“I have struggled to find nem rán close to the ones I have had in Hanoi in any local Vietnamese restaurant here in Australia. I really want to replicate and master this dish, to make it my go-to for every family or social event,” says chef and co-owner of Anchovy, Thi Le. And now, Le hands over the recipe so that you too can master the humble spring roll.
Ingredients
Makes about 40
4 litres (135 fl oz) vegetable oil, for deep frying
2 × 250 g (9 oz) packets extra-thin rice paper sheets
Nuoc cham, to serve (recipe follows)
Filling:
30 g (1 oz) dried shiitake mushrooms
100 g (3½ oz) glass noodles
300 g (10½ oz) taro, peeled and finely shredded
270 g (9½ oz) carrots
270 g (9½ oz) jicama
270 g (9½ oz) daikon
70 g (2½ oz) spring onions, cut into thin rounds
80 g (2¾ oz) fresh wood ear mushrooms, julienned, or 20 g (¾ oz) dried wood ear mushrooms
50 g (1¾ oz) fried shallots (recipe follows)
10 g (¼ oz) sea salt (plus extra for salting the grated vegetables)
30 g (1 oz) black peppercorns, toasted and coarsely cracked
15 g (½ oz) sugar
2 eggs, whisked
Maltose glaze (nuoc hang):
10 g (¼ oz) maltose syrup
100 ml (3½ fl oz) hot water
100 ml (3½ fl oz) cold water
Method:
Prepare the filling
1. Place the dried shiitake mushrooms (and dried wood ear mushrooms, if using instead of fresh) in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to rehydrate for 15 minutes, then drain and finely shred. Meanwhile, soak the glass noodles in cool water for about 20 minutes, until rehydrated, then cut into 5 cm (2 inch) lengths. Place them in a large mixing bowl with the rehydrated mushrooms and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 180°C (350°F). Deep-fry the taro in batches for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden. Leave to drain and cool, reserving the oil for deep-frying the spring rolls.
3. Peel the carrots, jicama and daikon, then coarsely grate them. Place in a colander, sprinkle with a little salt and leave to drain for about 15 minutes. Using your hands, squeeze out as much water as possible.
4. Add the grated root vegetables and cooled taro to the bowl with the glass noodles. Add the remaining filling ingredients, including fresh wood ear mushrooms if using, and mix together. Check the seasoning and adjust to your taste. The mixture should not be overly seasoned – you should be able to taste the vegetables on your front palate and not the salt. Remember you will also have some dipping sauce on the side.
Make the maltose glaze
In a bowl, mix the maltose syrup and hot water together until diluted, then stir in the cold water and set aside.
Make the rolls
1. Place two sheets of rice paper together on a flat surface and lightly brush the top and underside with the maltose syrup.
2. Place about 2 teaspoons of the filling on the bottom half of the rice paper stack. Fold in the sides, then roll up tightly, forming a tight roll.
3. Repeat with the remaining filling, laying the rolls separately on a flat surface to dry for about 1 hour, until the maltose glaze has dried completely.
Deep-fry the rolls
1. Reheat the frying oil used for the taro to 165°C (330°F).
2. Deep-fry the rolls in batches for 6 minutes; you should not be expecting colour on your rolls at this stage. Set aside to drain on a wire rack until needed; you can leave them for up to 2–3 hours, or they can also be frozen at this point.
To serve
Just before serving, deep-fry the rolls again at 190°C (375°F) for 4–5 minutes, until golden brown. Drain briefly and serve hot, with nước chấm.
Fried shallot
Makes two takeaway containers
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) red Asian shallots, peeled
1.5 litres (6 cups) vegetable oil, for frying
1. Thinly slice the shallots lengthways, using a mandoline or sharp knife. Once sliced, ensure all the pieces are separated and not clumped together.
2. Line a few trays or plates with paper towels, ready to drain the freshly fried shallots. (Have some extra paper towel handy, as you will need to change the paper at least twice while cooking.)
3. In a deep pan or wok, heat the vegetable oil over medium–high heat. (You will need enough oil to submerge small batches of the shallots.)
4. Once the oil is hot, carefully add the shallots to the pan in small batches. Fry until they just turn golden brown, then turn the heat down and fry until crispy, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking. This usually takes about 5 minutes per batch.
5. Using a slotted spoon or spider strainer, remove the crispy shallots from the oil and spread them out on your paper towels, to absorb any excess oil.
6. Allow the crispy shallots to cool completely before using or storing them. Once cooled, store in an airtight container lined with paper towel. They will last for two weeks if fried properly – otherwise, a flash in the oven will help refresh them.
Hanoi-style nước chấm
Makes about 800 ml (28 fl oz)
120 ml (4 fl oz) white vinegar
100 ml (3½ fl oz) fish sauce
500 ml (2 cups) water
100 g (3½ oz) granulated white sugar
75 g (2½ oz) garlic cloves, minced
1 red bullet chilli, minced
20 g (¾ oz) cracked black pepper
Vegetable pickle, to garnish
1. Combine the vinegar, fish sauce, water, sugar, garlic, chilli and pepper in a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, then skim o any scum that rises to the surface.
2. Serve the dipping sauce garnished with well-drained vegetable pickle, taking care not to use the pickling brine.
Note
You can make a larger batch of the dressing, without the garlic or vegetable pickle, and keep it in a sterilised jar in the fridge for up to three months. You can also simply mix all the dressing ingredients together without boiling, but the dressing will have a substantially shorter life span.
Viet Kieu by Thi Le and Jia-Yen Lee (photography by Mark Chew. Murdoch Books RRP $55.00) is available now, including from such independent local retailers such as Hill of Content, Readings, and Books for Cooks.