Crispy Vietnamese spring rolls made with pork, shrimp, bean thread noodles, carrots and wood ear mushrooms. Serve with green leaf lettuce, cilantro and sweet and savory nuoc cham sauce.
After ordering fried Vietnamese spring rolls from my favorite restaurant years ago, I wanted to make them at home so I could have a stash and eat them whenever I want!
Vietnamese spring rolls are made with rice paper or wheat wrappers. I prefer the wheat version because it gives the spring rolls an even crispiness and golden brown color.
You can find wheat wrappers at any Asian grocery store, and in the Asian aisle of your local grocer. Make sure you get spring roll wrappers, which are thinner than egg roll wrappers.
While you're at the Asian grocery store, pickup bean thread noodles and wood ear mushrooms for this recipe.
Ingredients to make this recipe
- Ground pork
- Shrimp- can be substituted for more pork instead.
- Egg- to bind the filling together.
- Bean thread noodles- adds texture.
- Wood ear mushrooms- adds texture and gets it's name from its shape, commonly sold dried and labeled as black fungus. Substitute for regular mushrooms or shiitake, or omit if you're not a fungi fan.
- Onion
- Carrot- adds sweetness and texture. Jicama is commonly used as well.
- Fish sauce- savory flavor
- Sugar & salt
- White pepper
- Spring roll wrappers
- Oil for frying
How to Make Chả Giò
Soak the wood ear mushroom and bean thread noodles in warm water for 20 minutes to hydrate. Finely chop the wood ear mushroom, noodles and shrimp. I love using a food processor to make this step quicker!
In a bowl, mix all filling ingredients until well combined.
There are many ways to wrap spring rolls. I like to wrap mine as shown below.
Place a spring roll wrapper in a diamond shape, spread 2-3 tbs of filling towards the bottom half of the wrapper. Bring the bottom half of the wrapper over the filling and roll tightly until you reach ⅓ of the the top of the wrapper. Bring the left and right corners towards the center. Dab flour paste at the top corner and roll to seal.
Tips for Best Results
- Don't overfill the spring rolls- 2-3 tablespoons should be enough. I used to be overzealous and added too much. It's tastier when you have a good wrapper to filling balance and the layers in the wrapper create a flakier spring roll.
- Wrap tightly- wrap the spring rolls tightly so they maintain their shape.
- Seam side down- after wrapping the spring roll, place it on a tray seam side down to ensure the spring roll stays sealed.
- Fry the spring rolls on medium heat about 325ºF- You can deep fry or shallow fry. I prefer shallow frying because it uses less oil. . To shallow fry, fill a pan with half an inch of oil. Flip the spring rolls halfway through.
- Don't over crowd the pan- fry the spring rolls in batches so the temperature of the oil doesn't dip too low. A lower temperature will prevent the spring rolls from crisping.
You can make spring roll wrapping a family activity or make some ahead of time as a party appetizer. Or if you're like me, make a stockpile for yourself, freeze them and reheat in the air fryer.
Now go enjoy some delicious spring rolls. I highly recommend wrapping in lettuce and cilantro for some added freshness and crunch! I guarantee ya can't just eat one!
Other Asian recipes you'll love
Instant Pot Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup
Fried Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 package spring roll wrappers
- Oil for frying
- Lettuce
- Cilantro
Filling
- 2 oz bean thread noodles
- ¼ cup dried wood ear mushrooms
- ¾ lb ground pork
- ¼ lb shrimp minced
- ½ cup carrot shredded
- ¼ cup onion minced
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
Flour Paste
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoon water
Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or chilies
- 4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Soak the bean thread noodles and wood ear mushrooms in bowls of warm water for 20 minutes. Once hydrated, finely chop the noodles and mushrooms. In a bowl, mix all filling ingredients until well combined.
- Mix flour and water together to create a flour paste. Wrap the egg rolls tightly with 2-3 tb filling and seal with flour paste.
- Working in batches, fry the spring rolls for 8-10 minutes at 325°F until cooked through and golden brown. Combine ingredients for nuoc cham sauce. Serve spring rolls with lettuce, cilantro and nuoc cham. Happy nomming!
Notes
- Deep fry or shallow fry. I prefer shallow frying so there is less leftover oil. To shallow fry, fill a pan with half an inch of oil. Flip the spring rolls halfway through.
- Use a food processor to chop the noodles, mushrooms, shrimp and carrots quicker.
- Fully cooked spring rolls can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- These spring rolls reheat really well and taste just as good as a fresh batch. Thaw in the refrigerator, refry or reheat in the oven or air fryer at 325°F for 10 minutes or until heated through.
- Nutrition estimate does not include oil absorbed during frying.
Leave a Reply