Crispy fried spring rolls are not only a traditional favourite of Vietnamese, but also listed in the top 10 best dishes on CNN travel.
The dish is called nem ran in the North, cha ram in the central region and cha gio in the South.
The main ingredients of the dish slightly differ from one region to another, but usually consist of minced pork, ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, vermicelli, egg, onion, carrot, kohlrabi, pepper, salt and seasoning, which are mixed well and then wrapped in rice paper.
The filling of spring rolls can have prawns or crab for seafood lovers, or can exclude pork and include tofu to serve vegetarians.
After rolling the filling in rice paper sheets, deep fry the rolls until the rice paper turns crispy and golden brown. Put fried rolls on a plate with some fresh herbs.
Mix sugar, fish sauce and lemon with some water and add fresh chopped garlic and chili to have a tasty dipping sauce for the spring rolls.
Fried spring rolls are not only a favourite on Vietnamese daily menus but also an indispensable dish on every family’s food tray offered to ancestors on the Lunar New Year’s (Tet) Eve.
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The dipping sauce for fried spring rolls varies from one place to another. In central and southern Viet Nam, the dish is served with sweet and sour fish sauce with chopped garlic and chili while northerners prefer to add pickled carrot and kohlrabi.
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