Gỏi Cuốn (Fresh Spring Rolls) with Two Dipping Sauces

"Night breathes, stars wave Ha Long's waters." - Huy Cận, Vietnamese poet.

The splutters of the engine break the silence as the old junk ship eases into Ha Long Bay.

There is no breeze to speak of. The air is hot and heavy and the waters a brilliant jade in the tropical sun. So far this could be anywhere along the Vietnamese coast. Apart from the odd distant cargo ship the skyline is completely uninterrupted.

Below deck is a commotion of activity as a dozen or so other tourists unpack into their quarters. It's all quite oldschool. Cutesy cabins with creaky floorboards and red moth-eaten curtains. Mine is next to a makeshift galley where two boys squat peeling carrots. But this is home for the night. And I couldn't be happier.

We have travelled for three hours east out of the motorised noodle bowl of Hanoi, steel bridges and traffic jams giving way to floating villages and pearl farms, to get here on this overnight tour of Ha Long Bay. A Unesco World Heritage Site, the bay features thousands of magnificent limestone karsts and islets over an area of 1,500km². It is one of southeast Asia's most iconic landscapes. Legend has it that the bay was formed thousands of years ago by dragons sent by the gods to defend Vietnam from invaders by spitting gemstones and pearls that hardened and turned into tropical islands.

Above deck our cheery guide Lewis ("not my real name, you can't pronounce my real name!" he jokes many times) hands out water and our itinerary for the next two days. I get acquainted with some of my fellow travellers: a retired husband and wife from Margate, a slightly nerdy French engineer on a break from his job in China, and an Australian backpacker who wants to be a sushi chef in Tokyo. Everyone seems relieved to be here and the mood is fun and jovial. A dragonfly zips by as we chat and the ship cruises deeper into the Gulf of Tonkin.

After about an hour we pass the first karst and the sight is simply breathtaking. It towers above the junk like some inverse tropical iceberg, our puny Titanic no match for this giant toothlike rock in the sea just metres away. Soon there are more. And then hundreds of the karsts appear, all looming out of the water like hulking grey sentinels with crowns of lush green jungle.

We spend a blissful summer day navigating the waters of Ha Long Bay, stopping on secluded beaches, hiking, kayaking and exploring ancient grottoes. We dock as night falls and the moon rises brightly above us. The karsts turn dark in the moonlight, their presence still keenly felt as the ship rocks gently in the warm night air.

After some quick showers we are refreshed and our guide, Lewis, welcomes us on deck for dinner and drinks. Our evening activity? Making traditional spring rolls!

Ingredients (6 spring rolls)

For the spring rolls:

8 fresh shrimps

250g pork belly

1 medium onion (chopped)

1 garlic clove (chopped)

3 star anise

1 stick cinnamon

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tbs sugar

50g rice vermicelli

1 romaine lettuce

Fresh coriander

Fresh spearmint

Fresh Thai basil

Salt

6 bánh tráng rice paper sheets

For the peanut sauce:

2 tbs peanut butter

2 tbs hoisin sauce

1 tbs lime juice

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp fish sauce

4 tbs coconut milk

1 tsp sesame oil for frying

Salt to season

Crushed peanuts for garnish

For the nước chắm:

250ml water

2 tbs sugar

2 tbs lime juice and pulp

3 tbs fish sauce

1 clove garlic (minced)

1 tsp chilli (chopped)

1 tsp carrots (cut into matchsticks)

Instructions (1h)

For the spring rolls:

1. Heat a pot of salted water to boil. In the pot place the pork, onion, garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, coriander seeds and sugar. Simmer for 20min until the pork is cooked through. Remove the pork and submerge in a bowl of ice water (this will stop the meat going brown). Once cool pat dry and cut into thin strips. Set aside.

2. Using the same water boil the shrimps until pink and cooked through (2min). Remove and let cool. Peel the shrimps, cut them in half lengthwise and remove any digestive tracts. Set aside.

3. In a separate pot boil the rice vermicelli for 1-2min until soft (or follow the cooking times on the packet). Rinse under cold water. Set aside.

4. Lay out the different elements in order to build the spring rolls: rice paper, romaine lettuce, rice vermicelli, coriander, spearmint, Thai basil, pork and shrimps.

5. Prepare a bowl of warm water. Lay a sheet of rice paper flat over a chopping board or kitchen surface. Dip a cloth in the warm water and wipe the rice paper on both sides until slightly translucent and sticky. Take a leaf of lettuce and fill with the cooked vermicelli. Lay the vermicelli-filled lettuce at the base of the paper and fold upwards by a third of the way, tucking the sides in snugly. Add the next layer of herbs and pork and fold upwards again by a third. Add three shrimp pieces flat, coloured sides down, and fold upwards for the final third, tucking the sides in to complete the roll. Repeat for all spring rolls.

For the peanut sauce:

1. Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan on medium low heat. Add the peanut butter, hoisin sauce, sugar, and coconut milk. Simmer gently for 5min.

2. Add the lime juice and fish sauce before serving.

3. Garnish with some lovely crushed peanuts!

For the nước chắm sauce:

1. Heat the water in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the sugar and lime juice (adjust quantities to taste).

2. Add the fish sauce, adjusting to taste. Add the garlic.

3. Garnish with chopped chillis and matchstick carrots!

TIP1: Lay the spring rolls side by side and not on top of each other as they will stick!

TIP2: Stop the peanut sauce getting too oily by adding a few drops of water and stirring well before serving.

TIP3: In Brussels you can find all these ingredients - and more! - at Jin Long Trading supermarket (Rogier)