Tasting Journal

Vietnamese Egg Rolls (Cha Gio)

This is my mother’s version of Vietnamese egg rolls (Cha Gio).

We often eat them with a dish called Bun cha gio, which consists of rice noodles, lettuce, mint, bean spouts, cucumbers, and finely chopped peanuts. It’s really delicious! When I’m not eating the egg rolls with this dish, I like to dip them in a sweet and sour chili sauce. This dipping sauce can usually found in the condiment aisle in most Asian markets.

INGREDIENTS:
½ medium cabbage
2 medium carrots
1 lb ground pork
½ cup dried shrimp
½ cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
1 large onion (chopped)
1 cup oyster sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 package of rice paper wrappers (or square egg roll wrappers)
1 egg (for rice paper)
Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a bowl, mix cabbage, carrots, dried shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, and onion.

2. Add in ground pork, oyster sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar.

3. Mix thoroughly.

4. Peel spring roll wrappers.

5. To make egg roll, take 2 tablespoons of the mixture and place it just below of the center of the wrapper. Fold bottom corner up over filling to cover, and then fold in the two outside corners. Roll closed, and then seal shut with a dab of egg white.

6. Pour oil into a wok or saucepan until about 2 inches deep.

7. Over medium-high heat, warm oil and then add egg rolls in one at a time.

8. Deep dry for about 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown on both sides.

9. Remove from oil, and place on dry paper towels to help absorb some of the oil.

10. Serve with sweet and sour dipping sauce.

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