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Vietnamese Fried Egg Rolls or Cha Gio is a savory and crispy egg roll that will make you say, “Wait, that’s good!” This is great for making large batches and bringing it to parties. Cha Gio is crunchy, salty, and pairs beautifully with Vietnamese fish sauce.

What is Cha Gio?

Three egg rolls on top of each other in a pyramid formation on a bed of lettuce with mint and perilla leaves.

Cha Gio is translated as “Spring Rolls,” however, it is different from Goi Cuon. Also called Nem Ran in northern Vietnam, Cha Gio is fried and is filled with minced meat, diced veggies, black fungus, and bean thread noodles.

This can be wrapped with wheat based wrappers or with rice paper. Traditionally, Vietnamese egg rolls are made with rice paper. However, in this recipe we will be sticking with wheat based wrappers.

Rice paper adds a very satisfying crunch to it when fried, however, it quickly becomes less crunchy over time. It must be eaten fresh otherwise it will become soggy. With wheat based wrappers, the egg roll will last much longer and can easily be reheated in an air fryer. If I know I am going to save some of the egg rolls for later I will use wheat based wrappers. However, if it is large enough I will make the first batch with rice paper.

Ingredients

Filling

Dried Black Fungus (Shredded): Yes, this is edible. You will need to hydrate these beforehand. Make sure you dry them before adding it to your filling, otherwise your filling will become too wet. This adds a great noodle like texture while adding some umami flavor.
Vermicelli Noodles (Bean Thread): These are the very thin vermicelli noodles that goes great in an egg roll due to its texture and helps the filling stick together.
Headless Shrimp (Tail-off): You can either use a knife to ground it up or to make your life easier you can use a food processor and process the shrimp in small batches.
Ground Pork: I like to use ground pork over beef for this one since it isn’t as oily. If you decide to use beef use at least 85% lean.
Carrot: An iconic vegetable that is in almost every type of egg roll. I prefer to dice them up, but you can also take these and grind them up with the other veggies if you do not like chunks. Just ensure you remove any excess moisture.
Jicama: We’re adding a unique root that is used in Asian cuisine often. Jicama is similar to a radish, but much more mild in flavor.
Yellow Onion: Sweet yellow onions adds a beautiful onion-y flavor without overpowering the egg roll. You can grind this up as well if you do not like chunks.
Green Onion: A staple in Vietnamese cuisine. Thinly slice them and they add some freshness as well as onion-y flavor.
Cilantro: Another staple that adds amazing freshness to the egg roll or makes it tastes like someone put dawn soap in it…
Pepper: Freshly grounded black pepper is preferred, but if you have pre-grounded that is fine too. Just know that with pre-grounded to add a bit less than you normally would since it can be stronger in my opinion.
Fish sauce: One of the reasons why these egg rolls are so delicious. The perfect way to add salt and umami flavors.
MSG: Here is the other reason why I love egg rolls. MSG really brings it home with its saltiness. It’s basically a cheat code to a great dish.
Eggs: Whole eggs are needed to bind the filling together. This will keep the filling from falling apart even when your egg roll bursts.

Wrappers

Spring Roll (Super Thin): I prefer the super thin spring rolls wrappers, but you can also use the normal one or rice paper. Each one has their different qualities, but any of them are great!
Egg Yolks: You’ll want to use egg yolks to seal the egg rolls. I prefer egg yolk, but if you want to go a more healthy route then you can use water and flour.

Other ingredients

Vermicelli Noodles: A great addition if you like to eat your egg rolls with noodles.
Lettuce: Wrap your egg roll in a lettuce leaf and dip into some Vietnamese Fish Sauce.
Mint: Add this to your lettuce roll and it’ll add a beautiful freshness to a savory egg roll.
Perilla Leaves: Much like the mint it will add a fresh minty flavor that is much more mild than mint leaves.
Vietnamese Fish Sauce: Dip your egg roll into this to complete your savory egg roll with the sweet, sour, and spicy flavors of this dipping sauce.

Directions

Prepare the filling

Place the dried black fungus and vermicelli noodles into a bowl of warm water, separately. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes.
Thaw shrimp and rough chop the shrimp. Place chopped shrimp into a food processor and blend until grounded.
Add grounded shrimp and ground pork to a large mixing bowl.
Wash, peel, and dice your carrot, onion, and jicama. Dry vegetables with paper towels then add diced vegetables into a large mixing bowl.
Add thinly sliced green onions. Add to bowl.
Add thinly sliced cilantro. Add to bowl.
Take hydrated black fungus and vermicelli noodles out of the water. Chop into ½ inch pieces. Add into large mixing bowl.
Add fish sauce, MSG, pepper, and eggs. Mix together thoroughly.

Wrap filling

Separate 2 egg yolks and whisk in a small bowl.
Open egg roll wrappers and separate each wrapper. Place onto a separate plate.
Now on a clean plate or cutting board, place a single wrapper and add about a 1 – 1½ tablespoon of your filling onto the lower ⅓ of the wrapper.
Pull the bottom part of the wrapper upwards to cover the filling. Then fold the left and right side towards the center. Apply pressure then with your thumbs roll the wrapper upwards.
Before wrapping it completely, dip two fingers into the egg yolk and dab it on the edges of the wrapper. Now finish your roll and seal with the egg yolk on the outside of the egg roll.

Fry the egg rolls

In a large non-stick skillet, add about 3 cups of oil or enough to fill ¾ of the pan. Preheat until 300°F.
Carefully add about 5-7 egg rolls into the pan. Do not over crowd. Once egg rolls begin to bubble, bring the heat down to a medium-low.
Cook egg rolls on each one side for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Once cooked, remove egg roll and let it cool on a wire rack.
Serve your egg rolls with Vietnamese fish sauce, vermicelli noodles, and lettuce.

Tips and Tricks

Make sure you dry your veggies, black fungus, and bean thread vermicelli noodles. You want your filling to be dry, otherwise it will cause your egg roll to burst when frying.
I recommend cutting the corners of the egg roll wrappers, otherwise it is just too much wrapper. However, you can make due without cutting it. I find it to be much more crispy, but more vulnerable to bursting.
Before frying, take a little bit of your filling and heat it up in a microwave or cook it on a pan. Taste test this and see if you need to add more salt.
You can also freeze the egg rolls before frying. This will help prevent it from bursting when frying. Just make sure it is straight out of the freezer into the fryer. You do not want it to have any moisture when adding it to your pan.

Storage

Refrigerator: You can store these before frying or after frying. Keep in an airtight bag and store for 4-5 days. If after frying, make sure you let it cool before storing.

Freezer: Store in an airtight or vacuum seal bag, store for 2-3 months.

Reheating Instructions

The best way is to air fry them at 300°F for 4 to 6 minutes. Otherwise, you can microwave them or pan fry them with a little bit of oil.

CategoriesAppetizers Egg Food Pork Recipe Shrimp

How to make Vietnamese Fried Egg Rolls (Cha Gio)

What is Cha Gio?