Vietnamese recipe

Chả Giò — Crispy Spring Rolls

Name: Chả Giò — Crispy Spring Rolls
Prep time: 55 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Vietnamese cuisine
Ingredients: 350 g ground pork; 150 g peeled, deveined shrimp, chopped; 40 g dried mung-bean glass noodles; 10 g dried wood-ear mushrooms; 100 g jicama, finely shredded; 80 g carrot, finely shredded; 40 g shallot, minced; 1 large egg; 50 ml fish sauce: 10 ml filling, 40 ml dip; 2 g ground black pepper; 20 thin 22 cm rice papers suitable for frying; 1 l neutral frying oil, enough for 4 cm depth; 40 ml lime juice; 30 g sugar; 120 ml warm water for dipping sauce; 8 g garlic, minced; 5 g red chile, minced; 200 g lettuce leaves; 30 g mint and cilantro; 50 g extra carrot, optional sliced serving garnish; 50 g cucumber, optional sliced serving garnish; 5 g curly parsley, optional restaurant-style garnish

Rice-paper rolls hold pork, shrimp, glass noodles, and crunchy vegetables. Two frying stages cook the filling and crisp the wrapper; lettuce, herbs, and lime fish sauce complete the plate.

Vietnam

Prep: 55 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 1 hr 30 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients

350 g
ground pork
150 g
peeled, deveined shrimp, chopped
40 g
dried mung-bean glass noodles
10 g
dried wood-ear mushrooms
100 g
jicama, finely shredded
80 g
carrot, finely shredded
40 g
shallot, minced
1
large egg
50 ml
fish sauce: 10 ml filling, 40 ml dip
2 g
ground black pepper
20
thin 22 cm rice papers suitable for frying
1 l
neutral frying oil, enough for 4 cm depth
40 ml
lime juice
30 g
sugar
120 ml
warm water for dipping sauce
8 g
garlic, minced
5 g
red chile, minced
200 g
lettuce leaves
30 g
mint and cilantro
50 g
extra carrot, optional sliced serving garnish
50 g
cucumber, optional sliced serving garnish
5 g
curly parsley, optional restaurant-style garnish

Method

01
Soften and drain the dry ingredients
Soak noodles in cool water for 20 minutes and wood ears in warm water for 20–30 minutes. Drain thoroughly; cut noodles to 2 cm and mince mushrooms. Press moisture from jicama in a clean towel.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Mix and check the filling
Mix pork, shrimp, noodles, mushrooms, jicama, carrot, shallot, egg, 10 ml fish sauce, and pepper. Fry a teaspoon of filling in a little of the oil until its centre reaches 74°C; taste that cooked sample only. Chill the mixture while preparing wrappers.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Wrap twenty rolls
Briefly wipe both sides of a rice paper with water; wait 20–30 seconds until flexible, not soggy. Place one twentieth of the filling near an edge, fold sides inward, and roll without stretching tightly. Keep rolls separate, seam-side down.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Mix the dipping sauce
Dissolve sugar in 120 ml warm water. Once cool, stir in remaining 40 ml fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, and chile. Wash lettuce and herbs, dry completely, and arrange separately from the raw rolls.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
First fry to cook the centre
Heat 4 cm oil to 165°C in a heavy pot no more than half full. Fry 5–6 separated rolls per batch for 6–8 minutes, turning gently. Keep oil at 160–170°C and check the thickest roll reaches 74°C before removing.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Drain between frying stages
Move the fully cooked, pale-gold rolls to a wire rack in one layer for 10 minutes. Let steam escape; do not stack or cover. Bring the oil up to 185°C for the crisping stage.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Crisp with a second fry
Return rolls in small batches for 1–2 minutes at 180–185°C, turning once, until golden and blistered. Lift onto the rack and allow 2 minutes to drain; lower heat between batches if the wrappers darken too quickly.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
08
Serve with cool greens
Serve five rolls per person with lettuce, mint, cilantro, and individual bowls of dipping sauce. Leave rolls uncovered so their surface stays crisp; wrap pieces in lettuce with herbs just before dipping.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Keep the filling cold while wrapping successive batches.
Use thin rice paper labeled for frying; thicker fresh-roll papers can become tough.

Common mistakes

Wet vegetables and over-soaked wrappers cause spitting and tearing.
A tightly stretched roll can split as noodles expand; keep the filling compact but the wrapper relaxed.

Substitutions

Replace jicama with the same weight of peeled kohlrabi, squeezed dry.
Replace shrimp with 150 g additional pork; retain the same centre-temperature check.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked rolls within 2 hours, below 4°C, for up to 3 days. Reheat uncovered at 190°C for 10–15 minutes until the centre is 74°C. Store greens and sauce separately.

Cultural context

Fried rolls are called chả giò in southern Vietnam and nem rán in much of the north. Wrappers and fillings vary among families; this rice-paper version combines pork, shrimp, and glass noodles.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Chả giò (Vietnamese Spring Rolls) - 12 — Photograph by Satdeep Gill; CC BY-SA 4.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Vietnamese recipes

Chả Giò — Crispy Spring Rolls

Ingredients

Method

Soften and drain the dry ingredients

Mix and check the filling

Wrap twenty rolls

Mix the dipping sauce

First fry to cook the centre

Drain between frying stages

Crisp with a second fry

Serve with cool greens

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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