Appetizers and Sandwiches
Gỏi Cuốn (Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls)
Translucent rice paper rolled around poached pork belly, boiled shrimp split lengthwise, rice vermicelli, soft lettuce, fresh mint and Thai basil, with garlic chives trailing from one end. The shrimp is placed at the top before rolling so it shows through the paper like a window — pink, curved, vivid. Everything inside is cooked, cooled, and assembled cold. The roll is eaten with a rich peanut-hoisin dipping sauce. Gỏi cuốn translates literally as 'salad rolls' (gỏi = salad, cuốn = to roll), not spring rolls — the name reflects the herb-forward lightness of the filling rather than the season. They are served fresh, at room temperature, within minutes of rolling; the rice paper hardens and the roll becomes difficult to eat if it sits more than 20 to 30 minutes.
