Vietnamese Eggrolls (Chả Giò Việt Nam)

The Vietnamese eggroll is the classic, deep-fried, crunchy eggroll, and it is a Vietnamese signature of our cuisine. It is very popular all over the world. Every Vietnamese restaurant or famous Vietnamese chef will have his or her own recipe. My recipe is quite fantastic, and the reason I am very proud to introduce this recipe is that it was my family's restaurant favorite dish back in Chicago. Food critics from the Chicago Tribune, the Sun Times, and other local publications complimented our egg roll dish. At that time, while I was a hostess in my restaurant, my mom always told me, “Do not give out our egg roll recipe in the interviews. Avoid saying all the ingredients in the recipe". It is quite funny now every time I think about my mom's concern that her recipe’s special ingredients would be broadcast to the whole world. There is nothing that can be kept secret anymore, and thanks to the internet and so many dedicated famous or unknown cooks, like me, the Vietnamese eggroll ingredients are now revealed. The only thing that I have added to my recipe is cooked seaweed, because it is healthy. I also use ground chicken instead of pork used in my mother’s recipe, which is just for my conscientiousness about healthier living. My mother is now 86 years old and quite healthy, but she does not know that I am finally sharing her secret recipe with the world as another way to contribute to the treasury of happy and healthy cooking.

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground chicken
1 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
1 lb. crab meat
1/2 lb. white cabbage
1/2 lb. taro, peeled
1/2 lb. jicama, peeled
1/2 lb. carrots, peeled
2 oz shallots
1 white onion, roughly chopped
1 bunch of scallions
1 head (6 cloves) of garlic
4 oz of cooked seaweed, roughly chopped
4 oz cellophane noodles, soaked in warm water, drained, and finely chopped
2 oz dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water and drained
2 eggs and 2 yolks
Seasoning with fish sauce, salt, sugar, and black pepper

Wrapping:
2 packages Menlo spring roll wrappers (about 60)
2 egg whites

Enough oil for deep frying

Garnish:
Fragrant herbs such as basil, cilantro, and mint
Lettuce, bean sprouts, and cucumber
Vietnamese dipping sauce

Directions:
In a food processor, combine white onions, garlic, shallots, carrots, jicama, cabbages, and taro and turn the machine on. Use the pulse button to control the texture of the vegetables. You do not want to turn them into a paste.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, shrimp, crab meat, cellophane noodles, chopped scallions, seaweed, and the chopped vegetables. Add eggs, egg yolks, and the seasoning. Taste to your liking should be about 2 teaspoon to 2 tablespoon of the seasoning. Mix well.

 

 

On a countertop, place a wrapper in a diamond position.

 Put a tablespoon or more of the filling on the center and arrange quantity evenly to the left and right.

Begin by folding up the left and the right corners of the wrapper towards the center; then roll up closest corner of wrapper over the ingredients towards the farthest corner, but before rolling up completely, seal the farthest corner area of the wrapper with a small amount of egg white.

 

 

 

 

 Repeat preceding steps until all the stuffing is gone.

Deep-fry eggrolls over medium heat until golden brown or use a deep-fry cooker.

Serve with the plate of vegetables, fragrant herbs, and a dipping sauce.