Easy Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls - Cha Gio (2024)

Packed with pork, prawn/shrimp and veggies, these Easy Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls are lightly fried for a crispy, crunchy, flavourful appetiser. Made with rice paper for a satisfying crunch, enjoy them with our bonus spicy Vietnamese homemade dipping sauce!

Why We Love This

Vietnamese fried spring rolls are surprisingly easy to make and filled with fresh, healthy ingredients such as pork and prawn (or chicken if you prefer!). Once you learn the technique of folding the spring rolls, you’ll be able to whip up a batch in no time. Crispy and utterly delicious, they’re perfect as a tasty snack or appetizer for parties.

Serve them up with a quick batch of homemade Vietnamese dipping sauce or tamarind dipping sauce – both are super moreish and easy to make!

Trust us – you won’t want to stop at one.

Related: Crispy Thai Spring Rolls / Bun Cha Gio Noodle Salad

Where We Learned This Recipe

After a few weeks of travel through Cambodia, we were so excited to arrive in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We’d heard all about its incredible eating (and cooking) opportunities, and it did not disappoint.

Our new hosts Trang and Linh lived in a gorgeous apartment in District 2. A quiet area away from the bustlingcity centre, yet packed with its ownamazinglocal hotspotsto explore.

Together we set out to pick upfresh ingredients from some nearby markets to make these EasyVietnamese Fried Spring Rolls.

Mingling with locals during their early morning shopping spree, we watched as vendors chopped fresh meat with massive cleavers,. Others haggled overwriggling fish, or sorted piles of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Jumping on the bikes to head back, there wasone last important task to tick off on the way. Time for some fresh Vietnamese Iced Coffee to get the morning started.

Sarah and Trang had already dashed off by the time Linh and I remembered, so we made aquick pit stop then scooted home, only to spotSarah walked out of a different coffee shop with her own batch ofcoffee. Double shots for everyone!Great minds think alike 😉

What You’ll Need

• Rice paper sheets
• Pork mince
• Prawn/shrimp – minced or diced
• Shallots
• Finely sliced woodear mushrooms
• Shredded carrot
• Vermicelli noodles broken into 2 cm pieces
• Egg
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Soybean oil for frying

Ingredients for Bonus Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls Dipping Sauce

• Kaffir lime juice or substitute with lime or lemon juice
• Fish sauce
• Sugar
• Water
• Garlic clove
• Birds eye chilli finely chopped (optional)

How to Make Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls

• Pop the broken vermicelli noodles in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to rest until cooked through, then drain.
• Add the pork, shrimp, chopped shallots, mushroom, carrot, vermicelli noodles, egg and salt into a bowl and mix until well combined. For best results, use your fingers to mix evenly.
• Quickly rinse the rice paper sheet in water to soften and place on a flat plate or surface.
• Place a small handful of filling near one edge of the rice paper. Fold the paper over the filling. tuck in the sides and continue to roll to the end of the sheet.
• Repeat for remaining spring rolls.
• Heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Fry the spring rolls for around 5 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towel.
• Combine all ingredients for the dipping sauce in a bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves.
• Serve immediately.

How to Fold Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls

Have you ever tried to fold a spring roll or a cold roll in the past and ended up with a soggy mess? We admit, we’ve failed miserably in the past, usually from dunking the entire sheet in a bowl of water and completely soaking it. By the time you assemble your ingredients the rice paper has stuck to the plate and you end up with an unattractive lumpy roll.

Tell me that’s not just me? Eeep.

ThankfullyTrang showed us her easy method to easily and quickly wrap up spring rollsso you end up with cute, perfectly rolled tubes:

• Hold a sheet of Vietnamese rice paper sheets in one hand and dab with cold water across one side of the sheet. We found that when we were in Vietnam using fresher rice paper sheets, we didn’t need a lot of water – just a little dab with our fingers was enough. Back home in Australia, the rice paper sheets were slightly thicker and so needed more water to soften. Experiment with a sheet before you get started to see how much water works best for you.
• Next, place your filling mixture in a line close to one end of the roll.
• Fold the small edge over the filling, then tuck in the sides.
• Continue to roll until you reach the other end of the rice paper, tucking the edges and pressing/squeezing the filling as you go.
• Now you’ve got a neat little rollanyone can be proud off. Huzzah!

FAQs

Variations & Substitutes

• If you aren’t able to source wood ear mushrooms, you can substitute with regular mushrooms.
• Kaffir lime juice in the dipping sauce can be substituted with lemon or lime juice, or a blend of both.
• You can use any oil for frying, but we recommend avoiding strong flavoured oils such as olive oil which will change the flavour.
• Feel free to substitute the pork and prawns for chicken if you prefer!
• Don’t want fried rolls? Try our fresh Vietnamese rice paper rolls or vegetarian rice paper rolls instead.

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