Vietnamese Egg Rolls Recipe (Chả Giò)

Method7 steps · about 1 hr 10 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Soak bean threads in hot tap water and mushrooms in 40-second microwaved hot tap water until soft. About 30 minutes.

   Soak bean threads · 30 minUses 1/2 cup bean thread noodle (cut into 1"-1.5" threads) · 0.125 cup dried wood-ear mushrooms · hot tap water for soaking bean threads · separate hot water for soaking dried wood-ear mushrooms

2. 2

   Step 2: Shred or finely chop the onion (2/3 cup) and squeeze out excess moisture. Mix the jicama (1) with ½ tsp salt, HALF of the 1 tsp filling salt. Microwave until slightly softened, then squeeze out excess moisture without rinsing away that salt.

   Uses 1 jicama · 2/3 cup onion (chopped) · ½ tsp salt, FIRST HALF of 1 tsp batch for jicama; do not rinse it away

3. 3

   Step 3: When soft, roughly chop bean thread noodles and mushrooms.

   Uses separately hydrated about thirty minutes until soft, then drained

4. 4

   Step 4: Mix the chopped hydrated bean threads and mushrooms with the squeezed onion, the REMAINING ½ tsp filling salt, pepper (1 tsp) and sugar (1 tsp). Add the ground pork (1 lb) and mix evenly, then gently incorporate the squeezed jicama last.

   Uses 1 lb ground pork · REMAINING ½ tsp filling salt · 1 tsp pepper · 1 tsp sugar · bean threads cut into one- to one-and-a-half-inch pieces and mushrooms chopped · two-thirds cup chopped onion with excess moisture squeezed out · jicama microwaved with first half teaspoon salt then excess moisture squeezed out

5. 5

   Step 5: Cook a ½ tsp test portion of the filling fully before tasting; ground pork should reach 160°F (71°C). Adjust the remaining filling only as needed with extra salt, pepper or sugar, remembering that the finished rolls are served with seasoned dipping sauce.

   Uses extra salt only if the cooked test needs adjustment · extra pepper only if the cooked test needs adjustment · extra sugar only if the cooked test needs adjustment · only half a teaspoon of raw filling, fully cooked before tasting

6. 6

   Step 6: Mix ¼ cup sealing water with 1 tbsp flour and microwave until it just boils. Divide the remaining raw filling into 25 portions. Put a wrapper corner toward you, fold the bottom corner about two-thirds upward, and place one filling portion across the lower section, leaving about ¼ inch at the bottom. Fold the side corners inward, then roll tightly to enclose the filling. Dab the top corner with the cooked flour-water paste and finish rolling to seal. Repeat for all 25 rolls. Wash and dry the serving lettuce and herbs.

   Uses 1 package Menlo brand egg roll wrappers · 1/4 cup water · 1 tbsp all-purpose flour · green leaf lettuce · Vietnamese perilla (tia to) · Vietnamese balm (kinh gioi) · mint · running water for washing serving lettuce and herbs

7. 7

   Step 7: Deep-fry the sealed rolls in neutral oil at 325°F (163°C) until golden and fully cooked inside, about 12–16 minutes per batch. The ground-pork filling must reach 160°F (71°C). Drain on a rack without stacking. Serve with washed lettuce, mint, Vietnamese perilla (tia to), Vietnamese balm (kinh gioi), ready-made nuoc cham and optional prepared carrot-daikon pickles.

   Fry egg rolls · 16 minUses prepared Vietnamese fish-sauce dip · enough oil for deep-frying rolls · optional ready-made do chua pickles for serving · twenty-five wheat wrappers filled with raw pork mixture and sealed with cooked flour-water paste · lettuce, perilla, balm and mint washed and dried for serving