Try our delicious cha gio Vietnamese spring rolls with a citrusy twist from shiso leaves, perfectly balancing the savory pork.
Experience a delicious twist on traditional Vietnamese spring rolls with our cha gio! These tasty rolls are wrapped with additional shiso leaves, adding a citrusy flavor that perfectly balances the savory pork. Not only are they visually appealing, but they're also incredibly flavorful!
This post features a cha gio Vietnamese fried spring roll recipe with shiso leaves—a fun, beautiful, and tasty twist to the traditional spring rolls.
Why Try This Recipe?
What's Special About This Recipe?
What sets this Cha Gio recipe apart is the addition of shiso leaves. Shiso, also known as perilla, is a popular herb in Asian cuisine, known for its distinctive flavour that combines hints of mint, basil, and citrus.
When wrapped around the spring rolls, shiso leaves not only add a burst of freshness but also create a beautiful presentation. The combination of textures—crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside—along with the unique flavor profile makes this dish truly special.
Occasions to Make This Recipe
Cha Gio with shiso leaves is a versatile dish that suits a variety of occasions. Here are a few ideas:
- Family Gatherings: Impress your loved ones with these flavorful spring rolls at your next family dinner.
- Dinner Parties: Serve them as an appetizer or main course at your next dinner party. Their unique flavor and presentation will be a hit.
- Special Celebrations: Whether it's a birthday, anniversary, or holiday, Cha Gio makes for a delightful addition to your celebratory meals.
- Casual Get-Togethers: Perfect for a weekend lunch or a casual get-together with friends, these spring rolls are easy to eat and share.
How to Make Cha Gio Rolls
Prepare the Filling:
In a large bowl, combine ground pork, cooked vermicelli noodles, grated carrots, chopped onion, minced garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and pepper. Mix well until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
Wrap the Rolls:
Lay a spring roll wrapper on a flat surface. Place a shiso leaf on top of the wrapper. Add a spoonful of the pork mixture onto the shiso leaf. Fold the sides of the wrapper over the filling, then roll tightly. Seal the edge with a bit of the beaten egg.
Fry the Rolls:
Heat oil in a deep pan or fryer to 350°F (175°C). Carefully add the spring rolls to the hot oil, a few at a time, and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Serve:
Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce, such as nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce) or a simple soy sauce and vinegar mix.
Ingredients
To make these delicious Cha Gio Vietnamese fried spring rolls with shiso leaves, you'll need the following ingredients:
Rice Paper Wrappers
To wrap the spring rolls, we will be using rice papers.
Ground Pork
Shiso Leaves
Shiso leaves are added to cha gio for their unique, aromatic flavour and fragrant aroma. There are leaves you can find in the grocery store that are both green on the two sides. I am using the one where one is green, and the other is a dark mahogany colour.
Vermicelli Noodles
Rice vermicelli noodles are added to cha gio to provide a soft, chewy texture and help bind the ingredients together, making the spring rolls easier to roll and fry. They also add bulk to the filling, allowing the flavors of the meat, shrimp, and vegetables to shine through.
Carrots
Carrots are added to cha gio for their mild sweetness, crunch, and vibrant color, which enhance the overall flavor, texture, and visual appeal of the spring rolls. Additionally, they provide nutritional benefits, making the dish more wholesome.
Jicama
To soak up the moisture from the meat and other ingredients. When there's too much moisture in the meat, explosions can happen when you fry it in hot oil.
Black ear fungus
Black ear fungus gives it a nice texture and colour contrast when you bite into it. And it also has it's distinctive flavour as well.
Fish Sauce
To give it that distinctive flavour, fish sauce is mixed into the meat for that cha gio flavour.
This post features a cha gio Vietnamese fried spring roll recipe with shiso leaves—a fun, beautiful, and tasty twist to the traditional spring rolls.
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Cha Gio Fried Spring Rolls With Shiso Leaves
Ingredients
Filling
- 200 g ground pork
- 100 g shrimp finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot grated
- 1 small jicama grated
- 50 g black ear fungus soaked and finely chopped
- 100g rice vermicelli noodles soaked and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 egg lightly beaten
Wrapping
- Rice papers
- 10-12 fresh shiso leaves
Dipping Sauce
- 4 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 1 small chili finely chopped
- 2 tbsp carrots grated
Instructions
Prepare the filling
- In a large bowl, combine ground pork, chopped shrimp, carrot, jicama, black ear fungus, rice vermicelli noodles, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, and white pepper.
- Mix well until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Add the beaten egg to the mixture and mix again to ensure everything is well bound together.
Wrap the cha gio
- Prepare a large plate of warm water to soften the rice paper wrappers.
- Dip one rice paper wrapper in the warm water for a few seconds until it becomes pliable. Lay it flat on a clean surface.
- Place a shiso leaf on the softened rice paper. I like to alternate the double side if you're fortunate enough to have the shiso leaves with two different colours of each side.
- Add about 1-2 tablespoons of the filling mixture onto the center of the wrapper.
- Fold the bottom of the wrapper up over the filling, then fold in the sides, and roll tightly to form a compact roll.
- Repeat the process with the remaining wrappers and filling.
Fry the cha gio
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan or pot over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, carefully add the spring rolls in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
- Fry until the spring rolls are golden brown and crispy, about 5-7 minutes per batch.
- Remove the spring rolls and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
Dipping sauce
- In a small bowl, combine fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, water, garlic, and chili.
- Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add grated carrot for garnish.
