Cha Gio for Tet

In honor of Chinese New Year today, known in Vietnam as Tet, I'm making a batch of Vietnamese egg rolls. Called nem ran in the North and cha gio in the South, these tasty little packages of pork and shrimp are commonly available in markets and are considered one of Vietnam's national dishes. Most families don't make them at home except around special occasions, due to the amount of work involved in hand rolling large quantities.

Cha gio include at a minimum ground pork, crab, dried tree ear, egg and cellophane noodles wrapped in rice paper then deep fried. Other recipes may add whole or chopped shrimp, bean sprouts, spring onions, bell peppers or whatever strikes the cook's imagination.

One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes incorporates cha gio. Bun cha gio is a bowl of rice noodles topped with cha gio, fresh herbs, chopped peanuts and nuoc cham (see below). When served on their own as an appetizer, cha gio are are often accompanied by a plate of xalach dia: fresh lettuce, thai basil, cilantro, bean sprouts and chopped peanuts. One loosely wraps a warm cha gio in lettuce with a selection of the other condiments and then dips the roll into nuoc cham before eating.

Not frightened off yet? Well then this is how they're made.

Cha Gio

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1/2 lb. cooked crab, imitation is fine
• 2 T. dried tree ears, I was out but substituted shiitake mushroom
• 1 1 1/8 oz. package cellophane noodles
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 medium carrot, shredded, rinsed and squeezed dry
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 30ish triangle rice paper wrappers
• vegetable oil for frying

Soak the tree ears in hot water until soft, about five minutes. Drain and mince. Cover the cellophane noodles in cold water for five minutes until flexible. Drain the noodles, cut with scissors into 1 inch lengths. Mix together the pork, crab, tree ears, onion, carrot, salt, pepper and one of the eggs.

Beat the remaining two eggs in a small bowl. Lay out the rice papers several at a time on a flat surface. Brush both sides with egg, then let them soften for two to three minutes. Place a rounded spoonful of filling in each wrapper, near the curved bottom edge of the triangle. Fold that bottom edge up over the filling to form a snug log shape. Fold the two side corners tightly into the middle and smooth them down. Roll the log towards the remaining triangle point. Set completed rolls aside, but don't let them touch! If they touch together at this stage, it's like super glue.

In a large pan, heat 1/2 inch of oil at medium high until about 350 degrees. I don't have a deep fry themometer, so I put a small drop of water in the oil at the start. When the water crackles, I know we've reached 212 degrees. I then wait a slightly shorter length of time again to approximate 350 degrees. It's imprecise, but good enough. Fry the rolls a dozen at time until golden brown, turning as needed. Drain on paper towels, then serve hot or at room temperature with nuoc cham.

Nuoc Cham

• 1 or 2 small red chiles
• 1/2 c. fish sauce, also known as nuoc mam
• 1/4 c. fresh lime juice (2-3 limes)
• 1 small shredded carrot, rinsed and squeezed dry
• 2 minced cloves of garlic
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 T. minced cilantro (optional)

Nuoc cham is a very versatile sauce that accompanies almost every Vietnamese dish. It will keep refrigerated for up to a week.

Mix everything together and stir until the sugar dissolves. The cilantro is not a standard ingredient but I'm taking my nuoc cham to Hawaiian language class tonight, where a full xalach dia plate isn't practical. Adding the cilantro into the sauce instead captures some of the same flavor.

If you've actually read all the way through this, you've been amazingly patient. Please drop me a note if you decide to make cha gio and nuoc cham-- I'd like to know how well I described the process.

Chuc Mung Nam Muoi! (Happy New Year!)