← Nouns Cooking · Vietnamese

Ingredients

• 40 g dried glass (bean thread) noodles
• 10 g Dried wood ear mushrooms
• 500 g Minced pork
• 200 g raw prawns, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 Carrot, finely grated
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 Spring onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Eggs
• 1 tbsp Fish sauce
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 24 sheets spring roll pastry sheets (about 20 cm)
• 1 egg yolk, beaten, to seal
• oil, for deep-frying
• 4 tbsp Fish sauce
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 8 tbsp warm water
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Bird's eye chilli, finely chopped
• 1 Lettuce, leaves separated
• 1 bunch Mint

Method

1. Soak the glass noodles and wood ear in separate bowls of warm water for 20 min, until soft. Drain well, cut the noodles into 3 cm lengths and finely chop the wood ear.
2. Mix the noodles and wood ear with the pork, prawns, carrot, onion, spring onions, egg, fish sauce, sugar, salt and pepper until evenly combined. Fry a teaspoon of the mix to taste the seasoning.
3. Lay a wrapper on the board with a corner pointing at you. Put a heaped tablespoon of filling near that corner and shape it into a 10 cm log. Fold the corner over, roll once, fold in both sides, then roll up tightly and seal the last corner with egg yolk. Repeat; keep the finished rolls covered.
4. Heat 5 cm of oil in a wok or deep pan to 170°C (340°F). Fry 5–6 rolls at a time for 8–10 min, turning, until deep golden and blistered and the filling is cooked through (it should reach 71°C / 160°F). Drain upright on kitchen paper.
5. Make the nước chấm: dissolve the sugar in the warm water, then add the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and chilli. Serve the rolls hot, wrapped in lettuce and mint and dipped in the sauce.

Tips

• Spring roll pastry contains wheat. For a gluten-free version, roll in rice paper: dip each sheet briefly in water and fry at a slightly lower heat, as it browns faster and can stick.
• Freeze uncooked rolls on a tray, then bag them; fry from frozen for a few minutes longer.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Vicky Pham Hungry Huy Wok and Kin