Le Yellow Sub Cha Gio Recipes

CHA GIO (VIETNAMESE FRIED SPRING ROLLS)

Steps:

• Soak the dried mung bean noodles in warm water (submerge them completely) for 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly, and cut into ¼ inch pieces.
• In a large bowl, combine the noodles, ground pork, grated carrot, chopped wood ear mushrooms, shallots, garlic, ginger egg white, fish sauce, vegetable oil, salt, white pepper, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Mix until everything is uniformly combined.
• In a large, shallow bowl or deep plate, dissolve the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar in 1 cup warm water. Sugar is optional but does help the spring rolls to brown when frying.
• To wrap each roll, place a rice paper wrapper into the sugar water for about 5-10 seconds, making sure it is completely submerged. Remove it from the water. It will still be quite firm, but it will soften quickly!
• Place about 40g of filling in a log shape on one side of the wrapper. Begin tightly folding the wrapper over the filling (no air bubbles!), and roll the spring roll forward 1 complete revolution. Lightly press down on each end of the filling to flatten the rice paper and push the filling together to eliminate any air bubbles.
• Fold one side of the wrapper towards the middle of the spring roll. Repeat with the other side. Roll the spring roll forward while tucking in the front to prevent air pockets. The rice paper wrapper will stick to itself. It doesn't require anything additional to seal. Place the rolls on a plate or sheet pan lined with a clean, dry kitchen towel or parchment paper.
• Once wrapped, transfer the spring rolls to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour, so they can dry out and firm up. This step helps minimize the wrapper bubbling when frying (though bubbling is normal). Take them out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before frying.
• Heat about 3 cups of canola or vegetable oil in a medium pot to 335°F/170°C (the oil level should be a little over halfway up the sides). Fry the spring rolls in small batches-about three at a time. Make sure they do not touch just after they are placed in the oil as the skins will be sticky until a crust forms. Cook each batch for 5 to 6 minutes, or until light golden brown. (Frying them in small batches prevents them from sticking to each other.)
• Use a metal slotted spoon to pull them out of the oil. Drain on a rack, and continue frying. Maintain the correct oil temperature by periodically adjusting your heat.
• When ready to serve, refry the spring rolls (yes, they need to be fried twice) at 350°F/175°C for 1 ½ to 2 minutes to make them nice and crispy. Double-frying is important! Serve with fresh lettuce, cilantro, Thai basil, mint and nuoc cham for dipping.

LE YELLOW SUB (CHA-GIO)

Steps:

• For the dipping sauce: Combine the hot water, fish sauce and sugar in a bowl and mix until dissolved. Let it cool, then add the vinegar, calamansi juice, garlic and chile peppers. Taste test and adjust the dipping sauce to your liking. (You can prepare the sauce in advance. Extra sauce can be stored in the fridge for up three months.)
• For the cha-gio: Boil the mushrooms in water for 2 minutes, then drain. Chop 1/2-inch large and set aside.
• Submerge glass noodles in a large bowl of hot water. Let soften 10 minutes, then drain and cut into 1-inch lengths.
• In wok or medium deep pot (no oil, ground pork has plenty of pork fat), combine
• ground pork, taro root and wood-ear mushroom. Cook, mixing on low heat until pork and taro are well done. Turn off heat, then combine with carrots, cabbage, glass noodles, onions, fish sauce, sugar and pepper.
• Separate wrappers into individual sheets by pulling them apart slowly to prevent tearing. There will be one side of the sheet with a hard edge (the side that connects all wrappers together). Tear or cut off that hard edge so that all sides are the same thickness.
• Use about 1 full tablespoon filling for each roll, and fold top over, then the right side, then left, and fold down to end. Dab a little egg to seal the roll. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.
• In a wok or deep skillet, heat vegetable oil to 325 degrees F.
• Fry in small batches until rolls are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer rolls to a tray lined with paper towels to drain off excess oil. Serve fresh and hot.

CRISPY SPRING ROLLS (CHA GIO)

Steps:

• Combine the bean thread noodles, mushrooms, onion, carrots, and green onions in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
• Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the fish sauce, garlic, salt, sugar, and black pepper. Add the chicken and pork and using a fork, break up the meat, so it is thoroughly mixed with the seasonings. Add the noodle mixture and mix well. Set aside.
• Combine the cornstarch and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over low heat and stir often to prevent sticking. If mixture seems too thick, add more water. This will be the "glue" to seal the edges of the wrapper.
• Cut the wrappers in half diagonally. You will have two equal triangles. Starting with the longest side toward you, place about 2 tablespoons of filling on the bottom area of the triangle. Using your fingers, mold the filling into a cylinder 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. Fold the two pointed ends of the wrapper in and roll to enclose. Dab a little cornstarch mixture along the edges (do not use too much "glue") and seal the roll. Set aside while you finish making the remaining rolls. Do not stack them.
• To fry, preheat a large wok or fry pan. When hot, pour enough oil in to completely cover the spring rolls. Heat to about 325 degrees. Carefully place the rolls into the oil. Do not crowd the pan or place the rolls on top of each other. Fry the spring rolls until filling is cooked, about 5 to 6 minutes on each side, turning often until they are nicely brown and crisp. If they brown too quickly, reduce the heat as the oil is too hot. Remove the cooked spring rolls from the pan and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately with dipping sauce and table salad .
• To enjoy a spring roll the Vietnamese way, put it on a lettuce leaf, top with cucumber and mint, and wrap it up. Then dip in Vietnamese dipping sauce.

CHA GIO VIETNAMESE EGG ROLLS

Steps:

• Soak vermicelli and shiitake mushroom in warm water until pliable, about 15 minutes; drain well. Mince shiitake.
• Combine vermicelli, shiitake, pork, shrimp, carrot, shallot, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Toss well to break up pork and and evenly distribute filling ingredients.
• Lay 1 egg roll wrapper diagonally on a flat surface. Spread a scant 2 tablespoons of filling across the center of the wrapper. Fold bottom corner over filling, then fold in side corners to enclose filling. Brush egg on top corner of wrapper and continue rolling to seal. Make additional egg rolls in same manner.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer, wok, or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), or until a drop of water jumps on the surface.
• Fry egg rolls until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels or paper bags.