Vietnamese Summer Rolls With Shrimp And Ground Pork Recipes

CHA GIO (VIETNAMESE FRIED SPRING ROLLS)

Steps:

• Soak the dried mung bean noodles in warm water (submerge them completely) for 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly, and cut into ¼ inch pieces.
• In a large bowl, combine the noodles, ground pork, grated carrot, chopped wood ear mushrooms, shallots, garlic, ginger egg white, fish sauce, vegetable oil, salt, white pepper, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Mix until everything is uniformly combined.
• In a large, shallow bowl or deep plate, dissolve the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar in 1 cup warm water. Sugar is optional but does help the spring rolls to brown when frying.
• To wrap each roll, place a rice paper wrapper into the sugar water for about 5-10 seconds, making sure it is completely submerged. Remove it from the water. It will still be quite firm, but it will soften quickly!
• Place about 40g of filling in a log shape on one side of the wrapper. Begin tightly folding the wrapper over the filling (no air bubbles!), and roll the spring roll forward 1 complete revolution. Lightly press down on each end of the filling to flatten the rice paper and push the filling together to eliminate any air bubbles.
• Fold one side of the wrapper towards the middle of the spring roll. Repeat with the other side. Roll the spring roll forward while tucking in the front to prevent air pockets. The rice paper wrapper will stick to itself. It doesn't require anything additional to seal. Place the rolls on a plate or sheet pan lined with a clean, dry kitchen towel or parchment paper.
• Once wrapped, transfer the spring rolls to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour, so they can dry out and firm up. This step helps minimize the wrapper bubbling when frying (though bubbling is normal). Take them out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before frying.
• Heat about 3 cups of canola or vegetable oil in a medium pot to 335°F/170°C (the oil level should be a little over halfway up the sides). Fry the spring rolls in small batches-about three at a time. Make sure they do not touch just after they are placed in the oil as the skins will be sticky until a crust forms. Cook each batch for 5 to 6 minutes, or until light golden brown. (Frying them in small batches prevents them from sticking to each other.)
• Use a metal slotted spoon to pull them out of the oil. Drain on a rack, and continue frying. Maintain the correct oil temperature by periodically adjusting your heat.
• When ready to serve, refry the spring rolls (yes, they need to be fried twice) at 350°F/175°C for 1 ½ to 2 minutes to make them nice and crispy. Double-frying is important! Serve with fresh lettuce, cilantro, Thai basil, mint and nuoc cham for dipping.

VIETNAMESE SUMMER ROLLS WITH SHRIMP AND GROUND PORK

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix the pork with the garlic, scallion, 1 1/2 tablespoons of nuac mam, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, egg, and cornstarch. Leave in refrigerator for 1/2 hour. Meanwhile, prepare the charcoal fire (or heat indoor grill).
• When grill is heated, shape the pork mixture into 6 balls. Lightly oil a steamer tray and steam balls for 5 minutes. Transfer partially cooked balls to a hot grill fire. Cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally, so all sides of the pork balls get golden brown. Remove pork balls from fire, cut them in half, and return them to fire, cut side down. Grill for 5 minutes. Remove pork and, when cool enough to handle, cut in shreds roughly 1 1/2 inches long and 1/4-inch thick. Reserve.
• Bring a few quarts of salted water to a boil. Plunge the shrimp into the boiling water then turn the heat off. Remove shrimp from water when just cooked (about 2 to 3 minutes). In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons fish sauce and remaining tablespoon of sugar. When shrimp are cool enough to handle, peel and slice them in half the long way (cutting the shrimp into 2 thin, C-shaped pieces). Reserve shrimp and fish sauce mixture.
• Dip one sheet of banh trang into a basin of warm water, keep it submerged for 2 to 3 seconds, then remove it immediately from the water. Try to dip all of it into the water simultaneously, and handle it carefully so it doesn't tear. Place the sheet on a dry towel.
• About 1-inch above the lower edge of the sheet, spread out 1/8 cup of shredded lettuce. Leave a 1 1/2-inch gap between the left edge of the sheet and the lettuce, and a 1 1/2-inch gap between the right edge of the sheet and the lettuce. Define a rectangle with the lettuce that's about 5 inches wide and 3 inches in the other direction (towards the center of the sheet). Now evenly top the lettuce rectangle with 1/8 of the bean sprouts, 1/8 of the carrots and 1/8 of the peanuts. Evenly distribute 1/8 of the pork over the rectangle. Tear 5 to 6 mint leaves and an equal amount of cilantro, and distribute over the rectangle. Top everything with a few sprinkles of nuoc mam.
• Carefully pick up the right edge of the sheet, and fold it leftward toward the center of the filling. Make sure the folded sheet is even and uncreased everywhere. Do the same with the left edge of the sheet. The rectangle of the filling should now be covered by the folded sheet. Pick up the bottom edge of the sheet, and start rolling away from you, towards the top edge, making sure to tuck the filling in tightly as you roll. When you have rolled about halfway to the top of the sheet, dip the shrimp halves in reserved fish sauce/sugar mix. Place 2 shrimp halves along the cylinder that you have half-rolled, and keep on rolling until a fully rolled cylinder is formed. Place under a wet towel. Repeat process 7 more times. Serve immediately, or cover rolls with wet towels and save at room temperature for several hours. Serve with Vietnamese peanut sauce.

VIETNAMESE SUMMER ROLLS WITH SHRIMP AND GROUND PORK

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix the pork with the garlic, scallion, 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons nuoc mam, the egg and the cornstarch. Leave the mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal fire.
• When you are ready to cook the pork, shape the mixture roughly into 6 ping-pong sized balls. Lightly oil a steamer tray and steam the pork balls for 5 minutes. Transfer the partially cooked pork balls to a hot grill fire. Cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally so all sides of the balls get golden brown. Remove the pork balls from the fire, cut them in half, and return them to the fire, cut side down. Grill them for 5 more minutes. Remove the pork and when it is cool enough to handle, cut it in shreds roughly 1 1/2 inches thick. Reserve.
• Bring a few quarts of salted water to the boil. Plunge the shrimp into the boiling water and turn the heat off. Remove the shrimp form the water when just cooked (2 to 3 minutes). In a bowl, mix together the remaining 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and the remaining tablespoon of sugar. When the shrimp are cool enough to handle, peel them and slice them in half the long way (cutting each shrimp into 2 thin, C-shaped pieces). Reserve the shrimp and fish sauce sugar mixture.
• Submerge 1 sheet of banh trang in a basin of warm water for 2 to 3 seconds, then remove it immediately. Try to dip all of it into the water simultaneously and handle it carefully so it doesn't tear. Place the sheet on a dry towel.
• Roll the sheet right on the towel: About 1-inch above the lower edge of the sheet, spread out 1/8 cup of shredded lettuce. Leave a 1 1/2-inch gap between the left edge of the sheet and the lettuce and the same between the right edge of the sheet and the lettuce. Define a rectangle with the lettuce that is about 5 inches wide and 3 inches long toward the center of the sheet. Now evenly top the lettuce rectangle with 1/8 of the bean sprouts, 1/8 of the shredded carrot and 1/8 of the peanuts. Evenly distribute 1/8 of the grilled pork shreds over the rectangle. Tear 5 to 6 mint leaves, and an equal amount of cilantro and distribute those over the rectangle. Top everything with a few sprinkles of nuoc mam.
• Carefully pick up the right edge of the sheet and fold it toward the center of the filling. Make sure the folded sheet is even and uncreased. Do the same with the left edge of the sheet. The rectangle of filling should now be covered by the folded sheet with the left and right edges meeting each other at the center of the rectangle. Pick up the bottom edge of the sheet and start rolling away from you, making sure to tuck the filling in tightly as you roll. When you have rolled about halfway to the top of the sheet, dip the shrimp halves in the reserved fish sauce-sugar mixture. Place 2 shrimp halves along the cylinder that you have half-rolled and keep on rolling until a fully rolled cylinder has been formed. Place it under a damp towel. Repeat the process 7 more times to make 7 more rolls. Serve immediately or cover the rolls with damp towels and

VIETNAMESE SUMMER ROLLS

Steps:

• Dip a sheet of rice paper a third of the way into a bowl of hot water for about 2 seconds. Turn it and dip remaining section, then lay on a damp towel.
• Working on bottom third of rice paper, spread a bit of lettuce, noodles, carrots, herbs and pork and/or shrimp. Fold up bottom edge to cover, then fold in the sides. Roll tightly. Continue with remaining ingredients.
• Combine fish sauce, sugar, ginger, chili-garlic paste and about 1/4 cup water. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary.
• Serve rolls right away, or refrigerate, lightly covered, up to 2 hours. Cut each roll into 2 or 3 pieces, then serve with dipping sauce and lime wedges.