Chả giò

Chả giò is a Vietnamese deep-fried roll of seasoned minced pork and vegetables wrapped in rice paper or wheat wrapper and fried until crisp.

What it really is

Chả giò is made from a filling of minced pork, softened glass noodles, grated carrot, wood ear mushroom, finely chopped onion and shallot, seasoned with fish sauce, black pepper and sugar, and sometimes beaten egg as a binder. The filling is rolled tightly in rice paper, or in a thin wheat-based wrapper, and deep-fried until the wrapper is blistered and golden.

In the north the roll is usually called nem rán, and in the south chả giò is the common term. The fried roll is distinct from gỏi cuốn, the fresh rice-paper roll of herbs, rice vermicelli and shrimp or pork that is eaten uncooked. Chả giò is always fried and served hot, and it is wrapped in lettuce and herbs at the table.

How it's served

• Served hot or warm as a starter or part of a rice meal.
• Eaten wrapped in lettuce leaves with mint, Vietnamese coriander and cucumber, then dipped in nước chấm.
• Often served alongside rice vermicelli bowls or with rice plates.
• Eaten with the fingers or chopsticks, cut in half if the roll is large.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the filling on the menu: pork, glass noodle, carrot and wood ear mushroom, fried in rice paper.
• Flag allergens: contains egg where used, and fish sauce in the filling (fish), and wheat if a wheat wrapper is used.
• State the wrapper if it varies: rice paper or wheat wrapper.
• Say how it is served: with lettuce, herbs and nước chấm.