnamese dipping sauce (Nuoc Cham) into small bowls, putting a few tablespoons in each, so that everyone has their own sauce bowl to dip into.
  9. Serve the greens, vermicelli, pork, rice paper with a bowl of hot water on your table. Roll and eat your rolls fresh as you go and enjoy! You can pre-assemble them on the day you eat them but make sure you place a strip of backing paper in between each one so they don’t stick to each other. Cover with cling wrap so they don’t dry out and go chewy. Place into the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

How to assemble rice paper rolls

  1. To roll rice paper rolls, simply dip the rice paper into a bowl of warm to hot water and then place onto your plate to soften for 30 seconds. Once the rice paper has softened, place down a lettuce cup, a handful of vermicelli, 1 cucumber baton and a handful of herbs.
  2. Add your pork. 
  3. Then roll the rice paper away from you, tucking both ends in and continuing to roll it into a rice paper roll ‘burrito’ style. 

Serve with Nuoc Cham sauce and enjoy!

 

If you want to try more of my Vietnamese Recipes, you can find some of my most popular dishes below; 

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