When I think of growing up and my favorite Vietnamese dishes, I think of egg rolls and pho (beef noodle soup). I do have my Mom's recipe and I will be sharing that, not sure when yet! But these egg rolls, they are my Mom's recipe for Vietnamese egg rolls. I'm sure somebody will say they are not authentic. But when that's what you grow up with and your Mom is Vietnamese, they are authentic to me! 🙂
This past weekend, Curtis and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. We got married on his 30th birthday. This was supposed to be a surprise party for Curtis. But two weeks before the party, he found out about the surprise and was upset. He hates surprises and I thought we were going to have to call the whole thing off!
But then, the same day, Curtis suggested we get married at the party…surprise everyone back with a wedding ceremony. What do you think? I was on board. He kept asking me, are you sure you're okay with this? I was and still am. 🙂 We scrambled, I found a dress a week before the wedding and even traveled for work that week to Las Vegas for a tradeshow! I shopped for my shoes in Vegas too! Haha
One of our favorite things about our wedding day was that our late dog, Cinder, was there.
She got to enjoy the party. She knew how to open presents! We miss her and it's been almost 6 years since we had to say good bye to her and it took a while to not cry when I thought of her. Now, I smile when I think of her or catch a glimpse of the drawing we have hanging in our family room of her. (She was opening Curtis' birthday present in the picture above.)
My Mom made her Vietnamese egg rolls for our wedding too…so it's only fitting I'm sharing them with you now! There are four components to a Vietnamese egg roll that are very important. Above is taro root. Its consistency is like a potato but it has purple squiggly lines. Sometimes it's hard to find so that's when I have used malanga blanca which is very similar but no purple. The other three components, I'm mentioning below…dried seaweed (as it says on the package below) or dried black fungus, cellophane noodles and the kind of egg roll wrapper you use (it's very important).
The dried seaweed or dried black fungus comes in a bag like this. (Also known as wood ear mushrooms.)
After soaking it in hot water for 30 minutes, it looks like this! It's amazing how much more volume there is! See that knobby looking piece in the center? You want to cut these off before slicing it up.
All sliced up.
Next are cellophane noodles also known as bean thread noodles. They are sold in packages like this but you only need one section of the bag for this recipe.
Soak it in hot water for at least 15 minutes. And then roughly chop it after draining it.
I made this recipe three different ways so you can adjust for diet. Above, I processed chicken breasts and peeled and deveined shrimp. You can do all pork or all shrimp also. And to make it completely vegetarian, you can do a tofu version. I have the ingredients and instructions for each type below!
All of the veggies.
And sometimes you just have to use your hands.
Photo of the filling when it's made with tofu.
I'm here to say the spring roll or egg roll wrappers you find in most grocery stores will not cut it. They are too thick. I buy these at my Asian grocery store and a produce market I go to carries this brand as well. The Spring Home TYJ Spring Roll Pastry is my Mom's favorite brand for egg rolls. They are super thin and are freezer friendly so I usually stock up on these when they are on sale!
Here's my set up when I get ready to wrap and roll…haha like my joke?
I even put together a video as well as did step by step photos on how to wrap a Vietnamese egg roll. (Huge huge thanks goes to my friend, Joanne, for her help in filming this video!)
First place 2 Tablespoons of filling on one corner of one wrapper.
Roll that corner up.
Then fold over the side corners.
And then start rolling, as you are rolling, tuck it in tightly.
Use the egg whites as glue for the egg roll.
All done. But seriously, watch the video, it will help immensely if this is your first time making egg rolls!
I put them on a quarter sheet baking sheet covered in foil or parchment paper. This makes it easy to count, to organize and you can put the baking sheet in the freezer to prep for freezing. (Just be sure to layer foil or parchment paper on top so there's only one layer of egg rolls or they will stick to each other.)
Once frozen, you can put them in a zippered plastic bag…to keep them for when the craving or guests arrive. Freeze them separately at first so they don't freeze stuck together.
Before frying, set up your baking sheet with foil, paper towels and I use a cooling rack for the egg rolls. I sometimes use chopstick to remove the egg rolls but tongs are way easier!
We don't deep fry these, we fry them in about a 1/2 inch of oil (canola or vegetable) and they cook up nicely.
Right out of the fryer, be careful and let them cool for a few minutes before biting into one of these. I'm speaking from experience!
You won't be able to have just one. I promise.
Thanks, Mom, for the guidance. I have made these at least 10 times now measuring to make sure I have the measurements correctly because my Mom never measures.
Cut them up with kitchen shears to serve as a small appetizer at your next get together or on top of rice noodles and and with veggies to make a great noodle bowl! These will not disappoint!
Recipe
Vietnamese Egg Rolls Recipe (3 Ways!)
Ingredients
- 2.5- ounce bag dried black fungus, about 1 1/2 cups (I used half of the bag)
- 1 1/2 cups bean thread or cellophane noodles and roughly chopped
- 2 green onions, sliced thin
- 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 carrot, about 1/2 cup, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 head of cabbage, about 1 cup, shredded
- 1 medium taro root, or melanga blanca about 1 pound (about 2 cups), cut into large matchsticks
- a couple of dashes granulated sugar
- 2 packages egg roll wrappers, I use Spring Home TYJ brand Spring Roll Pastry
- 2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
- vegetable or canola oil for cooking
Choose one of the following:
Chicken & Shrimp
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 pound shrimp, if frozen, defrosted, peeled and deveined and rinsed
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Shrimp Only
- 1/2 pound shrimp, if frozen, defrosted, peeled and deveined and rinsed
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Tofu
- 1 14-ounce package of firm tofu, sliced thin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- First thing, (soaked in hot water for at least 30 minutes, drained, rinsed and then cut
- and sliced). Soak 1/2 a bag of dried black fungus (dried wood ear mushrooms) in a large bowl with hot water for at least 30 minutes. Soak 1 section of a bag of bean thread noodles for 15 minutes in a hot water.
If you're making tofu egg rolls
- Heat a nonstick skillet with one Tablespoon of grapeseed oil.
- Slice tofu into thin slices and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
- Remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Allow to cool and set aside.
- Once they are cool, cut them into strips.
- Prep other vegetables. Removing knobby pieces of the mushrooms and then slice thinly.
- Mix all vegetables together in one large mixing bowl. Use your hands, if needed.
Meat and/or Shrimp Filling
- Pat meat and/or shrimp dry with paper towels. Add meat and/or shrimp to a food processor and pulse for a few seconds at a time until blended and meat is roughly chopped. Don't over process so that it's mushy.
- Split vegetable mixture in half and mix meat in batches. Until it's all mixed together. Add salt and pepper and dashes of sugar. Mix in egg yolks thoroughly.
Wrapping Egg Rolls
- After opening the bag of egg roll wrappers, cover with a wet paper towel (that's been wrung out) to prevent drying out of the wrappers.
- On a clean surface like a cutting board, place one wrapper on the cutting board so it's a diamond. On the corner closest to you, place 2 Tablespoons of filling. Fold up that corner and then fold over the side corners.
- Start rolling up and as you're rolling, tuck the filling side in tightly. Use egg whites as a glue on the inside and outside to seal it closed.
Frying the Egg Rolls
- Line a Cookie sheet with foil and paper towels and top with cooling rack.
- Heat oil (about a 1/2 inch layer) in a nonstick skillet on medium high for 5 minutes. Oil should start to swirl when it's hot.
- Add 6 to 8 egg rolls and cook for 3 minutes (if frozen 5 to 6 minutes) on each side and then an additional 60 to 90 seconds on each side, if needed, until golden brown. (Lower heat to medium if oil gets too hot.)
- Using tongs, remove one egg roll at a time and hold them up lengthwise and allow oil to drain back into the pan.
- Place egg rolls on prepared pan and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
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Tools I use for this recipe:
- KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor (KitchenAid.com)- I can't live without mine. From grinding meat to making pie dough, I know some think food processors are a pain to clean but they are a must. It only takes seconds to prep food and when I use it to grind raw meat, I stick the cup, the blade and the lid in the top rack of my dishwasher.
- KitchenAid baking sheets – You can never have too many. I love love the quarter sheet size because that's what I use to freeze my dumplings, egg rolls and cookie dough. It fits right into my freezer snugly.
- KitchenAid silicone tipped stainless steel tongs – I have two pairs of these. Love them for cooking. Tongs are a must have in the kitchen!
- OXO Splatter Screen with folding handle – I love love this thing. It's saved me from so many messes. I actually wish I had two of these!
- Wilton cooling grid – I use these to cool my cookies and bars after they come out of the oven but I also use this rack to drain oil from fried things. It's a must have in the kitchen…I broke one of mine (got stuck in a drawer in an odd way) so I only have one now, I need to replace it soon!
- OXO Handheld Julienne Slicer – So cool and so convenient. Don't forget to use the guard on this thing!
- Ingredients: dried black fungus // bean thread or cellophane noodles
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means that I get a small percentage if you make a purchase. Thanks for allowing me to share my favorite recipes with you!
Deborah Maupin says
I made these last mother’s day (as I am a mother…that loves to cook) and they lasted me until November (in the freezer of course). Going to make a big batch again this weekend as I cannot wait until this Mother’s Day to taste these yummy egg rolls again! Great recipe!!!
Aaron says
Great Vietnamese egg rolls recipes. I’m planning to make ones for my son to bring to school for Christmas celebrate as part of Vietnamese culture tradition recipe. Oh congrats on your 11 years of anniversary.
Christan Schell says
Thank you for sharing!!! I just made the shrimp version and they are wonderful! I used a 1 lb of shrimp and everything else was the same. I think next time I’m going to add more taro and shrimp and little less of the other stuff (and no cabbage or green onion) to make them more like the fams. I ended up with 30 egg rolls.
Heather says
I am so excited for tbis recipe! When we lived in Hawaii our friend who is laos owned a shop id buy these all the time noone makes them like hers. Yours seems to be darn close . My kids are going to be so excited. I swear its an addiction when you’ve eaten these. Thank you again
christine says
Lovely recipe. I will make them tonight. Just an FYI that in the printed version of the recipe you did not include the wrappers in the ingredients list, so if someone did not read all of your story. they may get to the store and not have what they need to make them.
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
These egg rolls are gorgeous, Julie! You wrapped them perfectly and I love that you are sharing 3 ways to fill them. Congrats on 11 years, surprising your guests back sounded like so much fun 🙂
Danny Truong says
My Mom always makes the best Vietnamese egg rolls! But she has never put taro root, so maybe we’ll try it!
I HOPE your viewers learn to eat nuoc mam because ain’t an egg roll without that sauce!!
Monique says
I agree with the sauce!!
Theresa says
How do you prepare the taro? Do you cook it first and then slice into matchsticks or is it raw? Also in your recipe, the first step says, “First thing, (soaked in hot water for at least 30 minutes, drained, rinsed and then cut and sliced)” What is being soaked? Thanks.
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
These are on my must-try soon list!
Whitney @ The Newlywed Chefs says
These are professional! Congrats to you and Curtis!!
Caroline {TheBarbeeHousewife} says
Wow, I love your dedication, 1o times?! These must be perfect and delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Tasha @ ThatsSoYummy says
These look amazing and I think I could eat that whole bag. Loved the video!!!! Congrats and many more hunny!
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says
First, congrats to you and hubs on 11 years! What a special day and recipe!
Linda says
Belated Happy Anniversary!
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Jenny @ BAKE says
Congratulations! 11 years is a real achievement! these egg rolls look amazing!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
Dontcha just love those favorite recipes that don’t have any measurements?! I’ve had to straddle my grandma and mom for “recipes” and then experiment until I get the measurements right. But then I have them forever. So worth it. These egg rolls look completely awesome. WANT!
Jessica says
What kind of dipping sauce do you usually serve it with? I spent a while in Vietnam and the egg rolls there always came with a little bag of orange sauce that was sort of sweet and spicy. I never could figure out what it was called and now when I go to Asian markets I always look for it but I never know exactly what I’m looking for. It’s been driving me nuts.
Julie Deily says
Hi Jessica, I can’t believe I forgot to mention it! It’s usually served with a nuoc cham dipping sauce but I like to use the sauce from this recipe for dipping: https://www.thelittlekitchen.net/sweet-spicy-four-ingredient-chicken-wings/
Mai Nguyen says
Hello, I don’t think you can buy it from Asian market, since it must be mixed, but this is how my family makes it. You’ll need white sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, water, and some chili if you want it to be spicy. You start with a half teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of vinegar and another for fish sauce. Stir so that the sugar will be dissolved.Taste it, if it’s too salty (it usually will be), add little water. Keep tasting and adding the ingredients as you taste it until it gets to perfect taste. Then slice your chili and add it for spiciness. This is the recipe for the time you want to do it fast. In Vietnam we keep a bottle of vinegar with many chili inside, the chili will gradually shrink and turn sour, at the same time the vinegar gets spicier, this will be used instead of fresh chili.
Unfortunately I don’t have a perfect ratio for this, since everything my mom cooked is always about approximate and taste. It might be hard the few first times, but it’s not impossible!
Hope this helps!
Karen says
Love that you shared this recipe. Thank you to your mom and for your hard work in making sure the measurements would offer the reader a good success. This will be a weekend project for my husband and me to do together. Congratulations on a great combination celebration and the pictures of Cinder are priceless.
Sandy @ Reluctant Entertainer says
Julie, these look amazing. Would love to make these with you some time?? Yes!
Candy says
These look killer.. Sounds delicious too!
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
I am so bad at folding and wrapping things – I need your tutorial badly! And yay, I can make the vegetarian version! 😀
Jen MO says
Congrats on 11 years! The egg rolls look great.
Jaden says
I need to borrow your Mama for a weekend!!! Wow, yummy!
naomi says
Love that you shared those wedding photos! And egg rolls look so good. They are exactly how my mom made them too. And you are right the wrap is so important – must be thin!
Sonja @ unearthedkitchen says
These look so delicious! I love Asian streetfood, so this is perfect for me! I will try this out for sure 🙂
Jamie | My Baking Addiction says
Happy Anniversary! I love how simple you make this look, Julie – makes me think I could totally manage them!
Christine from Cook the Story says
I love all of the different varieties! These look fabulous!
Paula - bell'alimento says
WHA wow! I’m coming over I want to make these with you : )
danielle says
These look and sound amazing!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
DYING!! This post is perfection!!!!! I have GOT to try these!!!! Ironically, cellophane noodles are on my grocery list this week and I will definitely be hitting up an Asian market. Thanks for all of the great tips – also love the video!
Ali | Gimme Some Oven says
Wow, wow, WOW. These egg rolls look absolutely perfect! And I adore the video. And happy 11th to you both!! 🙂
Cookbook Queen says
Girl…I need you to come stock my freezer. These look AMAZING!! Love the video 🙂 You did such a great job on this post.
Tina | Mademoiselle Gourmande says
They look awesome! 🙂 I love spring rolls / egg rolls and have had them a thousand times in Vietnam on our last holiday. I do have some of those sheets in the freezer and have never used them. Will have to check if the are thin enough and will try this recipe then. Thanks for the step by step instructions. 🙂
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
11 years?! SO awesome! Congrats! I just celebrated 1 year ha!
Speaking of marriage and husbands, mine LOVES egg rolls (so do i!) and I had no idea how to make them
You just saved my life. Pinned!