Vietnamese Egg Rolls (Cha Gio)

Step 1

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.

Step 2

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.

Step 3

Thaw out the egg roll wrappers if frozen. Separate into individual sheets by pulling them apart slowly to prevent tearing.

Step 4

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.

Step 5

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.

Step 6

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.