VIETNAMESE FRIED SPRING ROLLS

It is quite ironic that I never got to know the cuisines of the other Southeast Asian countries until I moved away from the Philippnes and came to London. Being a melting pot of different cultures, the food here is so varied and interesting. 

There used to be an Oriental shopping centre here in our area and it was like "coming home" each time we went there. All the Southeast Asian cuisines are represented and it is like having a multi-national hawker street right in our neighborhood. Unfortunately, it had to be closed down because of some redevelopment plans. We can't get over our loss and are sad each time we remember the place. 

One of my the things I miss most is the Vietnamese food stall. Bun cha, Pho and Cha Gio (Vietnamese fried spring rolls) were my favourites. These days, I just have to make my own version of the food that I miss. Here's my take on Cha Gio, the Vietnamese fried spring rolls.

Ingredients:

330 gms. minced pork

100 gms. raw prawns, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped

2 bunches of spring onions, cut into thin rounds

1 clove, garlic, crushed

1/2 c. soaked glass vermicelli, cut into 1" lengths

1/4 c. of soaked and chopped black fungus

1/4 c. chopped peanuts

1 1/2 tbsps. chopped coriander leaves

1 1/2 tbsps. fish sauce

2 tbsps. brown sugar

2 tbsps. corn flour

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
rice paper sheets

cooking oil for frying

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, except for the rice paper and the cooking oil, and mix thoroughly. Place one rice sheet (do this one at a time so they don't stick together) in a dish with warm water for 1 minute. Make sure both sides are wet. Take out of the water and lay on a clean kitchen cloth to absorb the excess moisture. 

Put a heaping tablespoon of filling on one side of the wrapper, pat into a long shape and fold over. Fold the two sides towards the center and roll tightly. Do not soak the rice paper for too long. It is difficult to handle when it's too soft. Like cling film, it sticks to itself.

Deep fry, a few pieces at a time for about 4 minutes. Do not try to separate them if they stick to each other in the pan because this will cause the spring roll to come apart. Leave it to cook that way. It is ready when it is crisp and blistered. Leave to cool for a few minutes before cutting into bite sized pieces.

Serve with lettuce, coriander and mint leaves. To eat this, wrap a few pieces in a lettuce leaf, add some coriander and mint, dip in the sauce.

Ingredients for the sweet garlic and chilli dipping sauce:

2 tbsps. white wine vinegar

juice of 1 lime

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 red finger chilli, chopped

2 tbsps. of sugar

2 tbsps. fish sauce

Combine all the ingredients together and serve with the spring rolls.

All rights reserved ©Adora's Box Copyright 2011. 

Please support Adora's Box by making your Amazon.com and mymemories.com (use the code STMMMS55174) purchases from this site. Click on their respective banners to proceed to their websites. It will not cost you a single cent more but will help sustain this blog. Thank you.

You might also like

                                     Grilled Chicken and Peach Summer Rolls

Vietnamese Style Pancake and Lettuce Wrap

Fried Pork and Crab Spring Roll

Bun Cha: Asian Grilled Pork Patties and Noodle Salad

Thanks for dropping by. It would be nice if we could meet up on FACEBOOK or TWITTER.