Vietnamese Eggrolls (Cha Gio)

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Vietnamese Eggrolls (Cha Gio)...

Bites Of Asia
(Yield: 80 Servings)

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Ingredients:
8 oz Rice vermicelli-vermicelli (bun)
Nuoc Cham
Vegetable Platter
6 Dried Chinese mushrooms
6 Water chestnuts or 1/2-small jicama, peeled and-chopped
4 oz Fresh or canned lump-crabmeat, picked over and-drained
8 oz Raw shrimp, shelled,-deveined and minced
12 oz Ground pork shoulder
1 md Onion (minced)
4 Shallots (minced)
4 Garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsps Nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish-sauce)
1 ts Freshly ground black pepper
3 Eggs
1/2 c Sugar
80 sm Rounds of rice paper (banh-trang), each 6 1/2 inches-in diameter
Peanut oil, for frying

Preparation:

Prepare the filling:
1. Soak the two types of mushrooms in hot water until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain. Remove stems and squeeze to extract the liquid. Mince mushrooms.

2. In a large bowl, combine mushrooms with the remaining filling ingredients . Mix with your hands to blend. Set aside.

Assemble the rolls:
1. Dissolve sugar in a bowl with 4 cups of warm water. One at a time, immerse a sheet in the warm water to soften the sheets for handling. Work with only 4 sheets of rice paper at a time. Quickly remove it and spread flat on a dry towel. Do not let the sheets touch each other.

2. Fold up the bottom third of each round. Put 1 generous teaspoon of filling in the center of the folded-over portion. Press into a compact rectangle. Fold one side of the paper over the mixture, then the other side. Roll from bottom to top to completely enclose the filling. Continue until all of the mixture is used.

Fry the rolls:
1. Pour 1 to 1 ½ inches of oil into skillet and heat to 325F. Working in batches, add rolls to skillet, but do not crowd or let them touch, or they will stick together.

2. Fry over moderate heat for 10 to 12 minutes, turning often, until golden and crisp. Remove the rolls with tongs and drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven while frying the remaining rolls.

(To eat, each diner wraps a roll in a lettuce leaf along with a few strands of noodles and a variety of other ingredients from the Vegetable Platter before dipping it in the Nuoc Cham. If served as an hors d'ouvre, allow 4 or 5 rolls per person; serve 8 to 10 as a main course.)
( NOTE: Another popular way of serving this dish is to divide the noodles and elements of the Vegetable Platter evenly among the individual bowls. Top each with cut-up pieces of Cha Gio, ground roasted peanuts and Nuoc Cham.) As a quick and easy appetizer, Cha Gio can be served with just Nuoc Cham.