Vietnamese Salad Rolls (Goi Cuon)

I don’t think I can go for longer than a month without fish sauce. I was browsing food photos on the web today and realized that I haven’t had my nuoc cham in almost a month. That’s just way too long! So, naturally, I decided to make a dish that would allow me to savor the sweetness, saltiness, sourness and garlicky goodness of this dressing—Vietnamese salad rolls (goi cuon).
The dipping sauce is the same as the dressing that I use for most of my Vietnamese recipes, but for this dish, I like to add fried scallions to make it more savory.
I usually have a bowl of warm water at the table for everyone to dip their rice papers in and make their own rolls. It’s such an easy and fun way to enjoy a light and healthful dinner!

Rolls:

• 15 steamed shrimps, shelled, deveined & halved lengthwise
• 4 oz dried rice stick noodles, cooked and cooled
• 10 sheets round rice-paper wrappers
• 3 leaves of Romaine hearts, shredded
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• ½ European seedless cucumber, julienned
• a handful fresh spearmint
• a handful fresh basil
• 10 stems garlic chives

Dipping Sauce:

• ½ cup water
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 Persian lime, juiced
• 2 big garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 bird’s eye chili peppers, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Vietnamese fish sauce
• 8 stalks scallions, sliced into rings
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil