Vietnamese Egg Rolls (Cha Gio)

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Seasoned ground pork and vegetables stuffed inside thin wheat spring roll wrappers and deep fried....these Vietnamese Egg Rolls, or Cha Gio, are addictively delicious, and not hard to make at all!

Typically served with a spicy, savory Vietnamese dipping sauce called Nuoc Cham, or cut up and served in this Bun Thit Nuong (Vietnamese Pork Noodle Bowl), once you've had a taste of these little morsels of goodness, you can never go back.

Crispy on the outside, and filled with this delicious seasoned pork mixture, I am in LOVE with these egg rolls. They are my favorite egg rolls, although these Southwest Egg Rolls and Korean Beef Egg Rolls are a close second!

And if you guys have ever been to a Vietnamese restaurant and tried the egg rolls, I know you fell in love with them too. And to be able to make them in your own home is awesome (and slightly dangerous to the waistline).

Don't forget to watch the Vietnamese Egg Rolls story!

Ingredients

Traditional Vietnamese egg rolls use rice paper for the egg rolls. This recipe would work great with rice paper wrappers as well, I just find them to be difficult to work with.

I recommend using spring roll wrappers as they are thinner than egg rolls wrappers. Egg roll wrappers will work, but they are thicker and I personally don't love them for this recipe.

Bean thread noodles, often called glass noodles or cellophane noodles (we use them in this pad woon sen recipe too), are thin noodles made from starch and water. They're usually sold dry, then soaked to become pliable.

Many grocery stores carry them, and the Asian market is sure to have them. You can also buy bean thread noodles online.

As for the dried woodear mushrooms (the package will likely just call it fungus), they can be found at the Asian market, or you can buy woodear mushrooms online. Woodear mushrooms are a fungus that grows on wood (hence the name). They are typically used for texture as they don't have much flavor when cooked.

Step By Step Instructions

Soak the bean threads and wood ear mushrooms in hot water until soft. Soak them in separate bowls as the bean thread will take longer to soften.

While they are soaking, grate the jicama. Once grated, use your hand to squeeze out any excess water. Add to a large bowl.

Once the woodear mushrooms are softened (about 30 minutes), squeeze out the excess water and slice into thin strips (discard the knobby part in the center of it). Add to the bowl.

Drain the bean threads thoroughly. Cut them into 1 inch pieces using kitchen shears. Place in the bowl with the jicama and mushrooms.

Add the pork, salt, sugar, white and black pepper, carrot, garlic, and fish sauce to the bowl and mix well.

Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture on a spring roll wrapper at the bottom corner.

Fold the ends inward.

Roll up until only the tip of the wrapper is showing.

Dampen the tip with water and seal.

Place on a baking sheet or other large flat surface. Continue until all the mixture is gone.

**These can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge overnight.  They can also be frozen, but should be individually wrapped and sealed in a freezer bag to maintain freshness.

Fill a dutch oven with about 2 ½ inches of cooking oil. It should be a high smoke point oil like canola, vegetable or peanut oil.

Heat the oil to 325F degrees and fry the egg rolls in batches for 5-8 minutes, or until they have turned golden brown, turning once half way through.

Remove from oil and place on a metal rack to drain. Once drained, they can be kept in a 200F degree while you cook the remaining batches.

Serve these Vietnamese egg rolls with Nuoc Cham.

Variations

• Replace the ground pork with finely chopped shrimp, or do a half and half mixture;
• Add ¼ cup of shredded cabbage;
• Add 3-4 tablespoon of grated onion, excess moisture removed;
• Add ⅛ to ¼ cup of crab meat for extra flavor;
• Wrap the egg rolls in lettuce for serving if desired;
• Substitute the jicama with grated taro root.

Expert Tips

1. Keep the finished egg rolls in a 200F degree to keep them warm while you cook remaining batches.
2. You can omit the woodear mushrooms if you need to.
3. The egg rolls should be golden brown on the outside when done.
4. Use a thermometer to make sure the oil stays at 325F degrees.
5. Drain the egg rolls thoroughly on a wire rack to ensure they don't get greasy. Put paper towels under the wire rack for easy cleanup.

You may also want to check out these 20+ ways to use fish sauce.

These would be great served with a steaming bowl of Banh Canh or Bun Bo Hue!

How to Freeze Vietnamese Egg Rolls

These egg rolls can be made in advance and frozen. Place the uncooked egg rolls on a baking sheet and put the directly in the freezer for 3 hours.

Once frozen, place the in a freezer bag and store for up to a month. To cook from frozen, fry them directly from the freezer in 325F degree oil for 7-10 minutes.

You can also fry the egg rolls then freeze them. Cook them according to the instructions, then place them on a baking sheet directly in the freezer for 3 hours. Store them in a freezer bag for up to one month.

Cook them straight from frozen in 325F degree oil for about 3-5 minutes, until warmed through.

Did you make these Vietnamese egg rolls? Rate it a leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out!

This recipe originally appeared on the site in September 2017. It has been updated with improved content and photos.