Vegetable spring rolls
Chả giò chay: crisp rice-paper rolls filled with glass noodles, wood ear, taro and tofu
In Saigon and the south, fried spring rolls are called chả giò (in Hanoi, nem rán), and no family party or Tết table is without a platter of them. Southern cooks wrap them in rice paper, which fries up into a blistered, glassy-crisp shell quite unlike wheat pastry. This vegetarian filling of glass noodles, wood ear mushrooms, taro, carrot and tofu is the one served at chay restaurants. Roll them in lettuce with mint and perilla and dip in vegan nước chấm. Chef's tip: fry them twice, first gently until set and pale gold, then briefly in hotter oil, and let the rolled rolls dry for 15 minutes first; that is how you get the shattering, bubbly crust that stays crisp.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the filling
To roll and fry
To serve
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Soak 1 ⅜ oz glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli), ⅓ oz dried wood ear mushrooms and 4 dried shiitake mushrooms in separate bowls of warm water for 15 minutes, until soft. Drain well. Cut the noodles into 3 cm lengths with scissors; finely chop the wood ear and shiitake, cutting off any hard stalks.
15 minStep 2: Squeeze 7 oz taro or sweet potato and 1 carrot hard in a clean tea towel to get rid of as much moisture as you can; wet filling makes soggy rolls that spit in the oil.
Step 3: In a large bowl mix the noodles, mushrooms, taro, carrot, 7 oz firm tofu, 2 shallots, 2 cloves garlic, 2 spring onions, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper with your hands until it holds together when squeezed. Fry a teaspoonful to taste the seasoning, and adjust: it should be well peppered.
Step 4: Stir 1 tsp sugar into 1 cup warm water in a wide dish; the sugar helps the wrappers turn an even golden brown. Dip one 20 rice paper wrappers sheet for just a second or two, then lay it on a damp board; it softens as you work.
Step 5: Put a heaped tablespoon of filling near the bottom edge and shape it into a log about 8 cm long. Fold the bottom over, fold in the sides and roll up firmly but not too tightly, as the filling swells. Repeat with the rest. Set the rolls on a tray, not touching, and leave to dry for 15 minutes. (To make ahead, freeze them now on the tray, then bag them; fry from frozen, adding 2 minutes.)
25 minStep 6: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying in a wok or deep pan to 325°F, or until a wooden chopstick fizzes gently. Fry the rolls in batches of 5 or 6 for 6–7 minutes, turning, until firm and pale gold. Don't crowd them, or they stick together. Drain on a rack.
14 minStep 7: Raise the heat to 350°F and fry the rolls again for 1–2 minutes, until deep golden, blistered and crackly. Drain on a rack, not paper, so the bottoms stay crisp.
4 minStep 8: Serve hot with 1 head soft lettuce leaves, 1 handful mint, perilla and Thai basil and ¾ cup vegan nước chấm: wrap a roll in a lettuce leaf with a few herbs and dip as you eat.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vegetable spring rolls take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of dried wood ear mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of dried shiitake mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
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