Vietnamese fried rolls wrapped in rice paper, filled with shrimp, carrot, vermicelli, and aromatics, served with fresh herbs and nước chấm dipping sauce. The shell should be thin, blistered, and shatteringly crisp, with a light rice chew that never turns soggy.
Ingredients
- 24 pieces medium round Vietnamese rice paper sheets for frying
- 500 g peeled raw shrimp
- 250 g fresh carrots
- 120 g thin rice vermicelli noodles
- 120 g yellow onion
- 3 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 bunch fresh scallion
- 105 ml Vietnamese fish sauce
- 45 g light cane sugar
- 3 pieces limes
- 1 piece fresh red chili
- 180 ml warm water
- 1 l vegetable frying oil
- 1 piece Romaine or Batavia lettuce
- 1 bunch fresh mint
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 2 pinches ground white pepper
Method
- Soak the rice vermicelli in hot water off the heat for 8 to 10 minutes until pliable but still springy. Drain thoroughly for 5 minutes, then cut roughly with kitchen shears so the filling holds together without clumping.
- Chop the shrimp by hand with a knife: leave a portion in small visible pieces and mince the rest more finely. The filling should look tacky and pearlescent, never puréed.
- Finely shred the carrots, then squeeze them firmly in a clean kitchen towel. This step is essential: if they release too much water, the rice paper will tear and soften during frying.
- Very thinly slice the yellow onion, mince the garlic, and thinly slice the scallion. Mix with the shrimp, carrots, vermicelli, part of the fish sauce, white pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Work the filling by hand or with a spatula for 2 minutes until bound, glossy, and cohesive.
- Make the nước chấm sauce: dissolve the sugar in warm water, then add the lime juice, remaining fish sauce, finely minced garlic, and sliced chili. Taste: the sauce should be bright and citrusy, then savory-sweet, with a clear but balanced heat.
- Set a clean, barely damp kitchen towel on your work surface. Lightly moisten a rice paper sheet using a wet hand or a quick 2-second dip in warm water, without soaking it. Wait 30 seconds for it to become pliable yet firm: it should bend without snapping, not turn limp and sticky.
- Place a portion of filling near the bottom edge of the rice paper wrapper. Fold the bottom edge tightly over the filling, tuck in both sides, then roll upward firmly to push out any trapped air. The roll should be compact, smooth, and sealed without thick overlapping folds at the ends.
- Arrange the rolls on a lightly oiled baking sheet, keeping them from touching. Let them rest and air-dry for 30 minutes until the surface loses all visible moisture, feels dry to the touch, and takes on a satin sheen.
- Heat vegetable oil in a wide pot or wok over medium heat to reach 150 °C (300 °F) on a deep-fry thermometer. Lower the rolls in small batches of 4 to 6 pieces to keep them from sticking, and gently fry for 6 to 7 minutes, turning them regularly, until firm, blistered, but still very pale. Drain on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
- Increase the oil temperature to 180 °C (350 °F) over high heat. Return the rolls to the hot oil for a second brisk fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until the wrapper turns a rich golden amber, sizzles vigorously, and sounds hollow and crisp when tapped with metal tongs.
- Drain the chả giò on a wire rack for 1 minute and serve immediately with lettuce leaves, fresh mint, cilantro, and the nước chấm dipping sauce.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 750.7 kcal
- Protein
- 40.62 g
- Carbohydrate
- 101.37 g
- Fat
- 21.67 g
- Fibre
- 7.24 g
- Calcium
- 198.03 mg
- Iron
- 5.77 mg
- Magnesium
- 186.69 mg
