Vietnamese Imperial Egg Rolls / Fried Spring Rolls
Vietnamese Imperial Egg Rolls: A Tet Tradition
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Tet, or Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is the most important holiday in Vietnamese culture. It’s a time for family reunions, honoring ancestors, and welcoming the new year with feasts that symbolize prosperity and luck. Among the many festive dishes, egg rolls hold a special place on our Tet table, representing wealth and good fortune with their golden, crispy exterior.
For me, this recipe holds close to my heart. My grandmother made these egg rolls for every Tet celebration, and my dad carries on this family tradition. Our family’s mix of crab and pork, combined with jicama and taro, creates the perfect balance of sweetness, texture, and richness.
On Tet, these egg rolls are always the first to disappear from the table. We serve them wrapped in lettuce with fresh herbs like mint and cilantro, dipping them into nước chấm (Vietnamese fish sauce dipping sauce). Their golden-brown color symbolizes wealth, and their crispy texture represents a fresh start for the new year.
Egg rolls have been a staple of Vietnamese celebrations for centuries, originally served in the imperial courts before becoming a beloved dish in every household. My family’s version stays true to the spirit of Tet—flavorsome and super golden and crispy.
Ingredients
1 lb ground pork
3/4 lb lump crabmeat
1 large egg yolk
1 shallot, minced (1/4 cup minced)
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced (1/2 cup minced)
1 julienned carrot (about 1 large carrot)
1 julienned taro root (about 1 cup)
½ julienned jicama (about 1 cup)
1 small package glass noodles, rehydrated and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups, sliced in 1 to 1 1/2”)
1 cup wood ear mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 tbsp fish sauce
Black pepper, to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
Kosher salt (about 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
30 egg roll wrappers
For the glue paste:
1 egg white (whipped)
The Ultimate Dipping Sauce: Nuoc Cham Mam
No summer roll is complete without a flavorful dipping sauce. Nuoc Cham, a quintessential Vietnamese sauce, perfectly complements the fresh ingredients with its sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy profile. Here’s how our family makes ours:
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
2-5 Thai chili peppers, chopped (adjust for spice level)
Juice of 1-2 limes
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup fish sauce
1.5 cups warm water
Instructions
1. Prepare the Filling
Soak the glass noodles and wood ear mushrooms in luke warm water for 20–30 minutes until softened. Drain, squeeze excess water from noodles and mushrooms, then chop into small pieces (1” pieces for noodles, 1/2” or smaller for mushrooms). Meanwhile, finely mince the shallot and slice the green onions. Julienne the carrot, taro root, and jicama into thin small strips.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pork and lump crabmeat. Add the egg yolk, chopped vegetables, glass noodles, and mushrooms. Season with fish sauce, black pepper, and garlic powder. Mix until evenly combined.
2. Prepare the Glue Paste
Lightly mix up the egg whites with a fork. This will be used to seal the egg rolls.
4. Assemble the Egg Rolls
Lay an egg roll wrapper flat, with one corner pointing toward you.
Place about 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center.
Fold the bottom corner over the filling, tuck in the sides, and roll tightly. Seal the edge with a dab of egg whites (if using rice paper, just dip the rice paper in room temp water, fill and roll, no glue/egg whites needed to seal).
Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
5. Fry to Perfection
Heat 2–3 cups of oil in a deep skillet to 350°F (175°C).
Fry the egg rolls in batches, turning occasionally, for 4–5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Drain on a wire rack or paper towels to remove excess oil.
