Today Healthy Kitchen 101 brings you the recipe to one of Southeast Asia’s favorite finger foods— Vietnamese egg rolls, or ‘cha gio’.
Have A Bite Of Egg Rolls’ History
Egg rolls first appeared in the 30’s in New York, being the result of a romance between the traditions of Chinese cuisine and American gastronomy. At the first glance, it might look like any spring roll you could find in Hong Kong, but the filling inside made the dish a total American adaptation, as it mostly calls for local ingredients.
So what about Vietnamese egg rolls? Is it any different from the Chinese-inspired American egg rolls?
From The Proper Wrapper …
Let’s talk about these rolls from the outside in.
Traditionally, in Chinesse cuisine, egg roll wrapper is made of wheat flour, meanwhile rice paper is the star of the show when it comes to making ‘cha gio’. This wrapper, which is made from rice flour and green pea powder, will make the egg rolls much lighter and crispier. It’s the holy crispiness that everyone loves, isn’t it? So, unless you want to eat your egg rolls all soggy, don’t settle with pasta sheets or dim sum wrappers that contain the self-proclaimed all-purpose flour. Instead, look for ‘rice paper’’ or ‘egg roll rice wrapper’ at your local grocery store or Asian market.
…To Everything That Goes Inside.
The wrapper isn’t the only star of the show here. For the filling, you can add pretty much anything you want, as long as it’s fresh. However, in Vietnamese cuisine, there is one thing that you should pay attention to: the balance between the ingredients. The trick is to portion the veggies and meat out properly. I find that adding some chopped mushroom really helps balance things out without changing the flavor profile of the egg roll.
To learn more about these Vietnamese egg rolls, visit the full recipe right here:
https://healthykitchen101.com/vietnamese-egg-rolls-recipe/
And if you’re love Vietnamese or Chinese cuisine, check out my homemade Pho recipe and my easy Lo Mein recipe
Vietnamese Egg Rolls Recipe
Step 1: Make the filling
Add peppers and salt and marinate them in 10 minutes by hands until perfectly mingled.
1. Place a rice paper on a dry, flat surface. Rotate it a bit so you look at it in a diamond shape.
2. Use a pastry brush or simply your fingers to brush egg whites all over the wrapper. This helps soften its texture for easier rolling.
3. Scoop a tablespoon of filling near the bottom of the nearest corner to you. Lift the bottom up and start rolling until it covers up all the filling.
4. Fold over the left side and the right side one after another, towards the center. Remember to pull both sides tightly, but not too tight, because the paper could be torn into small holes (which will make it messy once you bring your rolls to fry).
6. Once finished, lay it side down and let chill. The seam will seal itself as the egg white wash begins to dry.
Step 3: Fry
1. Fill the frying pan with an inch of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C).
Serve the rolls onto plate immediately when they’re still hot. Occasionally, put on some slices of cucumber and tomato for an appealing display.
– Use only one wrapper for each roll if you desire the best crispiness. The more layers you add, the more chewy they’ll get.
– Roll small and tight. Don’t stuff in too much filling, and try to spread them evenly according to the wrapper’s size. Also, try not to leave spare sections of the wrappers afterwards. This way, either your filling will fall out while frying or your final result will come out just grittily weird.
– You can totally freeze the unfried rolls to preserve them overnight. But once taken out of the fridge, these frozen rolls need to get back on the fry pan right away. Don’t let them unfreezed naturally beforehand, because it’ll just gross.
| Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories 222 | ||
| % Daily Value | ||
| Total Fat 7 g | 11% | |
| Saturated Fat 1.6 g | 8% | |
| Unsaturated Fat 4.9 g | ||
| Trans Fat 0.1 g | ||
| Cholesterol 14 mg | 5% | |
| Sodium 407 mg | 17% | |
| Total Carbohydrates 30 g | 10% | |
| Dietary Fiber 2.1 g | 8% | |
| Sugars 5 g | ||
| Protein 10 g | 20% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Originally published at healthykitchen101.com