The Best Way To Store Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Vietnamese spring rolls (sometimes referred to as summer rolls) are a light and crunchy snack. These gỏi cuốn, or "salad rolls" are made by taking rice paper wrappers and filling them, typically, with fresh herbs, vegetables, and cold, cooked shrimp (per Hungry Huy). The wrapper is snugly rolled and served with a tangy dipping sauce. Two different sauces are commonly served with spring rolls. According to Healthy Nibbles, nước chấm is a tart and spicy sauce made with fish sauce, sugar, lime, garlic, and chili. Peanut sauce, as the name suggests, is made with peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and a sweetener.
Though one of the appeals of spring rolls is the freshness that comes from eating them as soon as they're made, since it's a cold dish with crisp ingredients, they can be put away. However, if you have leftover spring rolls, it's imperative you store them correctly, so they are just as good later on.
Keeping the spring rolls intact
One of the troubles with storing spring rolls is that the rice paper is delicate and prone to drying out or cracking. White on Rice Couple notes that spring rolls can become hard in the fridge if not stored properly. To keep the rolls as fresh and plump as possible, wrap each roll in plastic wrap before storing in the fridge. If each roll is wrapped, they will not stick to each other. To maintain the best texture and flavor, the refrigerated rolls should be eaten within three to four days, according to Cook Gem. This trick also works great if you're preparing the sauce and spring rolls for a packed lunch, granted they're kept cool.
According to Living Scented, if you're making the spring rolls a few hours before serving them, cover them in a damp paper towel. The spring rolls should be placed on a sheet pan in a cool area, with no roll touching another. And you can refresh the towel periodically if needed.
When the rolls are ready to eat, simply pour your sauce of choice into a container and let the dipping begin.