We love trying out new International cuisines in out kitchen and Vietnamese food is one our favorites to attempt. These Vietnamese inspired Lemongrass Beef Spring Rolls are super easy to make and don’t require a ton of hard to find ingredients. It’s a fun recipe for the whole family. Kids will love rolling their own spring rolls like burritos. They also work great as a fun party appetizer!
Vietnamese cuisine features a few key pantry staples. The first one is fish sauce. Hardly any Vietnamese dish can be made without fish sauce! Luckily, this is something that most traditional supermarkets now carry, so no need to run to a specialty supermarket for this item. Fish sauce can be VERY salty (and smelly), so the key is to be very minimal with your use of it. A little truly goes a long way.
Lime, lemongrass, and cilantro are three other common items used in Vietnamese cooking, all being featured in this dish. Lemongrass grows in stalks and is extremely fragrant, adding a flavor that is hard to replicate with citrus. It’s often carried in the pre-packaged herb area. We also find it fresh at Central Market here in Dallas. I highly recommend seeking it out for this dish. Plus, if you’ve got some leftover, you can make this delicious Thai Lemongrass Stir Fry!
Finally, rice paper is commonly used for wraps or spring rolls. It’s a dried translucent sheet made with rice and tapioca flour that softens when water is added. Rice paper can be slightly more challenging to find, but we easily found ours at Whole Foods. They take on a slightly soft, chewy texture once hydrated and hold up well to the filling. Think of them as Vietnamese tortillas!
We used sirloin flap in this recipe, but any cut of beef should work. Just be sure to cut very thin slices or ask your butcher to precut the steak for you. The meat is cooked with the shallot, garlic, and lemongrass along with a dash of fish sauce and soy sauce. That’s the only cooking involved! Next, you simply prep your rolls with your desired fillings. We used bean sprouts, cilantro, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, and some homemade pickled Daikon radishes (you can find these pickles at most Asian supermarkets). Lastly, the dipping sauce is prepped with a little more fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar for sweetness.
Get bold in the kitchen and take on these Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Spring Rolls for a delicious and simple dinner the whole family will love!
Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Spring Rolls
Ingredients
Spring Rolls
- 1 Pound Beef Such as Sirloin, Tenderloin, etc. Sliced very thinly
- 1½ Tablespoons Canola Oil
- 2½ Teaspoons Fish Sauce
- 2 Teaspoons Soy Sauce
- 1 Shallot Minced
- 1-2 Stalks Lemongrass Bulb removed, thinly sliced.
- 1 Clove Garlic Minced
- 1 Carrot Sliced into matchsticks
- ½ Medium Cucumber Sliced into matchsticks
- 1½ Cups Bean Sprouts
- 1 Cup Lettuce Roughly chopped
- ¼ Cup Cilantro Diced
- Pickled Daikon Radish Optional
Dipping Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 1½ Tablespoon Water
- ½ Lime Juiced
- ½ Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- ¼ Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
Instructions
- Heat up the canola oil in a large skillet over medium to high heat.
- Add in the garlic, lemongrass, and shallot and saute for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- While the aromatics cook, toss the sliced beef with the fish sauce and soy sauce.
- Next, add the beef into the skillet and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked through and slightly browned. Remove from heat.
- Combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce and whisk together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Next, take your individual rice paper and dip into a shallow bowl with cold water for about 10 seconds. Let excess water drip down, then place onto a plate.
- Add in 2 heaping spoonfuls of the beef along with some bean sprouts, lettuce, cilantro, carrots, cucumber, and daikon radishes (if using) into the center of the wrap.
- Finally, wrap up the roll like a burrito, rolling the top in first, then folding in the sides, and finishing by rolling the bottom in. Continue until you've made all 6 spring rolls and serve with the dipping sauce!