Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls (Nem Ran/Cha Gio)

Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls are delicious with crispy exterior and flavorful filling. This dish is a must in any traditional Vietnamese banquets or celebrations. I am sharing the authentic way to make them as well as tips to ensure they turn out golden and crispy.

What are Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls

There are two main categories of spring rolls in Vietnam: the fresh ones (called gỏi cuốn) and the fried ones. Vietnamese people call the fried version nem rán (usually in Hanoi), chả nem (like in my hometown) or chả giò (in the South of Vietnam).

Depending on the regions, the filling may be slightly different, but it usually contains ground pork, shrimp, and a variety of shredded veggies. It is then wrapped with a spring roll wrapper and fried until golden and crispy.

Outside of Vietnam, some people call them egg rolls, but I personally avoid using those words to call Vietnamese fried spring rolls. I don’t want to have an impression that they are made with egg roll wrappers which are not the same as the Vietnamese ones.

As mentioned at the beginning, this dish is a must in any Vietnamese traditional feasts or banquets, such as Lunar New Year. It is actually also great for everyday meal since you can make it ahead and freeze for later.

Watch How to Make these Crispy Spring Rolls

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Ingredients

The recipe I’m sharing today is an authentic Northern-style fried spring rolls. Here are the main ingredients:

• spring roll wrappers: these white sheets are made from rice flour and sun-dried before packaged and sold to consumers. In Vietnam, we don’t use spring roll pastry or egg roll wrappers to make cha gio.
• ground pork and chopped shrimp: I often use a 50-50 or 60-40 ratio of pork to shrimp. When we have fresh crab meat on hand, I also love to add it to the filling.
• glass noodles (miến, also called cellophane noodles or mung bean thread noodles): you can find these at Asian grocery stores. Make sure you choose Vietnamese or Chinese glass noodles. The Korean ones are not suitable for this dish.
• dried wood-ear mushrooms: these add crunchiness to the filling.
• shredded carrot and beansprouts: these are among the most popular veggies used in spring roll filling. Some people like to use jicama or kohlrabi. When I was in the US., I sometimes took a shortcut by using a bag of slaw with pre-shredded cabbage and carrot :).
• eggs, shallot, fish sauce, salt and pepper

The Southern Vietnamese rolls have a slightly different filling. Instead of using glass noodles, people like to add shredded sweet potatoes or taro.

Don’t Wrap Too Tight

This dish is not difficult to make at all, although if you make a large batch, it can be quite time-consuming to wrap the rolls. First, you will need to slice or cut ingredients into small pieces and then mix them well to combine.

The next step will be wrapping. Use your fingertips to dab water over the wrapper to make it pliable, then add the filling and roll.

Here’s a very important thing: when you make these Northern-style spring rolls, do not wrap too tight, or the rolls may burst when you fry them. The reason is the noodles in the filling will expand when frying.

My Family’s Tips For Extra Crispiness

One of the things that make this dish tasty is its crispy exterior. In order to achieve that, here are my family’s tips:

• Add just a few drops of vinegar to the water you will use to dab over the spring roll wrappers
• Fry twice: first time with medium heat to cook the interior and second time to crisp up the exterior
• Use a generous amount of frying oil
• Fry the rolls in a single layer and leave some room to move them around. Overcrowding the pan will lower the heat too much and the rolls may not turn out crispy

How to Serve Fried Spring Rolls

It is best to eat the rolls right after the second fry. If you plan to eat them the next day, do the first fry, refrigerate them, and do the second fry the next day.

If you want to freeze the rolls for later, do so after the first fry. When you need to serve them, let them thaw a bit and then refry on the stovetop or in an air-fryer.

The most common way to serve these is with rice vermicelli noodles, soft lettuce, fresh herbs and nuoc cham dressing. There is a variety of herbs you can use: cilantro, Thai basil, spearmint (peppermint is fine too), and perilla leaves.

In a traditional Vietnamese feast such as for Lunar New Year celebration, nem ran/cha gio is served with a selection of savory dishes, including poached chicken, sticky rice, soup and stir-fry. Here are other traditional dishes we like to serve in such feast:

⭐️ I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment and a rating if you have tried it. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.