This rainbow bo bia spring roll features Chinese sausage, eggs, shrimp, carrots, jicama, and fresh herbs. Pair this Vietnamese spring roll with a sriracha hoisin dipping sauce for a perfect spring appetizer.
Bò bía is a popular street food spring roll sold in Vietnam. It contains Chinese sausage, eggs, dried shrimp, carrots, jicama, Thai basil, and lettuce. The fresh spring roll is typically served with a dipping sauce made with hoisin sauce, garlic, and sriracha. They are simple to make, yet they retain big bold flavors.
You can find all of these bo bia spring roll ingredients at your local Asian grocery store. I linked everything that I used for you below.
Bo Bia Ingredients
Jicama: jicama is a Mexican turnip with a crunchy texture and a mild, sweet flavor.
Carrots: carrots add a pop of color and subtle sweetness to the jicama.
Sugar:sugar gently sweetens the jicama and carrots.
Chinese Sausage: Chinese sausage (lap xuong) is a dried hard sausage made from pork that is often smoked and sweetened. It has a balance of sweet and savory flavors.
Dried Shrimp:dried shrimp adds a bold, salty, umami, and oceany flavor and a chewy crispy texture.
Green Onion: chopped green onion adds an aromatic flavor to the dried shrimp.
Eggs: the eggs add additional protein. I like adding extra eggs, but you can reduce the amount of eggs.
Lettuce: lettuce adds a pop of freshness to the Vietnamese spring roll.
Thai basil: Thai basil adds a fresh herbal, savory, anise-like flavor to the bo bia.
Rice Paper:rice paper (bánh tráng) is thin, translucent sheets typically made with rice and water and softened by soaking them in warm water before filling.
Sauce
Garlic: garlic adds an aromatic garlic flavor to the dipping sauce.
Hoisin Sauce:hoisin sauce is a thick, dark brown, sweet, and savory condiment.
Cornstarch:cornstarch acts as a thickener to thicken the sauce.
Sriracha:sriracha adds a spicy tanginess to the spring roll dipping sauce.
Peanuts: for added crunch and texture.
Substitutions and Additions
You can easily customize your Vietnamese spring roll recipe with whichever fillings you like! I listed some suggestions for you below.
Substitutions
Vegetarian/Vegan spring roll: Chinese sausage is hard to substitute with, but if you would like a vegetarian or vegan version, you can use tofu strips or more vegetables like mushrooms and bell peppers.
Daikon: if you cannot find jicama, you can use daikon instead.
Vegetables: additional vegetables that you can use include, cucumber, Vietnamese coriander, cilantro, bean sprouts, etc.
Egg roll wrapper: for additional crunch, you can roll up an egg roll wrapper brush it with a little oil, and air fry it until crispy.
How to Make Bo Bia
Here are the step-by-step instructions for how to make this bo bia spring roll recipe.
Filling
Prepare the jicama and carrots. Peel and julienne the jicama and carrots into thin matchsticks. In a medium pot over medium-low heat, add 1 cup water and sugar and mix to combine. Then add the jicama and carrots, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes stirring periodically until softened with a slight crunch.
Cook the Chinese sausage. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, pan-fry the Chinese sausage slices until lightly charred along the edges.
Prepare the shrimp. In a heat-proof bowl, soak the shrimp in boiling water for 10 minutes or until softened, then drain. Then, season with the shrimp with black pepper. On a small skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Then add the green onion, and shrimp and cook for 3 minutes.
Make the eggs. In a mixing bowl, whisk all the eggs. In a medium skillet on medium heat, lightly grease the pan with oil and pour 1/4 cup of egg onto the pan, pick up the pan and spread the eggs evenly across the pan like a crepe. Then flip and cook until done. Place the egg flat on the cutting board. Continue and layer the egg crepes until all the eggs are cooked. When all the eggs are cooked, thinly slice the eggs into 1/4-inch thick strips.
Assemble
Dip the rice paper in warm water. In a large bowl, or rice paper bowl pour in warm water around 120 F. Dip the rice paper into the water submerging the entire paper, and then lay it on a plate slightly larger than the rice paper.
Add your vegetables. Add the lettuce, Thai basil, jicama, and carrots on the edge of the rice paper closest to you leaving about 1 inch for you to grab onto.
Add in the protein Then add a few strips of eggs, shrimp, and Chinese sausage. To have the Chinese sausage appear on the outside of the roll, place the Chinese sausage slices in a horizontal line directly on top of the rice paper above the veggies.
Begin rolling the rice paper. Lift the rice paper on the edge closest to you and make your first fold. Then fold in the left and right edges of the rice paper to seal the ends. Continue tightly rolling the bo bia upward until no more rice paper remains. Repeat until you run out of filling.
Dipping Sauce
Cook the garlic. In a small saucepan, pour in 1 tbsp of olive oil and cook the minced garlic on medium-high until lightly browned and fragrant.
Cook the sauce. Add the hoisin sauce and water to the saucepan and stir until combined. In a small bowl, mix the 1 tbsp cornstarch with the 1 tbsp of water. Add the cornstarch slurry to your sauce and mix until thickened. Then add sriracha for added heat and garnish with crushed peanuts.
Tips for the Best Bo Bia
Wash your vegetables! It is important that you thoroughly wash and dry your vegetables and herbs in a salad spinner to remove the impurities.
Organize your spring roll ingredients nearby. Keep your rolling station clean and organized for easy assembly.
Be cautious of overfilling the spring rolls. Rice paper is thin and can rip easily so be careful of overfilling your fresh spring rolls.
Use a second wrapper if the spring roll rips. Use a second rice paper to wrap any ripped roll if you don’t mind a slightly chewier texture.
Customize your filling! You can use any variation of the Vietnamese spring roll ingredients. You can experiment by changing the proportions of each spring roll filling that you’d like.
Storage Instructions
Bo bia are best enjoyed immediately when assembled. If you need to store them, wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. The rice paper will lose its texture the longer it sits out. Do not reheat them this will further alter the texture.
Frequently Asked Q’s and A’s
How do you serve bo bia?
Bo bia can be served as a snack, appetizer, or full meal accompanied by a dipping sauce made from hoisin sauce. In Vietnam, these spring rolls are sold in street food stalls.
Can you customize bo bia?
Yes! bo bia can easily be customized based on your personal preferences. You can easily omit some ingredients that you don’t like or add more vegetables and herbs.
Can you make Vietnamese spring rolls in advance?
Yes, you can make these Vietnamese spring rolls in advance but for only a couple of hours in advance. The longer the spring rolls sit out the drier the wrapper will be. If you want to make these rolls in advance, wrap them individually with plastic wrap.
What dipping sauce do you serve with Vietnamese spring rolls?
This rainbow bo bia spring roll features Chinese sausage, eggs, shrimp, carrots, jicama, and fresh herbs. Pair this Vietnamese spring roll with a sriracha hoisin dipping sauce for a perfect spring appetizer.
Prepare the jicama and carrots. Peel and julienne the jicama and carrots into thin matchsticks. In a medium pot over medium-low heat, add 1 cup water and sugar and mix to combine. Then add the jicama and carrots, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes stirring periodically until softened with a slight crunch.
Cook the Chinese sausage. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, saute the Chinese sausage slices until lightly charred along the edges.
Prepare the shrimp. In a heat-proof bowl, soak the shrimp in boiling water for 10 minutes or until softened, then drain. Then, season with the shrimp with black pepper. On a small skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Then add the green onion, and shrimp and cook for 3 minutes.
Make the eggs. In a mixing bowl, whisk all the eggs. In a medium skillet or wok on medium heat, lightly grease the pan with oil and pour 1/4 cup of egg onto the pan, pick up the pan and spread the eggs evenly across the pan like a crepe. Then flip and cook until done. Place the egg flat on the cutting board. Continue and layer the egg crepes until all the eggs are cooked. When all the eggs are cooked, thinly slice the eggs into 1/4-inch thick strips.
Assemble
Dip the rice paper in warm water. In a large bowl, or rice paper bowl pour in warm water around 120 F. Dip the rice paper into the water submerging the entire paper, and then lay it on a plate slightly larger than the rice paper.
Add your vegetables. Add the lettuce, Thai basil, jicama, and carrots on the edge of the rice paper closest to you leaving about 1 inch for you to grab onto.
Add in the protein. Then add a few strips of eggs, shrimp, and Chinese sausage. To have the Chinese sausage appear on the outside of the roll, place the Chinese sausage slices in a horizontal line directly on top of the rice paper above the veggies.
Begin rolling the rice paper. Lift the rice paper on the edge closest to you and make your first fold. Then fold in the left and right edges of the rice paper to seal the ends. Continue tightly rolling upward until no more rice paper remains. Repeat until you run out of filling.
Hoisin Dipping Sauce
Cook the garlic. In a small saucepan, pour in 1 tbsp of olive oil and cook the minced garlic on medium-high until lightly browned and fragrant.
Cook the sauce. Add the hoisin sauce and water to the saucepan and stir until combined. In a small bowl, mix the 1 tbsp cornstarch with the 1 tbsp of water. Add the cornstarch slurry to your sauce and mix until thickened. Then add sriracha for added heat.
Serve. Serve with the bo bia spring rolls in individual dipping bowls garnished with crushed peanuts and enjoy!
Notes
Wash your vegetables! It is important that you thoroughly wash and dry your vegetables and herbs in a salad spinner to remove the impurities.
Organize your spring roll ingredients nearby. Keep your rolling station clean and organized for easy assembly.
Be cautious of overfilling the spring rolls. Rice paper is very thin and can rip easily so be careful of overfilling your fresh spring rolls.
Use a second wrapper if the spring roll rips. If you don’t mind a slightly chewier texture, use a second rice paper to wrap any roll that ripped.
Customize your filling! You can use any variation of the Vietnamese spring roll ingredients. You can experiment by changing the proportions of each spring roll filling that you’d like.
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