Vietnamese Spring Rolls Praised As One Of The World’s Tastiest Snacks

Taste Atlas, known as the “world food map” website, has released a list of the 100 tastiest snacks in 2023, which includes Vietnamese fried spring rolls.

Photo: A Pinch of Saffron

According to the description by Taste Atlas: “Cha Gio is the name used in the South, and Nem Ran is the name used in the North, but they both refer to a Vietnamese dish. The distinctive feature of this dish is the combination of pork and shrimp filling wrapped in a thin rice paper, accompanied by other ingredients such as vegetables, carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, vermicelli, and bean sprouts.”

The crispy golden-brown rolls, with their delicious and enticing filling, complemented by a tangy and sweet dipping sauce, are sure to delight travelers when they indulge in them.

Photo: Marlon’s Kitchen

Thanks to the richness and diversity of Vietnamese cuisine, there are nearly 20 different types of fried spring rolls in Vietnam, depending on their fillings. These include seafood spring rolls, shrimp spring rolls, vegetarian spring rolls, snail spring rolls, sweet potato spring rolls, and more.

CNN has also recommended fried spring rolls as one of the top 10 must-try street foods when visiting Vietnam.

In Vietnam, the preparation of fried spring rolls requires multiple steps and demands precision and skill to create attractive rolls. This dish is often enjoyed with rice and noodles or can be savored on its own, as it is equally delicious and enticing.

Photo: Dien may XANH

The fried spring roll was brought to Hanoi from the Southern part of Vietnam and this dish has rapidly become a favorite one of Hanoian, and to express affection as well as to remember the real origin of the dish, people here call it “Nem Sai Gon”.

Unlike popular myths, Vietnamese do not eat fried spring rolls with rice every day. In fact, it is a preferred food on special occasions such as Tet and other family festivities. Spring rolls do not always go along with rice but are also seen with round noodles in the mouth-watering bun nem dish.

Photo: Bao Lao Dong

Ingredients used for the fried spring roll are different depending on each local but usually, it comprises lean minced pork, sea crabs or unshelled shrimps, edible mushroom, dried onion, duck/chicken eggs, pepper, salt, and different kinds of seasoning. There are also special variants of the traditional pork-based roll, such as Crab spring rolls or Nem Cua Be.

Whichever they are, all ingredients are mixed thoroughly before being wrapped with rice paper into small rolls. These rolls are then fried in boiling oil. The cooked rolls are usually garnished with fresh lettuce and herbs.

Foreigners may not know that the bowl of fish sauce is not the same for every dish of a Vietnamese meal. Each dish has a specific demand for dipping sauce and with fried spring rolls it requires a good hand to make one. A quality dipping sauce bowl for this dish must be a harmonious combination of flavors such as lemon juice, sugar, chili, and pepper in the fish sauce.

Photo: Gia Dinh

Charlotte Pho

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