Chả Giò (Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls)

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Difficulty Level: Medium 

Serves: 20 spring rolls

Ingredients:

• 30g bean thread noodles

• ½ cup wood ear mushrooms

• 1 garlic clove

• 1 TBSP shallots

• ½ cup grated carrot

• ½ pound minced pork

• 1 TSP chicken stock

• ½ TSP salt

• ½ TSP sugar

• Black pepper (for seasoning)

• Spring roll wrappers

• Canola oil or vegetable oil (for deep frying)

• Nước chấm (Vietnamese fish sauce). See my recipe for nước chấm here.

Instructions: 

Meat filling

• Prepare the ingredients for the meat filling

  • Cover 30g bean thread noodles and ½ cup wood ear mushrooms with warm water for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, chop into small pieces

  • Finely chop up 1 garlic clove

  • Finely chop up 1 shallot

  • Grate carrot enough to fill ½ cup

• Mix in a bowl the bean thread noodles, wood ear mushrooms, garlic clove, shallot and ½ cup grated carrot

• Add ½ pound minced pork

• Mix together

• Add 1 TSP chicken stock, ½ TSP salt, ½ TSP sugar

• Season with black pepper

• Mix together

Wrapping spring rolls

• Place a spring roll wrapper on a plate and fold the bottom tip up

• Add a spoonful of meat mixture on the bottom end of the wrapper

• Roll the wrapper up one round and then fold both sides in and roll up one round

• Rub water at the top to seal the spring roll

Deep frying spring rolls

• Add about 1-2 inches of canola oil in a pot

(Tip: To check if the oil is hot enough, place wooden chopsticks in oil and see if bubbles form around the chopsticks)

• Deep fry spring rolls until golden brown (approx. 15-20 minutes)

• Once golden brown, place the spring rolls on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the oil

Wrap spring rolls with lettuce and herbs and dip into nước chấm.

Tip: Store leftover uncooked spring rolls in the freezer