Vietnamese Egg Rolls and Rice Vermicelli

Craving crispy, flakey Vietnamese egg rolls? Try making them at home! This dish is also known as bún chả giò, and rolling each one by hand makes you truly appreciate the work that goes into restaurant dishes.

Vietnamese Eggrolls

Ingredients

• 150 g carrots, peeled

• 400 g taro, peeled

• 20 g woodear mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 1/2 onion, grated

• 340 g ground plant-based meat

• 100 g mung bean noodles, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, cut into 1 inch pieces

• 2 tbsp cornstarch

• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 3 tbsp water + 2 tbsp cornstarch, slurry

• 2 packages thin egg roll wrapper, ~50 sheets (I recommend the brand Menlo)

• canola or vegetable oil

Toppings & Finishes

• rice vermicelli

• sliced cucumbers

• pickled daikon and carrot

• vegan dipping sauce

• lettuce, mint leaves, basil, other aromatics

• fried onions

Instructions

1. Finely grate carrots and taro (we used a food processor). Set aside in a large bowl (you can keep them together).

2. Finely grate onions then use a towel to squeeze out excess moisture.

3. In a large bowl, combine onions, mushroom, mung bean noodles, and plant-based grounds. Add soy sauce, cornstarch, salt, sugar, and black pepper. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated.

4. Defrost egg roll paper.

5. Place 1 sheet of egg roll wrapper on a flat surface. Rotate it so it's a diamond shape. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling onto the sheet on the corner closest to you. Begin rolling. Fold the sides in 1/2 way through your roll. When you reach the end, dip the corner of your egg roll wrapper into your cornstarch slurry to seal the egg roll. *NOTE: Be careful not to overfill and roll tightly so egg roll doesn't leak.

6. In medium-sized pan, heat up oil to ~350 degrees F. Make sure oil is around 1/2 inch deep in the pan. Mix in about 1/2 tbsp of cornstarch into the oil to help reduce splatter.

7. Once oil is hot, add 2-3 egg rolls into the pan. Fry egg rolls on both sides until they’re a dark golden brown color, making sure the heat doesn’t go too high (~5 min). Place on cooling rack or paper towel to cool. *NOTE: If egg roll browns too quickly, lower heat.

8. Makes roughly 35 egg rolls (depending on how much filling you put in). Enjoy with vermicelli, veggies, and dipping sauce.