Chinese versus Vietnamese Egg Rolls

by Diana Danh 8:54 AM 2 comments

When a person mentions an egg roll, it's usually one image to mind. That image ranges from person to person and from their experiences. From what I knew, there was always one type of egg roll and it was the one my mom made for me since I was a child. However, as I talked to my friends, they would describe different things and different ingredients and it methods to even cook it. So what's the difference between a Vietnamese egg roll and a Chinese egg roll?

Chả giò (The Vietnamese Egg roll)

     This egg roll combines ground pork with bean thread noodles, wood ear mushrooms, taro, and carrots. The ingredients do range from chef to chef but it still remains the same. It's wrapped together in rice paper and fried until it's brown on all sides. It's crispy on the outside and served with nước chấm, dipping sauce made of fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, sugar, and chili peppers.

蛋卷 (The Chinese Egg roll)

     This egg roll is most common for Chinese take out. It contains is mostly cabbage, flecked with bits of roast pork and carrots. It's wrapped together in a dough paper made of wheat and egg and fried until it's brown. The wrap is thicker, fatter than the Vietnamese egg rolls. A more traditional version would also have bamboo shoots, minced shrimp, and water chestnuts. Egg rolls are usually served with sweet & sour sauce (or duck sauce) and hot mustard.