I haven't had traditional cha gio rolled in Vietnamese rice paper for a while, and these were just delicious, maybe it has something to do with Big T's 10 ngon' tay bup' ma(ng rolling them :P Look at the picture below, don't they look good? :)
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb Phillips crab meat
- 1/2 onion
- 1/2 medium size jacama (cu? dda^u.)
- 1 Medium carrot
- 1 handful of wood ears mushroom
- 1 small bundle of bean thread (mie^n')
- 1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 egg
- Vietnamese rice paper - sm Rounds of rice paper (banh-trang), each about 6 inches-in diameter
PREPARATION:
- Filling:
1) Soak the mushroom in warm water until soft, drain and chop into small bits.
2) Also soak the bean thread in warm water until soft, drain and chop into small bits.
3) Peel and chop up the onion, jicama and carrot.
4) In a large bowl, combine mushrooms with the ground pork, crab and chopped up mushroom, vegetables and bean thread. Mix with your hands to blend.
5) Break the egg over the mixture and mix well. Set aside.
- Assemble the rolls:
6) One at a time, immerse a sheet bowl of hot-warm water to soften the sheets for handling. Work with only a couple of sheets of rice paper at a time. Quickly remove it and spread flat on a dry towel. Do not let the sheets touch each other.
7) Place a tablespoon of the mixture on the rice paper, fold one side of the paper over the mixture, then the other side. Roll from bottom to top to completely enclose the filling. Continue until all of the mixture is used.
- Fry the rolls:
8) Pour 1 to 1 1/2 inches of oil into skillet and heat to 325F. Working in batches, add rolls to skillet, but do not crowd or let them touch, or they will stick together.
9) Fry over moderate heat for 10 to 12 minutes, turning often, until golden and crisp. Remove the rolls with tongs and drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven while frying the remaining rolls.
Serve hot with nuoc cha^m' and optional bib lettuce, mint and rice noodle. For our New Year dinner we serve them as appetiser followed by a soup and a mixed green salad so we left out the optional accompaniment.
