Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Cha Gio)

This recipe uses authentic banh trang wrappers. You can feel welcome to use the chinese spring roll wrappers, but I think these spring rolls taste much better with the banh trang.

Ingredients:

1 package of Banh Trang wrappers (see photo above)

2 pounds of lean ground pork

1/2 pound of shrimp, minced

1 cup of carrot, grated

4 cloves of garlic, minced

10 wood ear fungus, rehydrated and sliced

1 cake of mung bean noodles, soaked in warm water

2 egg whites

5 tablespoons of fish sauce

6 shallots, minced

1 tsp of sugar

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of canola oil

Canola oil, for frying

Method:

1. Mix together the pork, wood ear fungus, mung bean noodles, garlic, carrot and shrimp in a large bowl

2. Season the mixture with the fish sauce, sugar, and desired amount of salt and lots of pepper.

3. Mix in the egg whites (this is our binding agent) and mung bean noodles.

4. In a shallow fry pan, heat about 2 centimetres of water until it is steaming, but not boiling.

5. Soak a sheet of the banh trang in the hot water until it soft. It should take about 5-10 seconds, depending on how hot the water is.

6. Place the softened sheet of banh trang carefully on a cutting board or plate, careful not to tear it.

7. Place about 3-4 tablespoons of the cha gio filling on one side of the wrapper and wrap them as tightly as possible while folding in the sides, to create the spring roll shape. Important: Don't overfill the spring rolls and make sure that your rolls are even. This allows for quick and even cooking. Repeat until you have made all your spring rolls.

8. Allow the spring rolls to sit for 10 minutes before frying. I made the mistake of not letting it rest before frying and the oil was popping like crazy!

9. In a large stock pot or deep fryer, if you have one, heat the oil to 375 - 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

10. Place the spring rolls into the oil and fry them until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.

11. Drain the spring rolls on a paper towel and cut into bite size pieces.

12. Serve with the nuoc mam cham dipping sauce immediately. If you let them sit too long, the wrappers will become chewy.

Nuoc Mam Cham Dipping Sauce

This sauce should be served as a dipping sauce for the spring rolls. I like to make a big batch and keep it in my fridge in a jar so I can just boil some vermicelli and mix it with my nuoc mam when I'm hungry for a quick snack!

Ingredients:

2 red chilies, sliced or chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon, juiced

4 tablespoons of fish sauce
4 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 can of coconut juice

Method:

1. Heat the coconut juice in a saucepan and add the sugar. Stir to dissolve.
2. Turn the heat off, add fish sauce, lemon juice, minced garlic, and chopped chilies.