Vietnamese Egg Rolls (Restaurant-Quality Chả Giò)
These Vietnamese egg rolls are restaurant-quality chả giò at home! They're packed with veggies and they work with your favorite protein like ground chicken, ground pork or tofu. Make a batch and fry half of it to eat now and par-fry the rest to freeze for later. Air fry or deep fry them anytime to eat on their own or in a bowl of bún chả giò whenever you want!
Servings: 25 egg rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 lb ground chicken or pork
- 2 shallots minced finely
- 8 garlic cloves minced finely
- 2 cups taro shredded (about 250 grams), packed
- 1½ cups cabbage shredded (about 185g), packed
- 2 carrots shredded (about 1 cup packed or 130 grams)
- 6.5 oz jicama shredded (about 185 grams)
- 1.7 oz bean thread noodles 1 small bundle (50 grams)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt for the cabbage and carrots
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt for the jicama
Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Tapioca seal
- ½ tablespoon tapioca flour
- ⅓ cup water
For wrapping and frying
- 25 egg roll wrappers
- neutral oil for deep frying or par-frying
Instructions
Prep the filling
- To a bowl of warm tap water, add the bean thread noodles. Soak for about 10 minutes, until softened, while you prep the rest of the filling.1.7 oz bean thread noodles
- Mince the shallots and garlic finely, by hand or in a food processor.2 shallots, 8 garlic cloves
- In a bowl, toss the cabbage and carrots with 1 teaspoon of salt. Let sit for up to 10 minutes to soften.1½ cups cabbage, 2 carrots, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- In a separate bowl, toss the jicama with ½ teaspoon of salt and let sit for up to 10 minutes.½ teaspoon kosher salt, 6.5 oz jicama
- Rinse the cabbage and carrots, then squeeze out as much water as you can. Add them to a bowl along with the shredded taro, garlic and shallots. Squeeze out all the water from the jicama and add it to the same bowl.2 cups taro
- Drain the noodles, cut them into short pieces and add them to the bowl.
- Add the salt, sugar, chicken bouillon and black pepper. Mix well.2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1½ teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the ground chicken or pork and mix until combined, being careful not to overmix. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
Wrap the egg rolls
- Make the tapioca seal. In a small pot, whisk the tapioca flour into the water. Cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken.⅓ cup water, ½ tablespoon tapioca flour
- Lay an egg roll wrapper like a diamond, with one corner pointing toward you. Fold the bottom corner up about a third of the way and add 2 heaping tablespoons of filling on top.25 egg roll wrappers
- Fold in both sides, one over the other and roll up tightly.
- Brush the tapioca mixture on the top corner and roll to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers.
Cook the egg rolls
- Air fryer - Air fry at 375°F for 5–7 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Note the egg rolls may not get as golden brown when air frying.
- Deep fry - Heat the oil to 350°F. Fry 3–5 egg rolls at a time (depending on the size of your pot) for 4–5 minutes, until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F, flipping halfway. Drain on a wire rack.
- Par-fry (to freeze) - Heat the oil to 335°F. Fry for about 4 minutes total, flipping halfway at 2 minutes per side. Let cool, then freeze.
Notes
- Use a food processor - It cuts the prep time in half.
- Mix before adding the protein - Combine the vegetables and seasonings first, then gently mix in the protein so the filling doesn't get tough.
- Cook a test batch - Fry or microwave a little filling to check the seasoning. I under-season slightly since I serve these with nước chấm.
- Fry at 335–350°F - Any hotter and the egg rolls brown too quickly.
- Squeeze out the moisture - Really squeeze the vegetables so the egg rolls don't get soggy.
- Don't overpack - Overfilled egg rolls can rip and spill when frying.
- Protein - Ground chicken, ground pork or super firm tofu all work, or do a 50/50 mix of shrimp and ground pork.
- Vegetarian - Swap the chicken bouillon for mushroom or vegetable bouillon and use tofu.
- Tapioca seal - All-purpose flour works as a swap. An egg wash may work too, but it may not stick as well.
- Storage - Store cooked egg rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze par-fried egg rolls in a single layer, then move them to a freezer bag for up to 6 months. Reheat in the air fryer or oven.
