What is Chả Giò?
Cha gio is a popular Vietnamese dish consisting of ground meat (usually pork), woodear mushrooms, onions, thin glass noodles, all wrapped in a rice paper or thin wheat flour wrapper then deep-fried until crispy.
Enjoy it as an appetizer with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce (Nuoc Mam Cham) or as a component to a main dish like Vietnamese Grilled Pork with Vermicelli Noodles (Bun Thit Nuong).
In Southern Vietnam, it is more commonly known as Cha Gio while in Northern Vietnam, it is called Nem Ran.
Egg Roll Filling Variations
The filling for Vietnamese egg rolls can also include ground shrimp, chopped jicama, shredded carrot, and cabbage.
Below is a basic traditional recipe that consists of ground pork, minced wood ear mushrooms (also known as black fungus), and thin glass noodles made from mung bean starch.
Rice Paper Vs. Pastry Wrappers
Traditionally, Vietnamese egg rolls are made with rice paper (banh trang), the same rice paper that is used to make spring rolls or summer rolls (goi cuon). This is the reason some people refer to egg rolls as spring rolls.
Working with rice paper requires wetting each sheet to make it pliable enough for rolling and folding. However, I prefer using wheat wrappers, also known as pastry and lumpia wrappers, because they eliminate this additional step.
Moreover, rice paper here in the United States does not maintain its crispiness as well as wheat or pastry wrappers when fried.
How to Make Chả Giò
Step 1: Make the Filling
Soak the dried mung bean noodles and dried woodear mushroom in hot water for about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse then finely mince.
In a medium bowl, mix together ground pork, wood ear mushroom, noodles, green onions, white/yellow onion, sugar, black pepper, sesame oil, salt, oyster sauce, and chicken bouillon powder.
Taste test by heating a tablespoon in the microwave or pan fry on the stove-top. Adjust to taste, if needed.
Step 2: Assembly
Thaw out the egg roll wrappers if frozen. Separate into individual sheets by pulling them apart slowly to prevent tearing.
Place about 2 tablespoons of filling at the bottom corner of the wrapper, then slowly start to roll it up. When you reach the halfway point, fold in the two sides, and continue rolling until nearly complete. Brush the top edge with beaten egg, then finish rolling up to seal.
Step 3: Deep Fry
In a wok or tall skillet, heat vegetable oil to 325°F. Fry in small batches for about 5 minutes or until egg rolls are golden brown. Make sure they do not touch to prevent them from sticking together. Transfer egg rolls onto a wire rack to drain off excess oil.
Step 4: Serve
Enjoy with Vietnamese Fish sauce dipping sauce (Nuoc Mam Cham) as a crunchy appetizer. You can also wrap the egg rolls with lettuce and assorted Vietnamese herbs such as sorrel (rau chua), fish mint (diep ca), Vietnamese coriander (rau ram), and perilla (tia to).
Related Post: A Guide to the Most Common Herbs in Vietnamese Cuisine
Tips for Success
- Press out any air bubbles as you are rolling. You don’t want gaps in the filling or wrapper as it can cause instability and cause the egg roll to break apart. Moreover, oil can seep in and create steam that may cause bursting when frying.
- Make it uniform. To achieve pretty and uniform rolls, ensure that when you are folding in the sides (as shown in step 3 of the wrapping tutorial picture), the folds remain straight at a 90° angle.
- Make sure the oil isn’t too hot! It will burn the outside before the filling gets cooked. If you don’t have a thermometer, it’s best to add the egg rolls while oil is warm then let the oil get to temperature. You are looking for small gentle bubbles when frying.
- Keep the pastry wrapper covered to prevent drying out or work quickly.
Storage
Uncooked egg rolls can be frozen. Wrap them snugly in plastic wrap and transfer them to a freezer bag or a container with a lid.
You can deep-fry the egg rolls directly from the freezer, ensuring there are no large chunks of freezer burn. If you notice freezer burn, defrost completely before deep-frying.
Frozen egg rolls typically take about 10 minutes to cook.
Reheating
The easiest way to reheat cha gio and keep it crispy is by using a toaster oven, oven, or air fryer at 350°F for about 5 minutes.
Vietnamese Egg Rolls (Cha Gio)
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 30 egg rolls 1x
Description
Sometimes called spring rolls, other times called egg rolls, chả giò is a popular Vietnamese appetizer of bite-size crispy goodness. You’ve probably seen them in Vietnamese restaurants. Now try to make them at home!
Ingredients
Pork Filling
- 2 lbs ground pork
- 1/2 cup dried woodear mushrooms
- 2 oz dried bean thread vermicelli noodles
- 2 green onions (trim off ends and slice thinly)
- 1 small white/yellow onion (peel and finely dice)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
Egg Roll Wrappers
- 1 package Menlo All Purpose Wrappers or TYJ Spring Roll Pastry Wrappers
- 1 beaten egg yolk (to seal egg rolls)
Other Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare the dried ingredients: In a medium bowl, rehydrate dried wood ear mushroom and bean thread vermicelli/cellophane noodles in hot water for 10 minutes or until softened. Remove from water and finely mince. Set aside.
- Prepare the pork filling: In a medium bowl, mix together ground pork, wood ear mushroom, vermicelli noodles, green onions, white/yellow onion, sugar, black pepper, sesame oil, salt, oyster sauce, and chicken bouillon powder. Set aside.
- Prepare the wrappers: Thaw out the egg roll wrappers if frozen. Separate into individual sheets by pulling them apart slowly to prevent tearing.
- Assemble: Place about 2 tablespoons of filling at the bottom corner of the wrapper, then slowly start to roll it up. When you reach the halfway point, fold in the two sides, and continue rolling until nearly complete. Brush the top edge with beaten egg, then finish rolling up to seal. For additional guidance, refer to the step-by-step illustrated tutorial on the blog.
- Deep fry: In a wok or tall skillet, heat vegetable oil to 325°F. Fry in small batches for 5 minutes or until egg rolls are golden brown. Make sure they do not touch to prevent them from sticking together. Transfer egg rolls onto a wire rack to drain off excess oil.
- Serve: Enjoy with Vietnamese Fish sauce dipping sauce (Nuoc Mam Cham). You can also wrap the egg roll with lettuce and assorted Vietnamese herbs such as sorrel (rau chua), fish mint (diep ca), Vietnamese coriander (rau ram), and perilla (tia to). Leftover egg rolls can be frozen and deep-fried straight from the freezer. Frozen egg rolls take about 10 minutes to cook.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: asian, vietnamese southeast asian
