Vietnamese Deep Fried Spring Rolls ~ Cha Gio

When I came back from Singapore last month, I had made a pit stop to visit my girlfriends in Anaheim and Santa Monica, CA, before flying again to TN. While I was there, we went to an Asian store close to my girlfriend's home. I bought a few items (making sure not too many because I was not willing to pay for the access baggage.. hehe) and a package of Vietnamese deep fried spring roll wrapper was one of the them. 

Vietnamese Deep Fried Spring Rolls are wheat-free. Serve them as appetizers or as snacks. To eat, each person puts a spring roll on a lettuce leaf, adding some of the herbs. Roll them up and dipped in the sauce before eating. Delicious!

Ingredients:

7 1/2 oz very thin bean thread noodles (in small skeins, also known as cellophane or mung bean noodles)

2 oz dried wood ear mushrooms

1 medium shallot

2 garlic cloves

2 cups shredded carrots (4 to 5 carrots)

1 lb ground chicken

1/4 cup Asian fish sauce (preferably from Phu Quoc)

1/4 cup plus 1 tsp sugar

2 1/2 tsps black pepper

2 tsps salt

1 lb cooked crab meat, picked clean or coarsely chopped raw shrimp

25 pieces rice paper 

1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

About 6 cups vegetable oil

Prepare filling:

Put noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water by several inches. Soak, pulling noodles apart and stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Drain noodles and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces (you should have about 3 cups), then transfer to another large bowl.

Put mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water by several inches. Soak 15 minutes. Drain and rinse mushrooms thoroughly, then drain again. Trim off and discard any hard parts from mushrooms. Finely chop mushrooms. (You should have about 2 cups.) Add to noodles.

Pulse shallot and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped, then add to noodles along with carrots, chicken, fish sauce, sugar, pepper, and salt. Pulse shrimp in processor until coarsely ground. (Do not overprocess or it will become pasty.) Add shrimp to noodle mixture. Mix with your hands until well combined. Chill filling, covered with plastic wrap, until cold.

Assemble rolls:

Line 2 trays with wax paper.

Transfer one fourth of filling to a small bowl and keep remainder chilled, covered. Wet the rice paper in a bowl of water. Allow a few seconds for it to get pliable and then put in the filling. Do only one at a time. If you try to moisten them all at once, they will get mushy by the time you get to wrapping them. (lesson learnt!! My first few was mushy.. LoL!). Put about 2 tsp of the filling across the wider part of the wedge rice paper, or across each round rice paper, placing it about 3cm from the bottom edge. Roll the edge over the filling, then fold over the sides of the rice paper and roll up tightly. Place the seam side down on the wax paper. Do not stack the rolls.

Put the heat on medium-high so that the wrappers can puff up and become flaky, then they'll turn golden. By the time wrappers are crispy golden, the filling should be cooked. Fry rolls in batches of 5 or 6, keeping rolls apart during first minute of frying to prevent sticking, until golden brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.

Drain on a brown paper or paper towel and drain the rolls upright 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

To eat, wrap hot or warm rolls in lettuce leaves and tuck in mint and cilantro leaves. Serve with dipping sauce.

## I made some changes from the recipe that I used. Read more from epicurious.

Oven-baked potato wedges

Oven-baked potato wedges.. I like to flavor them any way I want. This is a simple and no mess recipe. Feel free to spice them up.. :))

I used 6 russet potatoes (or potato type of your choice). Wash and pat dry. Place the whole potatoes (do not poke) into microwave-safe covered dish. Microwave on HIGH for 3 to 4 minutes. Let them cool before you cut them. Then cut each potato lengthwise into 8 even wedges. Coat wedges with 5-6 tablespoon of olive oil.

For the seasonings, I have chosen; 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dry basil, 1 teaspoon dry thyme, 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder. Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mix with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. You can use fresh herbs if you like. I do not have fresh ones so the dry ones works. Then coat the wedges with the seasonings.

Arrange the potatoes and garlic in a single layer on a baking sheet. Do not let the fries touch while on the baking sheet, let some space between them, otherwise they will steam and become soggy.

Bake for 10 minutes in a preheat oven at 400 degrees F until the potatoes are crisp, rotate and cook an additional 10 minutes until dark golden brown on all sides.

Transfer to a plate and serve with mayo or any dipping of your choice. :))

Rojak

ROJAK.. I like Rojak, even a simple Yu Char Kway Rojak.. The term "Rojak" is Malay means “wild mix” or “combination of ingredients”. A popular dish in Singapore and you can find it anywhere in Singapore. 

Rojak is also used as a colloquial expression for an eclectic mix, and in particular is often used to describe the multi-ethnic character of Singaporean and Malaysian society. 

There are Malay, Indian and Chinese style. Malay and Chinese rojak are almost similar. They are built on a vibrant assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables, which may include pineapple, cucumber, sweet turnip, water spinach, green apple, bean sprouts, water apple, green mango, guava, slivers of lime zest, and shredded ginger bud. Except for Chinese Rojak, toasted Yu Char Kway (a crispy length of deep fried flour) and toasted Taufu Pok (bean curd), cut into bite-sized, are added to the fruit salad. The sticky prawn paste is mixed with a little lime juice or tamarind juice and some sugar. Chilli paste may be added for some spice. A dusting of ground peanuts gives further texture. The paste is then mixed thoroughly. Once it is well mixed, the mixed vegetables and ingredients are added. Finally the mixture is garnished with a dash of finely cut ginger flower. 


Indian Rojak is an assortment of potatoes, eggs, fried greens, steamed fishcakes, bean curd, prawn fried in batter. The Indian version is also tossed in peanut sauce, although this version has an added red flavoring and color for that tinge of spiciness.

The picture here is my Yu Char Kway Rojak. I did not add any fruits or vegetables because, I just preferred to have plain Yu Char Kway. ;)

I used the whole bag of frozen Yu Char Kway. You can get at any Asian store in the US. To make the paste: mix 4 tbsp sticky prawn paste, 1-1/2 tbsp lime juice, 1/2 tbsp lime rind, 5 tbsp sugar and some grounded peanuts. Mix thoroughly. Drizzled the sweet sour sauce over the bite-sized Yu Char Kway. Garnish with extra crushed peanuts. 

Rojak is often served as a side dish, appetizer or as a main meal. I cant wait to go back to Singapore and have me some Singapore ROJAK!!!! *winks*

Popiah Goreng (Deep-fried Spring Rolls)

Spring rolls are delicious starters. You have them plain or dip in the sweet chili sauce. Ever since I introduced these spring rolls to my hubby, he loves them. ;) Deep fried spring rolls are HOT favorite with my family. You will never see any left overs.  There are two types of spring rolls; 

Fried vs. Non Fried

Fried spring rolls are smaller and crisper. They can be sweet or savory. Typically prepared with meat or vegetables.  

Non-fried spring rolls are bigger and more savory. Usually the fillings are pre-cooked ingredients.  ~~~~ Both types are yummilious!!!!!!!!!

Spring rolls can be found in many Asian countries. I was so happy to get Tee Yih Jia’s Spring Roll Pastry at the Asian store. I also found out that this Singapore brand is the world leading manufacturer for spring roll wrappers. Yippy!!! They come in various sizes (plain or with egg). Here is a picture of the package look like.

The filling is my mum's recipe. No pre-cooked. Simple and easy. She used jicama (we call them sengkuang). I couldn't get them here, so I  substitute for sweet potatoes. Others like to add beansprouts but I do not like them. Next time, I will add cooked baby shrimps or chicken meat to my fillings. ;)

Here is what I used:
1 package spring roll wrapper (thawed if frozen) 

1 big sweet potatoes, peeled and finely julienned

3 carrot, peeled and finely julienned

1 carton mushroom - chopped

oyster sauce (I just throw in, didn't take the measurement, I think shld be ard 1/4 cup)
abt 1/2 tsp chili powder

a dash white pepper

cooking oil

Prepare the spring roll filling: In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, oyster sauce, chili powder and white pepper. Using a fork, mix together well. Rest for 5 minutes. Then drained.

To assemble rolls: Take some spring roll wrapper and cut into half. *this to ensure the spring roll wont break when cooking in the hot oil*
Place a spring roll wrapper on a clean working surface. Place the half wrapper on top of the whole wrapper (corners together) closest to you, then place one heaping Tbsp. of the filling on the half wrapper(if using large wrappers, you will need more). Spread the filling lengthwise along the spring roll wrapper nearer the end closest to you. Fold the left and right sides of wrapper over filling, then lift up the wide end nearest you and tuck overtop. Roll to the other end. Seal the wrapper by moistening the seam with a dab of water. (you may like to see the steps shown in my "Rolling those wraps... traditional chinese egg rolls".

Pour the oil in a wok or a pot. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Place five to six spring rolls at a time. Leave 1 to 2 inches of space between the rolls. Deep-fry until it turns golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving. Continue to fry entire batch is complete.

Serve the spring rolls immediately with a sweet chili sauce for dipping.

Notes:
Try not to include too much of the liquid from the filling. Drier filling is better. 

The skin may dry rather fast.To avoid this, simply place a damp (not wet) kitchen paper over it after you wrapped. Spring roll can be made a day ahead. Cover them with a damp paper towel, then wrap well in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Refrigerating firms and toughens the wrappers. If they are little dry, wipe them gently with a damp cloth.

Deep frying spring rolls gives them a golden, crispy outer shell while leaving the veggies inside moist and tender. Fry spring rolls to a perfect golden color by keeping the oil temperature just right. Increasing the oil temperature to reduce cooking time can result in undercooked insides and burnt outer shells.

Begedil (Potato cutlets)

These are my all-time favorite comfort food and it is also my hubby's favorite now.
Begedil is a deep fried potato cutlets. Mashed, shaped, coated and fried.
It is a common Malay side dish. Usually you have it with Nasi Padang or Mee Soto. 
They are so easy to make.

You can either boil or deep-fry the potatoes. Works both ways. I used 3 medium size potatoes. Remove the skin and cut into cubes. This time, I boiled  the potatoes but I much preferred them deep-fried.

Mash the potatoes in a dry bowl.

Some like it plain and others like to add cooked ground beef. If you like to add ground beef or chicken, make sure to cook the meat ahead and set aside to cool.

Here, I added cooked ground beef, chopped cilantro and spring onions, fried shallots, salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly.

Shape into medium sized balls with the palms of your hands before flattening.

Lastly, coat begedil in beaten eggs and deep-fry till lightly browned.

Salmon Cakes

Gotta tell ya...I cooked a lot but I have the tendency to snap pictures of my food and did not post them right away in my blogspot!!!! Just like this one. We had it about 2 weeks ago and now, I'm just posting it here... What a procrastination!!! NOT GOOD!!!!

Anyway, I never had these salmon cakes before so I made them for dinner the other day.. They are great, I am not sure what is it but something is missing in my salmon cakes.. maybe I didn't sprinkle enough lemon juice.... I adapted the recipe from my 'The Seafood Cookbook, Florida Favorites' and change a little bit from the recipe, by adding mashed potatoes.....

Salmon Cakes
Ingredients:
1 can salmon
1 small onion, diced
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 tsp Worcestershire
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley or parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 potatoes

To coat the patties before frying:
flour
1 egg, beaten
cornmeal
crushed cornflakes

Peel off the skin from the potatoes and cut into cubes. In medium saucepan with water, bring the potatoes to a boil until it turned soft. Leave it to cool before mash the potatoes.

In a medium bowl, flake the salmon with a fork (I removed the bones although they are edible). Mix in the potatoes, onion, egg, parsley, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Form into cakes or patties, about 12 small size.

Roll patties in flour, then in the beaten egg and lastly in the cornflakes or cornmeal or even breadcrumbs.

Heat oil in a skillet. Fry till golden. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

In the below picture, I drizzled my cake with some honey mustard sauce. yummy!

Shrimp Wantons (deep-fried)

Tonight, we had some home cooked Chinese Food. I cooked shrimp wantons, stir-fried beef, stir-fried cabbage and some eggs. I followed the recipe by Rachel Edelman. I saw her video in About.com: Chinese Food. She uses uncooked shrimp but I used the cooked shrimps and even add some chopped spring onions. ...nice..... I miss eating the Chinese food back home.. Wanton shredded chicken wanton noodles, chicken rice, fried kuehteau, carrot cake and so much more... (oh my thinking of these food makes me hungry again..lol)

For this recipe, you will need:

• 1 pound uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ginger root
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• cornstarch (for dusting baking sheet)
• 1 8-ounce package wanton wrappers, (use 2/3 package; thaw if frozen)

Unwrap the wantons and keep them covered with a moist cloth so they don't dry out.

Shrimp Wanton Dipping Sauce Ingredients
You will need:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes
• water

Pour the shrimp into a food processor, and pulse shrimp until they're finely chopped.Then transfer the cut shrimp into a large bowl, and mix in the egg white, cilantro, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Peel some ginger, and grate about 1/2 teaspoon into the mixture. Mix everything together.

Lightly dust a baking sheet with cornstarch. Take one wanton from the plate, and put it on the baking sheet. Fill wantons one at a time. Place 1 teaspoon of shrimp filling on one side of wanton wrapper. Moisten the edges with water.

Fold the wrapper diagonally over filling to form a triangle. Firmly press to seal the sides. You can make a different shape for the wanton. Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the wrapper. Pick up all the sides, and squeeze it to seal. You can even twist it a little, so it looks like a money bag or a purse.

I prefer to deep-fried my shrimp wantons instead of the boiled one. So to deep-fry the wantons:
Heat oil in a pan to about 360 degrees. Add the wantons in small batches. Fry them, turn them occasionally, and after about two minutes on each side, they'll be golden brown. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve the wantons warm or at room temperature with the dipping sauce or the sweet black sauce. (I did not make the dipping sauce because I prefer to have with the sweet black sauce.)

You can also boil the shrimp wantons by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Add the wantons, about six at a time. The wantons are done when they rise to the surface. This may only take 3 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon or a stainer. Place on a tray in a single layer, cover and keep warm.

The picture below is just to show, our Chinese dinner. I will blog about the Stir-Fried Beef tomorrow. Enjoy! :)

POP that chicken and favorite coleslaw

What to do with a few slices of chicken tenders?? Yummy popcorn chicken. It is quick, easy and satisfy. Just be careful when you deep-fry the chicken meat. The popping oil got to my skin and burnt me! Ouch! Blisters.. :/
To go with the popcorn chicken, made some easy coleslaw.

Popcorn chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken meat (cut into cubes)
Eggs
Wheat flour or cornmeal flour
Salt to taste
Oil for deep drying

**The above recipe is only basic hence no measurements are given.

Beat eggs and add salt. Dip chicken meat into the egg and then dredge through the flour. Deep -fry in batches in hot oil until golden brown.
(These batches, I tried by mixing the flour to the eggs and make it like a batter, still good!)

Coleslaw (KFC style.. hehe)

Ingredients:
1/4 small cabbage - chopped
2 medium carrots - chopped
1 small white onion - chopped

For dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp honey mustard

I put the cabbage, carrots and onion in a food processor. This makes it much easier than chopping one by one. In a separate bowl, mix together dressing ingredients and toss into salad.
Transfer to a serving bowl. Chill coleslaw before serving.

Enjoy these snacks while watching TV or movie... :)

Rolling those wraps.. traditional chinese egg rolls

We got some quick-ready-to-eat egg rolls from the grocery store before and they don't taste any good. I cant described it (its been long time) and I know I will never buy those stuff again. I would rather spend a little more time making my own rolls.

Here we go.. At first I wanted to use mom's recipe for the fillings but I used the recipe from Vitasoy USA Inc instead. You can get the recipe from their website too. Inside the packaging also have some recipes. I omitted the bean sprouts and I used powder ginger instead, the rest remains...

Be sure to drain and crumble the tofu before stir-fry.
Stir-fry tofu and ginger in wide skillet over high heat until lightly browned, 2-3mins.

Add carrot, cabbage and spring onions; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in Oyster sauce. Stir well.

Then let the mixture cools before putting the filling in the egg roll.
Place filling diagonally on wrapper.


Fold corner over filling, roll snugly half-way to cover filling.


Fold up both sides snugly against filling, moisten edges of last flap.

Roll over flap to seal; lay flap-side down until ready to cook.


These traditional egg rolls were so simple and they were delicious. Even better dipping in sambal or sweet chilli sauce.. Yummy!! Maybe cooking with love, even hubby said its so good.. hehe..