Vietnamese Egg Rolls (Cha Gio) Recipe

It has been a long standing tradition in our family to make our mother's Vietnamese Egg Rolls during the holiday season for friends and family and even the occasional Christmas or New Years party.  They are always a HUGE hit and are loved by many.  Here's the recipe broken down for our wonderful readers...

Ingredients:
-4 small bundles of bean thread noodles (1/2 package)

They usually come in a package with a pink netting.










-1/2 bag (1.5 oz) dried, shredded woodear mushrooms

-5 large carrots, peeled & shredded
-1/2 onion, finely chopped
-1 lb ground pork
-1/2 tsp garlic salt
-1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
-1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
-25-30 spring roll wrappers

This is my favorite brand to use.  Make sure you get the THIN wrappers, not doughy thick ones that are usually used for Chinese egg rolls and have the same consistency as won ton wrappers- they will burn in the oil before the raw pork filling has a chance to cook all the way.  These thin wrappers stand up to the heat for a longer period of time.





-1 egg, beaten
-canola oil for frying


Directions:

Fill a medium-sized pot with water, and bring it to a boil. Drop in the bean thread noodles, and cook them for 2-3 minutes. Drain the noodles, chop them so the pieces are roughly 1" long, and add them to a large mixing bowl. Soak the woodear mushrooms in a bowl of water for 15 minutes or until they are rehydrated. Chop them finely and add them to the mixing bowl. Add the carrots, onion, pork, garlic salt, pepper, and Fish Sauce. Combine everything well. This is your filling. Place about 2 rounded tablespoonfuls of filling into each wrapper and follow these instructions on how to wrap them up.

Fill a new pot with canola oil, 1-2” deep. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F.  Place a single layer of egg rolls at a time into the oil, and cook them for 7-10 minutes or until they are golden-brown. Let them drain on some paper towels.  Serve them with Nuoc Cham.


Nuoc Cham Recipe

-1/4 c Fish Sauce
-2 c water
-1 c sugar
-1 Tbsp garlic, minced
-1 Tbsp lemon juice
-1 tsp crushed red pepper

Whisk all the ingredients together until the sugar dissolves.





Enjoy your egg rolls and feel free to "Pin It"!