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