Who doesn’t love egg rolls? I know I’d never turn one down. There is a lot of confusion over the name though. Up here in New York, these are called ‘spring rolls’, not ‘egg rolls’. And what we’d call spring rolls in my hometown of Houston, are considered ‘summer rolls’ up here. If we’re being technical, it really has to do with the type of wrapper you roll with. Traditional ‘egg roll’ wrappers are very thick and very crispy, and dipped in egg for richness. You will see these types of wrappers used with Chinese egg rolls. The result is a very thick and bubbly textured roll. In Vietnam, you’ll see layers of very thin rice sheets used (they’re absolutely delectable, by the way). I grew up using this specific type of thin flour based wrapper, and even though the packaging says ‘spring roll wrapper’, I’ll always call them ‘egg rolls’. This is just the way it is in Vietnamese culture. Confusing. Listen, all of them are called ‘egg rolls’ if they’re deep fried. It’s an unspoken understanding.
The recipe is based off of many of the different ways my mom has made egg rolls at home in the past. I pretty much know how to do this with my eyes closed—I’ve helped her so many times in the kitchen, after all. My recipe is simple, but absolutely tasty. The wonderful thing about egg rolls is that they are delicious in every way they are made. You can add other veggies like cabbage or jicama. You can also add crab, or skip seafood altogether (my recipe uses pork and shrimp). You can even make them vegetarian with a variety of veggies and tofu (the ones served at Buddhist temples are ah-mazing. There are no rules. After years of making my own egg rolls here in New York, I’ve concocted what I consider to be my perfect recipe, and I’m sharing it below with you all.This time around, I used my friend Cassie’s recommendation to spread the mix evenly in a pan, and then divide it into equal parts for an overall size consistency. Some would call this insanity. I call it commitment to the aesthetic. It’s actually very therapeutic, but know that you can skip this step if it’s too much for you. Simply scoop the mix from the bowl onto the wrapper, and arrange it horizontally (pictured below).
So I’ve started adding the degree of difficulty for each recipe. Everything will be scale between 1-5, 5 being the most difficult. But seriously, don’t be intimidated by numbers. Just take your time, allow yourself to make mistakes, and most importantly, enjoy the process. It will always turn out beautifully if it is made with care, attention, and love.
VIETNAMESE EGG ROLLS RECIPE (Chả Giò)
Degree of difficulty: 3 (on a scale of 1-5)
Preparation time (45 min-1 hour)
Cooking time: 6-7 egg rolls per batch for a 1.1L compact deep fryer - fry for 7 minutes (amount per batch and frying time may change depending on your deep fryer. You also have the option to fry them manually in a frying pan.
YOU’LL NEED
1 large mixing bowl
A deep fryer (I love my Cuisinart compact 1.1 L deep fryer)
A neutral high temperature cooking oil, preferably safflower or grape seed oil (canola oil works as well, and is probably most commonly used)
·OPTIONAL: baking sheet around 10” x 15” dimensions, with about a ¾” depth
INGREDIENTS (mixture makes approximately 48 small sized egg rolls)
1 package of Spring Home brand spring roll pastry sheets, 125 mm (approx. 6” square), 50 qty (NOTE: If you want extra layers of crunch, you can use the full sized pastry sheets)
1 pound of organic ground pork (you can also use ground chicken as a substitute)
¼ pound of fresh peeled & deveined shrimp, tails removed, minced or finely chopped in a food processor
3 green scallions stalks, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped (makes about 1/2 cup of finely chopped onions)
NOTE: After chopping your onion, placed in a strainer over a bowl so that the excess moisture is removed. This helps with reducing moisture to the overall egg roll, for a better crunch.
1 small carrot, peeled to remove outer skin, then julienned with a julienne peeler
1/3 cup of dried Earwood mushrooms, rehydrated in warm water for 15 minutes, drained, dried, then finely chopped
1/3 cup of clear glass noodles, also known as bean threads (cooked per packaged instructions), and roughly chopped or cut with scissors
1.5 TBS fish sauce (I prefer Three Crabs brand)
1 teaspoon chicken stock powder
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of ground pepper
1 egg yolk (whites removed) placed in a small dipping bowl
DIRECTIONS
Defrost the package of frozen spring roll pastry sheets by leaving them out while you are preparing all of your ingredients. Then pre-peel the sheets apart and set aside. Meanwhile, gather your ingredients to make the egg roll mix
1. Using your hands, mix all of the prepared ingredients very well in a bowl (I like using vinyl gloves while doing this). Take a lot of time to make sure everything is fully blended.
2a. OPTIONAL STEP FOR PERFECTIONISTS : Take your baking sheet and spread the entire mix onto the sheet as evenly as possible. Using either a butter knife or a spatula, divide the mix into thirds vertically, and then create rows of lines to create an even measurement so that each egg roll size will be consistent (see photo above for reference).
2b. If you choose not to use a baking sheet for size precision, no problem, You can absolutely just use a spoon to scoop out the amount necessary per egg roll, just try to stay as consistent as possible (it doesn’t have to be perfect).
3. Scoop the desired amount onto the egg roll sheet (see above photo for reference). The sheet should be rotated so that it looks like a diamond with the bottom corner pointing towards you. Begin rolling the bottom corner of the sheet up, and then fold the sides in like an envelope. Continue rolling until you’re ready to seal. Using a clean applicator (I used a clean cotton swab, using my finger gets too messy), and dab a little bit of the egg yolk so that the top corner will seal the egg roll together. Gently press and then set on a platter. Continue this process until the whole mix is rolled.
4. Now you are ready to fry. Pour the oil into the deep fryer and turn the temperature to 375 degrees. The oil will take about 10 minutes to pre-heat.
NOTE: I prefer to set the deep fryer over the stove for easy clean up, and use of the stovetop fan.
5. Place 6-7 small egg rolls into the frying basket. Lower the basket, close the lid, and set your timer to 7 minutes. Please note that depending on how large your fryer is, how much oil you use, and how many egg rolls are placed in the basket, the timing may change. This timing and amount is specifically for a compact 1.1L deep fryer. You will have to experiment and adjust accordingly.
Note: You can also fry them in a frying pan over the stove, that way you will have more control over seeing when the egg rolls are done. Just make sure your’e turning the egg rolls, so that all sides are fried evenly.
6. The egg rolls are complete once they are a light-medium golden color. Place on a bed of napkins, and repeat until all of the desired egg rolls are fried. They are best eaten warm.
7. Vietnamese home cooked egg rolls can be eaten on a bed of vermicelli with all the fixings, or you can eat them as a snack, rolling them inside a layer of lettuce, some sliced cucumber, mint leaves, and dipped in Vietnamese dipping sauce (see previous post for dipping sauce recipe). I love the latter because of the crunchy texture and the combination of the warm and crispy egg rolls with the cool and crunchy lettuce and cucumber.