Crispy Pork Egg Roll Vermicelli Bowls (Bún Chả Giò)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A cool bowl of rice vermicelli piled with lettuce ribbons, mint, cucumber and pickled carrot, then crowned with hot pork-and-wood-ear egg rolls sliced on the bias so every bite gets shattered wrapper. The trick is sequencing: fry the rolls in batches ahead, build the bowls while they rest, then reheat and slice at the very last second so the crust never has a chance to steam. Nuoc cham gets poured over everything at the table.

Ingredients

• 1 cup carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
• 1 cup daikon radish, cut into thin matchsticks
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 Thai chile, thinly sliced (optional)

• 1 oz dried bean thread (glass) noodles
• 1/2 oz dried wood ear mushrooms
• 1 lb ground pork (not extra-lean)
• 1/2 cup finely grated carrot
• 1/3 cup finely minced shallot
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg

• 16 frozen wheat spring roll wrappers (8-inch), thawed
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp water
• 6 cups neutral oil for frying (canola or peanut)

• 8 oz dried rice vermicelli (bún)
• 4 cups shredded green leaf or romaine lettuce
• 1 Persian cucumber, julienned
• 1 cup mint leaves
• 1 cup cilantro sprigs
• 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
• 3 tbsp fried shallots
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Make the pickles first so they have time to soften: whisk the rice vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tsp salt in a bowl until dissolved, add the carrot and daikon matchsticks, press them under the brine and let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes (up to 1 week refrigerated).
2. Whisk the nuoc cham: combine 1/4 cup fish sauce, 1/4 cup sugar and 3/4 cup warm water until the sugar fully dissolves, then stir in the lime juice, minced garlic and chile. Taste — it should read bright and lightly salty, not syrupy. Refrigerate until serving.
3. Soak the bean thread noodles and wood ear mushrooms in separate bowls of hot tap water for 15 minutes. Drain both hard. Snip the noodles into 1/2-inch lengths with scissors; trim any tough knobs off the mushrooms and mince them to the size of rice grains. Squeeze the mushrooms dry in a paper towel — wet filling steams the wrapper from the inside.
4. Mix the filling: in a large bowl combine the ground pork, chopped noodles, minced wood ear, grated carrot, shallot, garlic, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar, black pepper and the egg. Mix with your hand for about 45 seconds, just until cohesive. Do not overwork it.
5. Stir the flour and 2 tbsp water into a smooth paste for sealing. Peel off one wrapper and set it on the counter as a diamond. Place 3 tablespoons of filling in a 4-inch log across the lower third, fold the bottom corner up over it, fold both sides in tightly, then roll up firmly, brushing the top corner with flour paste to seal. Aim for a snug cigar about 4 1/2 inches long and 1 1/4 inches thick — loose rolls blister and burst. Repeat with the remaining wrappers, keeping the stack covered with a damp towel and the finished rolls in a single layer, not touching.
6. Pour 2 inches of oil into a heavy Dutch oven and heat to 340°F on a clip-on thermometer. Fry the rolls in batches of 4 or 5, turning occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until deep golden and the wrapper is blistered and hard-sounding when tapped. Keep the oil between 325°F and 350°F; below that they get greasy, above that the pork won't cook through. Drain upright in a colander or on a wire rack, never on paper towels.
7. While the rolls fry, cook the vermicelli: boil in a large pot of unsalted water for 4 to 6 minutes, until fully tender with no chalky core. Drain and rinse under cold running water for a full minute, tossing with your fingers to wash off starch, then drain very well and fluff. The noodles should be room temperature and separate, not clumped.
8. Build the bowls: divide the lettuce among 4 wide bowls, mound the vermicelli over half of each, then arrange cucumber, mint, cilantro, Thai basil, bean sprouts and a generous pinch of drained pickled carrot and daikon around the edges.
9. Just before serving, bring the rolls back to shattering crisp: return them to 375°F oil for 60 to 90 seconds, or reheat on a rack in a 425°F oven for 5 to 6 minutes. Let them sit 1 minute, then cut each roll on a sharp bias into 3 pieces with a serrated knife.
10. Pile the hot sliced rolls over the noodles cut-side up, shower with crushed peanuts and fried shallots, and add a lime wedge. Serve immediately with a small bowl of nuoc cham per person — each diner pours 1/3 to 1/2 cup over the bowl and tosses everything together right at the table.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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