Savoury | Salads | Vietnamese
Vermicelli Noodle Salad with pork spring rolls
Vietnamese noodle salad topped with crispy pork and wood ear mushroom spring rolls, served with fresh herbs and nuoc cham.
Vermicelli Noodle Salad with pork spring rolls (Bún Chả Giò)
A Vietnamese noodle salad bowl built around crispy fried rice paper spring rolls, served over vermicelli with fresh herbs and nuoc cham. Three components – filling, rolling, and assembly.
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 deep fryer or deep thick stainless steel saucepan for deep frying
- 1 wire rack or paper towel-lined tray for draining the spring rolls
- 1 box grater for carrots
Ingredients
Spring Roll Filling
- 800 g pork mince high fat pork mince
- 30 g dried wood ear mushrooms soaked, squeezed dry, and finely chopped
- 60 g bean thread noodles soaked, squeezed dry, cut into short lengths
- 180 g carrot grated and squeezed dry
- 120 g shallots
- 15 g garlic finely minced
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 2½ tbsp fish sauce
- 1½ tsp white sugar
- 1½ tsp black pepper
Spring Rolls – Rolling and Frying
- 24 spring roll wrappers
- 100 ml water for sealing the spring roll wrappers
- 2 L neutral oil for deep frying
Nuoc Cham
- 60 g white sugar
- 60 g warm water add more to soften the strength of the dressing
- 60 g fish sauce
- 60 g lime juice
- 15 g garlic
- 1 red chilli
Noodle Salad
- 200 g dried rice vermicelli noodles
- 120 g butter lettuce leaves separated and torn
- 20 g perilla leaves leaves picked and finely chopped
- 20 g coriander leaves picked and chopped
- 20 g mint leaves picked and finely chopped
- 200 g bean sprouts rinsed and drained well
- 40 g fried shallots
Instructions
Spring Roll Filling
- Soak the wood ear mushrooms and bean thread noodles separately in cold water until fully softened.
- Squeeze both very dry – press firmly in a clean cloth or squeeze in batches by hand.
- Finely chop the mushrooms and cut the noodles into short lengths.
- Add the pork, mushrooms, noodles, carrot, shallots, garlic, eggs, fish sauce, sugar, and pepper to a large bowl.
- Mix by hand until the filling becomes slightly sticky and cohesive.
Rolling and Frying
- Lay one wrapper flat on the bench with a corner pointing toward you.
- Place 35g to 40g of filling in a short log shape near the bottom corner.
- Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, fold in both sides, then roll up firmly into a tight cylinder.
- Brush the final corner lightly with water to seal, using just enough to stick.
- Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
- Heat the oil to 170 to 175°C in a deep pot.
- Fry the rolls in batches without crowding the pot, for 8 to 10 minutes until light golden, crisp, and cooked through.
- Transfer to a wire rack or paper towel-lined tray and drain for at least 5 minutes.
- Rest the rolls for 5 minutes, then cut each in half on a diagonal before serving.
Nuoc Cham
- Heat and stir the sugar and warm water together until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Add the fish sauce and lime juice.
- Allow to cool before mixing in garlic and chilli.
- Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve.
Noodle Salad
- Cook the vermicelli according to the packet instructions until just tender.
- Drain immediately and rinse under cold running water until fully cooled.
- Drain very well – shake the colander and press lightly to remove excess water.
- Divide the noodles evenly between four bowls.
- Arrange the butter lettuce, perilla, coriander, mint, and bean sprouts over and around the noodles.
Assembly
- Top each bowl with 3 spring rolls, cut side facing up where possible.
- Scatter over the fried shallots.
- Serve each bowl with nuoc cham on the side, or spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons over each bowl just before eating.
- Note: Dress the bowl at the table, not in advance – the spring rolls will soften quickly once the dressing hits them.
Notes
Storage
Spring rolls are best eaten immediately after frying. Leftovers can be refrigerated and re-crisped in an oven at 180°C for 8 to 10 minutes, though they will not fully recover their texture. Nuoc cham keeps refrigerated for up to 5 days. Cooked vermicelli is best used the same day.Key pitfalls:
- The filling must be squeezed thoroughly dry — wet mushrooms, noodles, or carrot will cause the wrappers to tear and the oil to spit violently during frying
- Do not overfill rolls; more than 40g of filling creates pressure inside the roll that causes it to split open in the oil
- Keep oil temperature between 170 and 175°C throughout frying – too low and the wrappers absorb oil and blister unevenly, too high and they brown before the filling is cooked through
- Drain the cooked vermicelli very well before assembling — residual water makes the bowl watery and dilutes the nuoc cham
- Do not dress the bowls until the moment of serving — nuoc cham will soften the rolls quickly
