Name: Oven-Fried Crispy Shiitake Imperial Rolls
Yield: Makes 16 rolls, 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 lb. daikon or jicama; 6 oz. carrot or beet, or a combination; 1 tsp. fine sea salt; 2 tsp. granulated sugar, plus 1⁄2 cup; 1¼ cups distilled white vinegar; 1 cup lukewarm water; 1⁄2 cup lukewarm water, plus more as needed; 2 Tbsp. agave syrup, mild honey, or granulated sugar, plus more as needed; 2½ Tbsp. unfiltered apple cider vinegar, plus more as needed; 2 tsp. fresh lime or lemon juice, plus more as needed; 3 Tbsp. fish sauce, plus more as needed; 2 to 3 tsp chile-garlic sauce, or 1 or 2 Thai or serrano chiles, thinly sliced (optional); 1 large garlic clove, minced; 1⁄4 cup coarsely grated carrot (optional); 1 (2-oz.) bundle dried glass noodles (saifun or bean threads); 3⁄4 cup canned chickpeas, well drained; 1 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in water to cover for 6 hours, firmly squeezed, and caps and stems chopped; Brimming 1⁄4 cup dried wood ear or black fungus mushrooms, softened in hot water for 15 minutes, drained, and cut into thin 1-inch-strips; 3⁄4 cup coarsely grated carrot (use the largest holes on a box grater); 4 oz. super-firm tofu, patted dry and coarsely grated (use the largest holes on a box grater); 1⁄2 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts; 2 sheets nori, snipped into strips 3⁄4 inch wide by 1 1⁄2 inches long (optional, for a briny touch); 1 Tbsp. potato starch, or 1½ Tbsp. cornstarch (potato starch yields slightly firmer texture); 1 tsp. granulated sugar, plus more as needed; Fine sea salt; Recently ground black pepper; 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce; MSG or Asian mushroom seasoning for balancing flavor (optional); 3⁄4 cup coconut cream (if the cream is hard, warm in a small pan over low heat or microwave for 10 to 15 seconds), plus more as needed; 2¼ tsp. distilled white vinegar

Crispy airfried rolls filled chickpeas mushrooms and tofu on a plate with mint basil and a side of dipping sauce.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Sean Dooley

Among the signature foods of Vietnam, chả giò signal celebration and comfort. The fried rolls are found on restaurant menus as a nosh, and they’re made by doting grandmas, moms, and wives. Encased in rice paper and traditionally deep-fried, chả giò are cut into bite-size pieces and eaten as lettuce-and-herb wraps that are dunked in nước chấm. Traditional chả giò that are wrapped in rice paper are a feat of derring-do because the finicky rolls blister and may burst during frying if too tightly or loosely made, or if the oil isn’t at an optimal temp. Many modern cooks make the rolls with easy-to-manage wheat-based wrappers. Wanting to preserve the superior flavor of rice-paper-wrapped chả giò and avoid fussy deep-frying, I experimented with hacks sourced from family, books, and online until I found an easy, healthful path to shatteringly crispy ones: blasting them with heat in the oven or an air fryer.

Like applying butter to phyllo, brushing seasoned coconut cream on the rice papers enriches and hydrates them just enough so they’ll seal up and brown to a crisp. There’s minimal drama involved as you efficiently bake batches. The formed and uncooked rolls freeze beautifully, so you may trot them out to create an impressive meal or add to bún rice noodle bowls.

Using durable rice paper and making a low-moisture filling are the keys to this recipe. Pat the wood ear mushrooms, carrot, tofu, and green onions dry with paper towels before chopping or grating (repeat blotting dry after prep if things still seem wet). Canned chickpeas stand in for the small amount of scratch-cooked mung beans that is required for binding. This is project cooking. Before diving in, review the instructions and plan ahead (for instance, the shiitakes need to be soaked for at least 6 hours!).

Pressing the filling into a pan or a baking sheet makes portioning and placing easier; otherwise, use a ¼-cup measure to portion and place the filling.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘Ever-Green Vietnamese' by Andrea Nguyen, one of the best cookbooks of 2023. Buy the full book on Amazon. Get more of our favorite Andrea Nguyen recipes →

What you’ll need

Dried Glass Noodles
$21 At Amazon
Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
$22 At Amazon
Dried Wood Ear Mushrooms
$7 At Weee!
Rice Paper Rounds
$13 $12 At Amazon

Air fryer note:

If you’re cooking in an air fryer (because air fryers differ), initially cook one roll to test temperature and timing. Arrange as many rolls as can fit into the tray, spacing them about ¾ inch apart, and air-fry at 375°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Rotate them after 6 to 8 minutes and continue to cook until they turn brown and very crispy. Repeat with any remaining rolls. As needed, re-crisp earlier batches by air-frying them again for a few minutes.