The Vietnamese really know how to cook well with rice and rice paper. In this dish, shrimp, crab, and other local flavors are wrapped in a triangle of rice paper and fried. This interesting spring roll version is a Vietnamese hand food favorite. The shrimp’s tail can be used as a handle for dipping these crispy treats in sweet chili sauce or nuoc cham which makes them extra fun to eat.

Triangle Spring Rolls- Cha Gio Tom

Perfect for entertaining, these crispy shrimp-filled appetizers will quickly become a fan favorite. Traditionally served with Vietnam's ubiquitous table sauce, Nuoc Cham, they are also fabulous dipped in any Asian sweet chili sauce.

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Course: Appetizer, Hand Food

Cuisine: Southeast Asian, Vietnam

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 35

Servings: Rolls

Author: My Hungry Traveler

Equipment

Large heavy skillet

Ingredients

12 large Shrimp, peeled with tails intact
4 oz Crabmeat, flaked
½ lb Ground pork
¼ cup Water chestnuts, chopped
½ small Onion, minced
2 oz Bean threads, soaked in hot water 2o minutes, drained and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 stalk Scallion, minced
2 clove Garlic, minced
¼ tsp Ground black pepper
12 sheets Rice paper, 6 or 8-inches in diameter
2 large Eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups Oil for deep frying
12 leafs Lettuce, Boston bib or romaine
1 small Cucumber, sliced thin
12 sprigs Fresh cilantro
36 leafs Fresh mint
2x RECIPE Nuoc Cham

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Filling – In a bowl, combine crabmeat, pork, water chestnuts, onion, bean threads, scallion, garlic, and black pepper. Mix well.
Prep Rice Paper – Moisten rice paper 1 at a time by brushing the entire surface with beaten egg. Allow a few seconds for paper to soften. Fold ⅓ of the rice paper over to make a semicircle with 1 flat edge.
Assemble – Place 2 tbsp filling on top of the paper, centering it along the straight edge. Lay a shrimp with about an inch of its tale extended over the flat edge to serve as a handle. Place another 2 tbsp filling over the shrimp meat.
With flat side towards you, fold the left side over to enclose the filling. Fold the right side over that. You should end-up with a pointed triangle at the bottom with the shrimp tail sticking out. Fold the pointed end up and over the curved part with shrimp tale extending past the top of the curved edge. Fold both remaining sides over the back to ultimately have a triangle with a handle. Repeat process with remaining rolls. After the first on, it becomes much easier and faster.
Cook – Pour oil into a large skillet. Place triangles into the cold oil. Turn heat to medium and fry triangles for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to paper towels.
Serve – place a vegetable platter and a bowl of nuoc cham on the table. Each diner gets a bowl to add 2 lettuce leaves, a few herbs. They they add a spring roll, sprinkled with a little nuoc cham. The spring rolls are eaten by laying them in a lettuce leaf, adding herbs and cucumber slices while using the shrimp tail as a handle,