My Favorite

Chaû Gioø

The Vietnamese Imperial Roll

Like the hamburger to Americans, the fish-and-chip to Britons, the paté chaud to the French, the pizza to Italians, the taco to Hispanics, and the egg roll to the Chinese, etc., Chả Giò (the Vietnamese imperial roll) is a very popular dish to Vietnamese people.

Called Chaû Gioø (cha:dzio:) in Vietnamese, it is made by most Vietnamese housewives. Its connoisseurs have ranged from the kings in ancient Vietnam down to the modern Vietnamese man-in-the-street. But it is a dish for Vietnamese receptions or parties, not for daily meals because a good deal of time and toil are needed to make it.

Today, Chả Giò becomes daily meals in most Vietnamese restaurants in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Great Britain, Australia, and either in Iceland, etc.

Mr. Vinh Liem, a well-known poet and writer of the Vietnamese overseas communities, has prepared the recipe below for Chả Giò. Mr. Vinh Liem owned two Vietnamese restaurants in Vietnam between 1971 and 1975. After the fall of South Vietnam, he fled his country and resettled in the United States in October 1975. He resides in Maryland since 1979.

Meat Part: Ground fresh pork butt, chicken, fresh shrimp, and eggs.

Vegetable part: Finely chopped onions, grated carrots, bean threads (vermicelli), cabbage, and spring onion.

Seasonings: Ground black pepper, sugar, garlic powder, salt, and nuoc mam (fish sauce).

Sauce: Nuoc mam. Make a mixture of nuoc mam: Nuoc mam, white vinegar or lemon, mineral water, sugar, fresh garlic, and red hot pepper (optional).

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