Shrimp and Crab Rolls
Cha gio, which originated in Saigon are among Vietnam’s national dishes. They are often misleadingly translated as spring rolls, because they seem like a riff on the Chinese spring roll, or as imperial rolls, a translation of pâté imperial, their French moniker. But these rolls are not reserved for royalty, nor are they exclusively eaten during the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year). And their filling, wrapper, and accompaniments are uniquely Vietnamese. Out of culinary pride, I encourage people to call these rolls cha gio, their southern Viet name. The rolls are made in varying sizes. Cooks with great manual dexterity create thumb-sized rolls. Lacking such skill and patience, I make stubby cigar-sized ones and cut them up before serving. Larger ones also involve less labor when frying up enough for a special lunch or dinner. Some Vietnamese American cooks use Filipino lumpia or Chinese spring roll wrappers, which are made of wheat flour and fry up crisp, but an authentic flavor is lost. For the best results, use rice paper made of all rice flour or of rice and tapioca flours.
The best way to refresh left over uncut rolls is to refry them. Return them to room temperature, then arrange them in a saucepan or deep skillet in a single layer. Add oil to cover and heat over medium heat. When the oil gently bubbles, monitor the rolls. They’ll soon be crisp and renewed.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 20 to 24 rolls, to serve 4 to 6 as a one-dish meal
Ingredients
Filling
Preparation
Step 1
To make the filling, in a large bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, fish sauce, and egg until blended. Add the wood ears, shiitakes, noodles, yellow onion, scallions, jicama, shrimp, crabmeat, and pork and stir to combine, breaking up the pork into small pieces as you mix. Set aside. (The filling may be made up to 1 day in advance, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated.)
Step 2
In a wide, shallow bowl or baking dish, combine the sugar and water and stir to dissolve the sugar. This sugar water helps the rolls to color and crisp. If there isn’t enough liquid to allow the rice paper to be fully immersed, mix more. Place the bowl or dish at your work station, which should also include the rice paper rounds, filling, a platter for holding the finished rolls, and a spread-out dish towel on which to shape the rolls. (The dish towel absorbs excess water and typically makes the rice paper tackier and easier to roll smoothly. If you find that the rice paper sticks too much to the dish towel, switch to a cutting board.)
Step 3
To make each roll, slide a rice paper round into the sugar water. Let it sit for 5 seconds to moisten both sides well, then place it on the dish towel and let sit for another minute to soften. Repeat with another rice paper and set it next to the first one. (Once the first rice paper has softened, you can begin rolling it while the other one rests.) Center 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling on the lower third of the softened rice paper. Use your fingers to shape the filling into a solid 4-inch-long log about 1 inch in diameter. Lift the bottom edge over the filling, making sure it is smooth. To reinforce to the ends, which brown quickly, use the side of each little finger to crease the ends before folding in the sides. Roll from the bottom up to finish. The rice paper is self-sealing. Try to make sure the cylinder is free of air pockets, so the roll doesn’t burst during frying. (Rolls that burst still taste good but they aren’t pretty.) Place the roll seam side down on the platter. Dip a new rice paper round and get to work on the one that is now ready. Work in this rhythm until all the filling is used. As the platter fills, don’t stack the rolls or they may stick and tear.
Step 4
Another key to preventing the rolls from bursting during frying is to maintain a moderately low oil temperature. Given that, a 5-quart Dutch oven and a deep-frying thermometer are the best equipment ensemble for frying the rolls, as they make monitoring the oil easy. Put a wire rack on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet and a paper towel–lined plate (for blotting away excess oil) next to the stove. Put the platter of rolls on the other side of the stove. Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches into the Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat to 325°F on a deep-frying thermometer. Start adding the rolls, placing them seam side down. Set the rolls as far apart from one another as possible to prevent them from sticking, and add as many as the pan can hold comfortably without crowding. When the oil reaches 350°F, steady the temperature by lowering the heat to medium. Let the rolls fry for 5 to 10 minutes, or until crispy and golden. The frying time and color depth depend on the rice paper; some papers stay light while others darken. Bubbles will form in the rolls. Ignore small ones, but if a huge one prevents a roll from frying evenly, let the bubble set to a crisp, remove the roll from the oil, tap it against the cooling rack to burst and remove the bubble, and then return the roll to finish frying.
Step 5
When a roll is ready, use tongs to remove it from the oil. Put it on the towel-lined plate briefly to remove excess oil and then set it on the rack to cool. Add a new roll to the hot oil and continue frying until all are cooked. As needed, regulate the heat to maintain the temperature. When you are through, briefly refry any rolls that have softened during cooling.
Step 6
Use scissors to cut each roll into 3 or 4 pieces, and put them on 2 plates or platters. Serve with the vegetable garnish and sauce. To eat, wrap pieces in the garnishes and dip.
