Name: Vietnamese spring rolls (Nems, pates imperiaux, cha gio)
Eaten in: Vietnam, Cote d’Ivoire
Foodie: Linda
The greatest advantage of growing up in a multicultural, diverse environment is that very early on, your palate gets accustomed to a variety of tastes and flavors. Some never leave your memory.
When asked about nems, many Abidjanais will happily give directions to their favorite kiosk. The owners of the one I used to go to, who came from Vietnam, had become so enamored with Cote d’Ivoire and with Ivorian culture that they gave their son a local name. If one day, you meet a man with Vietnamese features called Kouakou, he most certainly is the son of that kiosk’s owners. There cannot be two of them in the world!
Nems are not ubiquitous in North America and definitely not as readily accessible a snack as they were in Cote d’Ivoire, Chinese spring rolls or egg rolls are more commonly found. I therefore found myself missing those delicious rice paper spring rolls and went on a hunt for a good recipe.
Vietnamese spring rolls (Nems, pates imperiaux, cha gio)
Print recipe
| Serves | 6-8 |
| Prep time | 1 hour, 30 minutes |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Total time | 2 hours |
| Meal type | Appetizer |
Ingredients
- 2/3lb Ground Pork
- 1/3lb Coarsely chopped Raw Shrimp
- 1 medium slice (2/3 Cup) Yellow Onion, (minced and squeezed gently to remove excess liquid 1 cup grated carrots)
- 1 1/2 oz (50 g) Cellophane Noodles (Bean Thread), (soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, drained and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces)
- 6 Dried Wood-Ear Mushrooms, (soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, drained, trimmed of chewy stems and finely chopped (about ¼ cup))
- 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Minced Garlic
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- 3/4 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 quarts Warm Water
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 30 (6 or 8-inch) Dried Rice Paper Rounds, plus extras
- Vegetable Oil for deep-frying
- Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
- Table Salad, mint for serving
Directions
| 1. | In a skillet, cook the ground pork and shrimps |
| 2. | In a large bowl, combine the pork, shrimps, onion, carrots, cellophane noodles, scallions, mushrooms, fish sauce, garlic, sea salt, sugar, and black pepper |
| 3. | Using a fork, gently mix all the ingredients until well blended. Then add the beaten egg and toss to coat |
| 4. | To make the rolls, fill a large bowl with warm water. Add the 2 Tbsp sugar to the water and stir to dissolve. (This helps the rice paper turn golden when fried and crispier texture) |
| 5. | Quickly dip the rice paper into the warm water and turn to moisten the sheet completely. Lay the sheet on a damp kitchen cloth before using. |
| 6. | Spoon 1 heaping Tbsp of the filling on the bottom third of the sheet. Using your fingers, press the filling gently and shape into a small cylindrical shape |
| 7. | Lift the bottom edge over the filling, and then fold in both sides. Roll into a small cylinder, about 2/3 inch wide and 2 inches long |
| 8. | Place the seam side down. Do not stack the rolls. Cover lightly with plastic wrap to prevent from drying and continue to make the rolls with the remaining filling and paper in this way. |
| 9. | If a wrapper has a tear, reinforce it by patching it with a small piece of dampened rice paper |
| 10. | In a wok or a large skillet, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil to about 350˚F (180˚C). Test the temperature by carefully placing a spring roll in it. If the oil foams but not too vigorously upon contact, it is hot enough |
| 11. | Add the rolls without crowding, and fry until crisp and golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. (Cook in batches) |
| 12. | Remove the spring rolls with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve the spring rolls immediately with the dipping sauce and table salad. |
| 13. | Vietnamese Dipping Sauce: Mix together 2-3 Thai Bird’s Eye Chilies chopped), 2 cloves Garlic (sliced), 3 Tbsp sugar, 2/3 cup warm water, 1 1/2 Tsp Lime Juice, 5 Tbsp fish sauce and 2 Tbsp shredded carrots. |
Note
The recipe is adapted from: http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2010/01/vietnamese-spring-rolls-cha-gio.html
Vietnamese Dipping Sauce: Mix together 2-3 Thai Bird’s Eye Chilies chopped), 2 cloves Garlic (sliced), 3 Tbsp sugar, 2/3 cup warm water, 1 1/2 Tsp Lime Juice, 5 Tbsp fish sauce and 2 Tbsp shredded carrots.
The recipe is adapted from: http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2010/01/vietnamese-spring-rolls-cha-gio.html
Has anyone on the site attempted this recipe successfully?
You mean besides Linda?
lol… 🙂 Linda has always been a woman of many skills… I will give this a try… Tired of these yukky tasting egg rolls here in my neighborhood…
hahahha, I hear you! Let us know what you think.
Hi Ijeoma, I tried the recipe and it was delish! Let us know what you think!
So thankfull you posted this. I cannot telll you how long I have searched for a recipe to make these. I lived in the Ivory Coast as an embassy brat when I was 11. We had these nems all the time from a little restaurant down the street. I too was left with the lasting impression that never left my memory of how delicous they were! Thank you again for this great recipe!
You are welcome Kelly! Let us know when you do try them! Such memories are indeed precious!
I have tried this exact recipe a few years ago and it was delicious! Only difference is the meats were not supposed to be cooked first…. Does it make a huge difference?
I think it’s a precaution to ensure that the meat is fully cooked inside the wrappers. I have seen recipes calling for raw meat and generally the instructions state that the nems need to be cooked at low temperature so that the meat is well-cooked. Hope that helps.
Thanks, that helps very much! So far I haven’t had any problems with it being fully cooked, but it will do it before wrapping so it won’t take as long. It seemed like the wrapper soaks up a lot of oil when it fried longer.
What a delicious recipe! Being amateur cooks, we didn’t know how this one would turn out but it was so easy and came out tasting wonderful! When paired with the lettuce it is a perfect combo.
I’ve been hearing about these rolls for a long time and they definitely lived up to their reputation 🙂
Nice! Glad you enjoyed them!