Eggrolls (Chả giò in Vietnamese) are a staple in Vietnamese cuisine. Despite its name, eggrolls contains no egg. They’re filled with taro root, carrot, dried mushroom and rice vermicelli noodles. They also usually contain tofu or a meat product. This version is fried but there’s also spring rolls that are not fried, I’ll make those and post them some time soon.
This recipe is for my version of vegetarian eggrolls. They are very convenient when you’re serving a large crowd. Eggrolls are the perfect party food. You can make them large and serve them with the main course, or make them smaller and serve them as appetizers. All you need is a good fillling and a ton of little helpers to wrap the crispy delicious cigar shaped snacks. Some of my earliest culinary memories are of my mom making me wrap a bunch of eggrolls before a party.
It took all of us about half an hour to wrap everything whereas if you’re alone it’ll take about 2 hours. It won’t take that long for your guests to devour them though!
1. Info for Mini Fried Vegetarian Eggrolls (Cha Gio Chay in Vietnamese)
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 2 hrs
- Servings: 8
- Calories: 338
2. Ingredients for Mini Fried Vegetarian Eggrolls (Cha Gio Chay in Vietnamese)
- 1 lb taro roots (or red potatoes), shredded
- 1 carrot
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 Tbs fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 block fresh tofu, firm
- 1/4 cup mung bean
- 1 oz black fungus mushrooms, dried
- 1 tsp mushroom powder
- 1 pack rice vermicelli noodle, dried (2 oz)
- 2 packs eggroll wrappers, frozen
- 1 tsp black peppercorns, freshly ground
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 cups canola oil (or any neutral oil), as needed
3. Directions:
- Slice about 1 inch thick the block of tofu. Bring a big saucepan full of water to a boil. Boil the tofu for about 30 seconds. Drain, cool down, then hand mash it. Set aside. Cut the root end off of the carrot. Peel it. Wash it. Then julienne the carrot into thin strips. Finely Chop. Set aside Place the whole package of dried rice vermicelli noodles in a bowl. Don’t forget to cut the little thread and discard them! Soak them in cold water for 20 minutes, then drain. Chop into 1 inch threads. Set aside.