Chả Giò (Vietnamese Imperial Rolls)
Recipe adapted from Seriosueats.com
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thin rice vermicelli Nuoc Cham (recipe below) carrot and cucumber, spiralized on a vegetable turner or cut into thin, long strips (julienned)
Filling:
1 tablespoon dried tree ear mushrooms, finely chopped 2 cups shitake or cremini mushrooms, stemmed and finely chopped ½ small jicama, peeled and chopped 1 medium onion, minced 4 shallots, minced 4 garlic doves, minced 12 ounces raw shrimp, shelled, deveined and minced 12 ounces ground pork 2 tablespoons nuoc mam 1 teaspoon white pepper 1 package, about 4 -6 ounces thin rice vermicelli, if desired, soaked according to package instructions
For assembling and frying:
½ cup sugar
80 small rounds of rice paper, each 6½ inches in diameter peanut oil, for frying
For the Nuoc Cham:
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 tablespoons fish sauce, or more depending on your taste 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 1 Thai chili stemmed and thinly sliced (optional)
For the nuoc cham, combine the water, sugar, fish sauce and lime in a bowl, mixing until the sugar has fully dissolved. Stir in the Thai chili if using and set aside.
Prepare the filling: Soak a handful of the dried mushrooms in hot water until very soft, about 30 minutes. Drain. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, squeeze to extract the liquid and mince the mushrooms.
Transfer the mushrooms to a large bowl and combine with the remaining filling ingredients. Mix well with your hands to blend, set aside.
Assemble the rolls: Fill a large bowl with about 4 cups of warm water and dissolve the ½ cup of sugar in it. The rice paper sheets are brittle and must be handled gently (the water is used to make the sheets pliable and adding sugar helps rice paper turn a deep golden color when fried.
Working with one sheet of rice paper at a time, immerse a sheet in the warm water for a few seconds. Remove it and spread the sheet flat on a dry work surface. Repeat with a second sheet and layer it out the first sheet. Doubling up the rice paper will help keep the rolls from splitting open with frying.
Place a generous teaspoon in the bottom third of your rice paper. Fold up the bottom, then fold over each side. Roll up from the bottom to the top to seal enclose the filling. Continue until all of the mixture is used.
Fry the rolls: Pour 1 to 1½ inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet and heat to 325°F. Working in batches, fry the rolls a few at a time. Do not crowd the pan or let them touch or they will stick together. Fry over moderate heat for 10 - 12 minutes, turning often, until golden and crisp. Remove the rolls and drain on paper towels.
Traditionally, Cha Gio is served with the accompaniments suggested in this recipe. You can also serve it the rolls with fresh lettuce and herbs to wrap them in when eating.