A typical Vietnamese shrimp dish

Shrimp rolls—a specialty of Thua Lam Village in Tien Phong Commune, Thai Nguyen Province—can be said to be a typical shrimp dish of Vietnam.

Shrimp rolls are a must-have in traditional festivals in Thua Lam Village. The rustic yet delectable dish is also favored by visitors to the village, being an intriguing mixture of different ingredients—shrimp, egg, pork and herbs, among others.

At first sight, these shrimp rolls look like goi cuon (Vietnamese spring rolls). However, all the ingredients of the dish are rolled together using herbs and scallions, not rice paper in the case of spring rolls.

In order to make the shrimp rolls, a cook should select the freshest shrimps which will be deep fried after being cleaned carefully. Next come fried eggs which are cut into long thin slices. Boiled pork and lean pork paste are also cut into small slices. All the ingredients and herbs—such as onions, lettuces and perilla leaves—will be tied up by boiled scallion leaves.

Now, the rolls are ready to be served, accompanied by a small bowl of sweet and sour fish sauce with chilies. The crispy shrimps, the fatty taste of pork and egg, the fresh flavor of herbs, and the sweet and sour flavors from the dip would satisfy diners’ taste buds.