Recipe Tags: 2 Eggs, 2 Quarts, Black Pepper, Cellophane Noodles, Cup Yellow Onion, Fresh Herbs, Garlic Salt, Grated Carrots, Ground Pork, Paper Rounds, Pleasures Of The Vietnamese Table, Printable Recipe, Raw Shrimp, Salt 2, Seam Side, Thin Rings, Tsp, Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Wood Ear
Vietnamese Spring Rolls-Cha Gio
These are Vietnamese Spring Rolls or aka Cha Gio. These deep-fried spring rolls are crispy and they are great appetizers. Simply wrap the spring rolls with some lettuce leaves, fresh herbs, and then dip-it lightly into the dipping sauce. Delicious!
Recipe adapted from Pleasures Of The Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham
Vietnamese Spring Rolls-Cha Gio
(Printable Recipe)
Ingredients
Filling
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
½ Tbsp Minced Garlic
¼ Tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp plus 3 Tbsp Sugar
½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
2 oz Bean Threads (cellophane noodles), soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, drained and cut into 2-inch pieces
5 to 6 Dried Wood-Ear Mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, drained, trimmed chewy stems and finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
2/3 Cup Yellow Onion, minced and squeezed gently to remove excess liquid
1 Taro/Yam Root, peeled and finely grated (about 1 cup) or 1 cup grated carrots
3 Scallions, cut into thin rings
1/3 lb Cooked Crabmeat, picked clean, or coarsely chopped Raw Shrimp
2/3 lb Ground Pork
2 quarts Warm Water
30 (6 or 8-inch) Dried Rice Paper Rounds, plus extras
Vegetable Oil for deep-frying
Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
Table Salad for serving
Method
Make the filling: Beat the eggs, fish sauce, garlic, salt, 2 tsp sugar and black pepper together in a large bowl. Add the bean threads, mushrooms, onion, taro root, scallions, crabmeat and pork. Using fork, gently mix until the ingredients are well blended.
Fill a large bowl with warm water. Add the remaining 3 Tbsp sugar to the water and stir to dissolve. (This helps the rice paper turn golden when fried.) Dip the rice paper into the warm water and turn to moisten the sheet completely. Lay the sheet on a damp kitchen cloth. Place 1 heap Tbsp of the filling on the bottom third of the sheet. Using your fingers, gently shape into a small cylinder. Lift the bottom edge over the filling, and then fold in both sides. Roll into a small cylinder, about 2/3 inch wide and 2 inches long. Place the seam side down. Do not stack the rolls. Continue to make the rolls with the remaining filling and paper in this way. If a wrapper has a tear, reinforce it by patching it with a small piece of dampened rice paper.
Pour about 1-½ inches of vegetable oil into a large skillet and heat to about 350˚F. Test the temperature by carefully placing a spring roll in it. If the oil foams but not too vigorously upon contact, it is hot enough. Add the rolls without crowding, and fry until evenly golden, about 5 to 6 minutes. (Cook in batches) Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve the spring rolls immediately with the dipping sauce and table salad.
Makes 30 Rolls
Note: Dipping Sauce: Mix 3 chopped Thai Bird’s Eye Chilies with 1 clove of slice garlic, 3 Tbsp sugar, 2/3 cup warm water, 1 1/2 Tsp Lime Juice, 5 Tbsp fish sauce and 2 Tbsp shredded carrots.
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