• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Cooking Therapy logo
  • About Me
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
    • Disclaimer
  • Subscribe
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Drinks
    • Main Dishes
      • Beef
      • Chicken & Poultry
      • Fish & Seafood
      • Pork
      • Tofu
    • Noodle Bowls & Soups
    • Side Dishes
    • Salads
    • Dips & Sauces
    • Sweets & Desserts
      • Bars & Brownies
      • Cakes
      • Candy & Confectionary
      • Cookies
      • Curds & Custards
      • Donuts
      • Ice Cream
      • Mochi
      • Pies & Tarts
  • Restaurant Guides
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

Home » Recipes » 30 Minute Meals

Jan 31, 2022(updated Sep 17, 2022)

Bo Bia (Chinese Sausage Spring Rolls)

5 from 14 votes

Leave a comment

by Becca Du

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Bo Bia

I am so excited to share my recipe for Bo Bia this week. I love this recipe so much because of the story behind it. Typically when most people think of Vietnamese food, they think pho, banh mi, or spring rolls (specifically the pork and shrimp spring rolls). However, these dishes are not what most people living in Vietnam eat on a daily basis simply because they cannot afford it. Most Vietnamese people are poor, and the ingredients used to create these dishes are pretty expensive. My mom always says that we are lucky we get to eat this stuff whenever we want because when she was growing up, these dishes were a treat. And that is still true for so many people living in Vietnam. Instead, my mom grew up eating stuff like this dish Bo Bia because it was much more affordable.

bo bia

What is Bo Bia?

Bo Bia is a spring roll that is sold on the streets of Vietnam. It is made with Chinese sausage, jicama, dried shrimp, egg, and Thai basil all wrapped in rice paper. It is then eaten with a hoison dipping sauce. There are many variations to this spring roll, and you can add or take out whatever you like. For example, sometimes people leave out the egg or the jicama is steamed instead of sautéed. I go through all that below.

ingredients

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

Bo Bia

  • Chinese sausages (lap cheong) – This is my favorite sausage. It has a good balance of sweet and savory flavors, and is easily identifiable by its unique red color. There are definitely no substitutes for Chinese sausage because of how distinct its flavor is.
  • Garlic – Adds flavor and texture to the jicama.
  • Dried shrimp – Adds flavor and texture to the jicama. Make sure to soak dried shrimp for 10 minutes before using.
  • Jicama – One of the traditional fillings for Bo Bia. Jicama is basically a Mexican turnip, so you can substitute it with any turnip you find at the store. Another good substitute is daikon.
  • Carrot – This is an optional ingredient. It mostly adds color and a little flavor to the jicama.
  • Soy sauce – Adds umami flavor to the jicama. To make this gluten free, use tamari instead.
  • Sesame oil – Adds flavor to the sauteed jicama.
  • Eggs – One of the traditional fillings for Bo Bia. If you don’t like eggs, I would leave them out.
  • Thai basil – Adds a slight minty-ness to the spring roll. If you can’t find Thai basil, I would use mint and/or cilantro.
  • Rice paper – Used to wrap the spring roll. It wouldn’t be a spring roll without rice paper. I would get whatever rice paper you can find at the grocery store.

Hoison dipping sauce

The sauce for these spring rolls is made with hoison sauce, minced garlic, peanut butter, water, and corn starch to thicken it. It is then topped with toasted peanuts and a little bit of sriracha for an extra kick. If you are allergic to peanuts, you can leave those components out.

step 1 wrapping spring rolls
step 2 wrapping spring rolls
step 3 wrapping spring rolls

How to make bo bia

The first thing you gotta do is clean your dried shrimp. Soak them in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. Next boil your Chinese sausage. Add 2 tablespoons of water to a small pan and add the Chinese sausage. Bring the water to a simmer, and simmer covered 10 minutes until they are cooked through. Once done, slice them thinly and set aside. See picture above for exact shape.

Now onto your jicama filling. Saute garlic and dried shrimp over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the jicama and saute for 2 minutes. Next add the carrots and soy sauce and saute for another 3-5 minutes until the jicama is soft. Add the sesame oil. Stir and remove it from the heat. Set aside.

Lastly, cook your eggs. Whisk eggs. Pour eggs into a large pan in a thin layer. Add the salt. Cook for 30 seconds on one side until it is cooked through. Flip over and cook the other side. Once done cooking, let it cool for a few minutes before slicing them into thin strips. Set aside.

Now it’s time to make your spring rolls! Hydrate rice paper in warm water and lay on a flat surface. Add some of the jicama, egg strips, Chinese sausage, and Thai basil to the bottom half of the rice paper (see picture above for reference). Tightly roll 1-2 times. Fold the ends over the roll so it looks like an open envelope. Roll it the rest of the way until you have a perfect spring roll. Repeat this process until you run out of filling or rice paper. Serve with hoison dipping sauce.

hoison dipping sauce

Which dipping sauce should you use for bo bia?

This is a traditional sauce for spring rolls, and it is so easy to make. First saute garlic for 30 seconds until soft. Add hoison sauce and peanut butter. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Add the water and corn starch. Stir and cook for 1 minute until it thickens. Eyeball the consistency so it is as thick or thin you like. If it is too thin, let it cook a bit more. If it is too thick, add more water. Top with a bit of sriracha and some peanuts before serving.

Bo Bia

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

Follow Cooking Therapy on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @cooking__therapy and #beccascookingtherapy.

Stay connected and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all my latest recipes.

Disclaimer: If you purchase anything through a link on this site, I may receive a small commission from the purchase at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I would personally use. Thank you so much for the support!

Bo Bia

Bo Bia (Chinese Sausage Spring Rolls)

Becca Du
A yummy and easy recipe for spring rolls filled with Chinese sausage, jicama, dried shrimp, and Thai basil.
5 from 14 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Vietnamese
Servings 4 people
Calories 820 kcal

Equipment

  • Boxed Grater

Ingredients
 
 

Bo Bia

  • 3 Chinese sausages
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ cup dried shrimp
  • 15 oz jicama julienned
  • 1 large carrot shredded
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • ¼ tsp sesame oil
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup Thai basil
  • 1 package rice paper

Hoison Dipping Sauce

  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter optional
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
  • ¼ cup peanuts toasted, chopped, optional

Instructions
 

Bo Bia

  • Soak dried shrimp for 10 minutes in a bowl of water.
  • Boil the Chinese sausage to cook them through. Add 2 tbsp of water and Chinese sausage to a small pan. Bring water to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until they are cooked through. Slice them thinly and set aside. You want to cut them diagonally so you get nice long thin strips.
  • Next make your jicama filling. Saute garlic and dried shrimp over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the jicama and saute for 2 minutes. Next add the carrots and soy sauce and saute for another 3-5 minutes until the jicama is soft. Add the sesame oil. Stir and remove it from the heat. Set aside.
  • Lastly, cook your eggs. Whisk eggs. Pour eggs into a large pan in a thin layer. Add the salt. Cook for 30 seconds on one side until it is cooked through. Flip over and cook the other side. Once done cooking, let it cool for a few minutes before slicing them into thin strips. Set aside.
  • Now it’s time to make your spring rolls! Hydrate rice paper in warm water and lay on a flat surface. Add some of the jicama, egg strips, Chinese sausage, and Thai basil to the bottom half of the rice paper (see picture above for reference). Tightly roll 1-2 times. Fold the ends over the roll so it looks like an open envelope. Roll it the rest of the way until you have a perfect spring roll. Repeat this process until you run out of filling or rice paper.
  • Serve with hoison dipping sauce (instructions below).

Hoison Dipping Sauce

  • Saute garlic for 30 seconds over medium heat until soft.
  • Add hoison sauce and peanut butter. Stir and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Add the water and corn starch. Stir and cook for 1 minute until it thickens. Eyeball the consistency so it is as thick or thin you like. If it is too thin, let it cook a bit more. If it is too thick, add more water.
  • Top with a bit of sriracha and some peanuts before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 4spring rollsCalories: 820kcalCarbohydrates: 85gProtein: 43gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 322mgSodium: 2965mgPotassium: 680mgFiber: 9gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 2848IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 184mgIron: 8mg
Keyword bo bia, bo bia recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
If you love this post, share it!
  307    
VietnameseSpringSummerChinese Sausage, Soy Sauce

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About Me


Hello I'm Becca! I believe any day can be made better with a bowl of noodle soup. Here you will find recipes from my Chinese/Vietnamese heritage and stories from my experience living here in beautiful LA. Grab a drink and stay awhile! Read More

Lunar New Year 2023

Featured recipes for lunar new year 2023

Never Miss A Post!

Subscribe to get monthly doses of cooking inspiration and foodie goodness in our inbox.

Winter Soups

vietnamese chicken tomato soup

Vietnamese Chicken Tomato Soup

pho recipe

Traditional Vietnamese Beef Pho (Pho Bo)

Ragu ga in a bowl with a spoon in the stew.

Ragu Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Ragu)

Search

Footer

Privacy Policy · Terms & Conditions · All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2023 · Cooking Therapy