Vietnamese Egg Rolls, also known as Cha Gio, are the perfect finger food appetizer. Traditionally, ground pork gets mixed with fragrant spices and colorful vegetables then wrapped in egg roll wrappers. They’re then deep fried until golden brown. I recommend serving this adapted recipe with Nuoc Cham, which is a sweet and sour fish sauce.
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Why i'm sharing this cha gio recipe
Although I live in a tiny Florida beach town, we're lucky enough to have one Vietnamese restaurant that's really amazing.
Unfortunately, the one thing they don't have are Vietnamese Egg Rolls - aka Cha Gio!
These tasty little pork egg rolls are to die for.
They're packed full of flavor and it's impossible to eat just one.
And although I've scoured the internet to find a recipe that's actually doable where I live, I've yet to find one that works for me.
Since we don't have an Asian market in town, and I don't feel like driving a half an hour to get to one, I decided to create one that you can make if you're my sort of situation.
All of these ingredients can be found at your local grocery store without blinking an eye.
And although they might not be as authentic as they should, they're easy as hell and damn delicious!
What to pair it with
I recommend serving them with the Nuoc Cham dipping sauce from my Vietnamese Chicken and Rice Bowl Recipe. It's a sweet and sour fish sauce that's out of control delicious.
And if you'd like some more tasty Asian dishes to serve them with these Pho-Inpsired Deviled Eggs, and this Crunchy Chinese Cabbage Salad.
Or you could always do this easy Hibachi Chicken with Yum Yum Sauce with some Hibachi Noodles!
Ingredients Needed
- Ground pork
- Red Onion
- Carrots
- Scallions
- Garlic
- Lemongrass Paste
- Salt
- Pepper
- Sugar
- Egg Roll Wrappers
- Egg White
- Vegetable Oil or another neutral oil
How to prepare them
Making Vietnamese Egg Rolls is much easier than you think.
To begin, combine ground pork with chopped onions, carrots, scallions, garlic, and lemongrass paste.
Stir it up then add salt, pepper and sugar.
Once the mixture is prepared, it's time to roll the egg rolls.
How to roll them
Once you get the method down, you can roll all 20 egg rolls in no time at all.
First, you'll want to whisk one egg white in a small bowl. This will create the glue that keeps your egg roll sealed when you're deep frying it.
Now that you have the mixture and the sealant prepared. It's time to get rollin'!
Start by laying out one egg roll sheet in front of you in a diamond position.
Then, fold one corner ¼ way in.
Add 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture to the folded side of the wrapper and shape it into a log.
Now fold the two side corners in so that it overlaps the meat.
Using a brush or your fingers, brush the upper half of the roll with the egg wash and tightly roll the egg roll upwards.
Once the egg roll is rolled and sealed, continue this method until all the wrappers are used up.
If you're using 1 lb of wrappers, you should yield about 20 egg rolls.
Freezing leftovers
Unless you're making these Vietnamese egg rolls for a party, you probably won't be eating all 20 of them at once.
Because of that, you'll probably want to save them for later.
And luckily, freezing them is super easy!
All you need to do is place the uncooked egg rolls in a freezer proof ziplock bag and throw them in the freezer.
I personally like these reusable ones because they feel a little more substantial and are better for the world... but you could use the regular plastic freezer bags, too.
How to fry them
Once you're ready to eat the egg rolls, it's time to fry them!
To begin, you'll want to fill a large pot with at least 4 cups of oil or enough to cover the egg rolls.
Turn the heat to medium medium-low (or about a 3.5 on a scale of 1-10) and let the oil heat up for a minute. You want the oil to get to 350F degrees.
If don't have a thermometer, and if you have any leftover wrappers you can use these as test strips. If not, set your ugliest egg roll to the side and use this as a tester.
Once the oil is hot, place your wrapper or egg roll in and if it's lightly bubbling and fizzing away, you're good to go.
To not overcrowd the pot, fry the egg rolls in batches. I recommend doing 4 batches of 5 egg rolls.
It should take each wrapper about 6-9 minutes to cook through and develop the golden brown color of the photos above.
If your oil is too hot, simply turn it down a little and keep adjusting until you get the perfect temperature.
And if you'd like to pin this recipe, save it below
Recipe
Recipe
Vietnamese Egg Rolls - Cha Gio
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- ¼ cup diced red onion minced
- ¼ cup diced carrots minced
- ¼ cup scallions minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste
- 1.5 tsp salt
- .5 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 lb egg roll wrappers - about 20 egg rolls
- 1 egg white whisked
- 4 cups vegetable oil
Instructions
Making the Meat Mixture
- In a large bowl, combine ground pork, diced red onion, carrots, scallions, garlic, and lemon grass paste. Add salt, pepper, and sugar and mix the meat together until everything is evenly incorporated.
- In another small bowl, whisk egg white and set aside.
Rolling the Egg Rolls
- Take one egg roll wrapper and place it on a cutting board in a diamond position.
- Fold one corner ¼ way inward and place 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture on top.
- Shape the mixture into a log and fold both of the sides of the wrapper inward.
- Brush the top half of the egg roll wrapper with egg wash and tightly wrap the egg roll.
- Repeat with all the wrappers and set egg rolls aside.
- Choose how many you’d like to prepare and place the rest in a freezer safe ziplock bag.
Frying the Egg Rolls
- When you’re ready to prepare them, pour the oil into a deep large pot and turn the heat to medium medium-low.
- Once the oil gets to 350F degrees, it’s time to fry the egg rolls.
- Divide the egg rolls into batches and fry 5 of them at a time, 4 times for 6-9 minutes each.
- After about 6 minutes, the egg rolls should be golden brown and the center should be cooked through.
- Be sure to cut one in half to make sure it’s not raw in the middle.
- Once they’re done being fried, set them on a paper towel to dry and crisp up.
- Let them rest for a few minutes before serving.
