Fried Shrimp Rolls (Cha Gio Tom) Recipe
For Accompaniments:
Nuoc Cham
A bunch Of coriander
A bunch Of mint
For Filling:
1 oz. Cellophane noodles (bean thread)
1 pc. Egg
1/2 minced med. Onion
4 ozs. pork shoulder (ground)
1/4 tsp. black pepper, ground freshly
4 ozs. Canned or Fresh crabmeat, picked & drained
4 minced cloves of Garlic
1 cup of Fresh bean sprouts
4 ozs. ground beef (lean)
4 minced Shallots
2 tbsps. Nuoc mam (fish sauce, Vietnamese)
For assembling & frying:
24 Rounds of rice paper (banh, trang) each pc. should be around 8 1/2 inches in diameter
Peanut oil to fry
1/2 cup of Sugar
24 peeled Raw medium-sized shrimps with tail sections, deveined & attached
This dish is really great served together with some Cha Gio. First, make Nuoc Cham. Coriander and mint leaves should be washed & dried then set it aside.
To make filling: Noodles should be soaked in some warm water for around 30 mins. then drain them up and slice in 1-inch lengths.
To assemble rolls: In a bowl, just fill it up with around four cups warm water then dissolve sugar in water.
Since rice paper is so fragile, only two sheets a time should be worked at 1 time and set aside other sheets (just cover them using a damp cloth so it will not curl up).
Soak a sheet of rice paper in warm water with sugar then take them out & spread paper flat onto dry, clean towels.
Soak other sheet then spread the sheet out to dry as well but do not allow them to touch each other. Rice paper will be pliant within a couple of seconds.
Next, fold bottom 3rd of each round then put half a tbsp. of filling into the middle portion that we folded over.
Then, put a shrimp on filling but leave the tail section extended over the fold line.
Shrimp should then be topped with additional half a tbsp. of filling & press it into a tight triange to form a point wherein tail is extended & make sure that filling is really flat to make it easier to wrap the whole thing.
Fold sides over to completely enclose your filling, next, fold other sides over to seal up triangle.
Finished roll should appear like a triangle with a handle. Do the exact same process again with remainder of the wrappers.
After wrapping them, it is time to fry up rolls. Pour around 1-1.5 inches oil to a skillet then heat it to around 325′ F. Add rolls into the skillet but make sure not to overcrowd because they might stick to one another.
Rolls should be fried on moderate flame for 10-12 mins. and make sure to turn it often just until rolls turn golden brown and crispy.
Drain rolls using some paper towels and keep them warm inside an oven & continue to fry up all the rest. Serve rolls together with Nuoc Cham, coriander and mint leaves and serve as appetizers.
Note: Rolls should be fried beforehand and reheated inside an oven at 350′ F for 20 mins. or just until they are crispy. Makes around 24 pcs. of rolls.
