I like to mix soy sauce, lime juice and fresh grated ginger for dipping.

Oh that sounds good. I haven't seen ginger as an ingredient in any online. Thanks!

I used to love plum sauce (duck sauce) or sweet chili sauce when I used to eat sweet sauces.

Though not specifically for spring rolls I make a dipping sauce similar to Carol’s: soy, sherry, ginger (pref fresh but ground if that’s all I have) and a squirt of sriracha.

I deleted the duplicate reply - houzz being glitchy again 😏

FOAS, not sure if you shop Trader Joe's but they have the best frozen ginger cubes that I keep on hand for when I don't have fresh. Also frozen garlic cubes. Both so handy when the fresh is not on hand.

Good to know, thanks!

why not just freeze your ginger and grate when needed? I don't even peel it. Oops! sidetracked.

I made chicken lettuce wraps recently and thought the sauce was so good it could be a dipping sauce. Yes, it has peanuts, but it's very well balanced, and worth all the ingredients.

https://joyfoodsunshine.com/asian-chicken-lettuce-wraps/#wprm-recipe-container-8625

Yum, that does look good. It's more of an authentic style peanut sauce. The one I make is thicker and creamier.

I love dipping sauces with fish sauce in them but one of the people I'm making these for (a request for her birthday party at the end of the month) doesn't eat fish. I'll make my peanut sauce because that's what she wants, but want to make another style, too.

I never remember to grate my own ginger for freezing. I buy it for a recipe, use most of it and just never think to freeze the rest,

I guess I am weird for the South. I detest peanuts in any form or cuisine. I do not even like peanut oil.

May be a reaction to the peanut butter sandwiches and Cool-aide at Vacation Bible school. I just went hungry rather than eat.

I still will not eat a peanut and I eat anything that cannot escape me, lol.

Interesting, the different tastes people have, I don't eat much peanut butter but sometimes have an overwhelming craving for it and have to have some.

I hate waste. It doesn't affect taste, and it's always grated in a recipe anyhow, so not a texture issue.

I need to start freezing ginger. Thanks for the suggestion. I have no qualms using it dry, but it does lose flavor at a certain point. ;)

I prefer a spicy, fruity sauce with spring rolls to a salty one. It doesn't have to be hoisin, which is pretty intense. I once had a sour cherry sauce which was fab.

I'm not crazy about sweet sauces with savory dishes, so the more acidy, umami ones appeal to me better. I do love cherries, tho!

Here's the recipe I use for a dipping sauce for Vietnamese Crab Spring Rolls:

1/4 cup rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons nam pla (fermented fish sauce) or 1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup tamarind paste
1 Thai bird chili or 1/2 jalapeño pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup fine fresh grape-seed oil

Purée all the ingredients, except the oil, in the blender, liquidating them completely. With the machine running, pour the oil very slowly through the top in a steady stream of droplets so that the mixture forms an emulsion. Taste carefully, pulsing in more sugar if the sauce is too tart or more tamarind paste for acidity and thickness. The sauce should have an agreeably sweet and sour flavor, and be the consistency of an emulsified salad dressing or thin mayonnaise.

This is pretty good for a change of pace.

https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/salad-rolls/

Trader Joe's has a toasted sesame dressing that works well with spring rolls too.

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/organic-toasted-sesame-dressing-063353

Judi, that would be great to find something good that is fast and easy. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around a mayo type dipping sauce but the flavors look good. I LOVE the presentation of her rolls. I recently had a roll from a new to me place and they shredded the lettuce, which I've never done. It was great and I imagine much easier than rolling the intact leaves. But I really like the looks of the different variety of smaller greens in the pic.

Lars, I love tamarind, so that looks like a good one, too. I've not had a thick sauce (except for my peanut sauce), so I'm interested in trying that and Judi's thick one, too.

When I buy fresh ginger, it's usually from the local natural foods grocer, and I can choose as much or as little as I want, so I only buy a knob or so - just enough for 1 or 2 recipes.

I've also planted it in a container, and can dig up a piece when needed. It's very easy to grow, however, mine doesn't get as large as the stuff in the stores.

This is off the wall, but, when Judi said sesame, I was thinking something more sesame-ish. Like a ginger and chili techinah sauce. That might be really good. :)

That's how I buy it, too, Carol, if I shop at the food co-op. A couple of times I've gotten it at TJ's when I don't want to have to make another stop and its pre-packaged, but not usually too large of a package.

For quick and easy, I start with our homemade jam-- apricot, wild plum, or both. Then I just mix an acid (vinegar usually) and ginger until it tastes right. This comes out liquid-y.

This week we made gooseberry jam, I think that would be a good start for a spring roll sauce too.

For a prep ahead of time, our Chinese style plum sauce uses peach or nectarine, plums, vinegar sugar, brown sugar, red bell pepper, red hot pepper, ginger, garlic, red onion, rice wine, salt, yellow mustard seeds, cinnamon. The recipe I use makes a lot, intended to be canned in small jars, and is found in The Joy Of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich.

eel sauce and mayo with horseradish

That's a good tip, neely. I never would have thought to add water, but I've made some that really could have used it, now that I think of that as an option.

Here, we get a Vietnamese version

• 2 soup spoons fish sauce
• 2 soup spoons sugar
• 2 soup spoons white or rice vinegar
• 6 soup spoons boiling water
• 1 clove garlic, minced finely
• A little grated carrot
• Chilli flakes to taste

That looks good, too! I can't use fish sauce this time but might be able to sub soy or tamari. Thanks.

Nuoc Cham is a traditional sauce for Vietnamese or Thai fresh rolls.

I will link an Andrea Nguyen video for making this refreshing condiment.

I encourage you to include at least some fresh Thai bird chilies, even it you want to omit the seeds or only use one or two of these beautiful small chilies.

I can, if you’d like, tell you how I cut the chilies, remove all or some of the seeds, use no gloves, and avoid touching the ckies with my fingers.

Personally, I do Not like the taste of soy sauce with lime juice. Use a good, clear Fish Sauce (Three Crabs, Red Boat or Squid brands are good). Palm Sugar gives a better flavor (IMO) than white sugar.

There is also the peanut- based dipping sauce.

Alternatively, if you are short on time, you can buy bottled sweet chili sauce. We have this sort of sauce in our pantry. It is not spicy.

https://www.thai-food-online.co.uk/products/sweet-chilli-sauce-730ml-by-mae-ploy

There are many brands.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ka-Me-Sauce-Sweet-Chili-7-Oz-Pack-Of-12/950534751

Olychick - I'd be interested in your yummy-though-far-from-authentic peanut sauce recipe. Will you share it?

I like Vicky Pham’s Peanut sauce recipe:

🥜🥜 https://www.vickypham.com/blog/vietnamese-peanut-sauce-spring-rolls

Houzz isn’t letting me put the youtube link into the system.

Karhy, I’m happy to share. I’ll come back later and post it.

You can make a fresh condiment w ripe mango, jalepeno (some are mild, or you could remove pith and seeds if you want mild) or bird chli; LIME juice, bit of sugar. Finely mined red bell pepper (color and flavor), not too much.

Optional ingredients: Orange, bit of minced ginger, or finely minced candied ginger.

You said your friend does not eat fish. Fish sauce is very different from fish. It is made from fermented anchovies and salt. But if your friend does not want to eat anything related to or derived from fish, that is different.

Petalique, I'm allergic to fin fish and mangos. :) I was excited to read about your authentic sauces, but have to admire from afar...

Peanut sauce for Fresh Spring Rolls

1/2 c natural peanut butter, crunchy or smooth is fine. I use unsalted. The amount of broth you'll need to use will depend on how moist/runny your peanut butter is.

3 tbl tamari or soy sauce

1 tbl honey

1 tbl grated fresh ginger

2 or 3 cloves garlic

1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves, packed

3 green onions, whites and greens

Hot sauce to taste. I use Asian red chile sauce, maybe a tablespoon, or you can use red pepper flakes or a little Tabasco, or hot chile oil

1 c vegetable broth or enough to make a good dipping sauce (sometimes I use some coconut milk in addition or to replace some of the broth. You can use chicken broth, too, but I usually make vegetarian rolls).

I chop the cilantro and onion in the Cuisinart, then set it aside or chop by hand. Process the rest of ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust, stir in the cilantro and onion by hand. Better if made a few hours ahead, will last for several days in the refer. Add water or broth to thin, if needed.

These are all approximate measurements; it's very forgiving of adjustments

Thanks everyone for the additional thoughts and recipes. Petalique, no fish or fish sauce for this friend. Her family owns a cabin on Puget Sound where I am lucky to be a guest, very often. We dig clams, pick oysters from the beach, trap shrimp and Dungeness crab, fish for salmon. She grew up going to that cabin. She will not touch anything fish or seafood related. She has one nephew who comes to the cabin, too, same with him. I used to think how sad it was and what a waste that she wouldn't enjoy the bounty. Now I just think, "Great! More for the rest of us!" Lol!

Thank you for the peanut sauce recipes Olychick and Petalique. I love the peanut sauces served at Vietnamese and Thai restaurants and often think I might like that sauce on a lot of other things, so now I can try making my own. I appreciate it.

i'll add the Got Chu sauce to my nomination ... as well as the homemade peanut sauce.

Nuoc cham is traditional, but the SE Asian restaurants around here nowadays water it down excessively and leave out the lime juice. Just achingly sweet and mediocre.

The best is the Nuoc leo - the authentic one, made with pork, liver, and the tuong sauce. Unfortunately, tuong is hard to find, although our bigger Asian markets carry it. Restaurants make cheap imitations of this with peanuts, soya, and hoisin, but it doesn't taste at all like the real thing.

I would like sweet and sour or honey mustard. I detest anything with peanuts. That is the only thing I will not eat.

ETA: I am not allergic, I just hate the taste.

The video @petalique referenced

I was interested in the method of wetting the wrappers! I've never thought to do it that way. These look good but that fat on the pork belly kind of makes me gag, lol. I guess my peanut sauce isn't too far off, tho it uses some honey and soy or tamari sauce instead of the Hoisin.

No sauce. Good spring rolls need no accompaniment.