Categories
Vietnamese

Vietnamese Spring Roll in a Bowl – The BEST Weeknight Meal!

KETO CHA GIO

TINGZ

Ingredients

▸ 1/2 lb Keto Glass Noodles
▸ Keto Nuoc Cham
▸ 1/4 C Wood Ear Mushroom
▸ 1 Small Carrot
▸ 1 Small Onion
▸ 2 Small Shallots
▸ 3-4 Green Onions
▸ 10 Garlic Cloves
▸ 15 Medium Sized Shrimp
▸ 1 lb Ground Pork
▸ 1 tsp Salt or to Taste
▸ 25 Grinds of Pepper Mill
▸ 1/8 – 1/4 C Lakanto Golden or Classic
▸ 3 Medium or 2 Large Eggs

Tools

▸ Cutting Board
▸ Knife
▸ Julienne Peeler
▸ Mixing Bowl
▸ Measuring Cups
▸ Plastic Gloves
▸ Kitchen Shears
▸ Cast Iron or Pan
▸ Wooden Spoon

Optional

▸ Napa Cabbage
▸ Mint
▸ Cilantro
▸ Vietnamese Perilla
▸ Vietnamese Mint
▸ Rau Ram

The ingredients and tools for this recipe that are linked above are all conveniently found under Vietnamese Springroll in a Bowl in my Amazon Storefront.

Jihae Kwon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

SWOON

MAKE THIS. And make a double– no! Triple batch!!! See notes section below to see how I store and keep for super easy weeknight meals and all the different ways to use this incredible recipe. OMG YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE ME!!!

This dish starts with a base of pork and shrimp, a match-made in foodie heaven, and when you add pretty much every type of allium: garlic, onions, shallot and green onion to the mix, you already know it’s going to be CRAZY! Some shredded carrot for some mild sweetness. Wood ear mushroom and keto glass noodles round out the party with fun textural elements! Wood ear mushroom has a unique crunchy texture and keto glass noodles lend a soft, slippery mouthfeel. Top it with some umamiful keto nuoc cham and serve it alongside fresh, gorgeous herbs (optional, but like, kinda not). You will die.

Aside from ALL DAT FLAVA, look at that ingredients list! LOOK AT IT! Full of all those “science science, science science really good stuff” things– meat and veg! And other than the small amount of monk fruit sweetener (which some might consider clean and even medicinal in China), it’s ALL WHOLE FOODS. SO EXCITING!

Seriously though, the delicate combination of flavors found in many Vietnamese dishes is so special and when learned to appreciate– can only result in an everlasting love affair with this country’s incredible dishes. You will love it. Please give this a try.

Vietnamese Spring Roll in a Bowl with a side of Keto Nuoc Cham
Photo Credit: Karen Khoun

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Prepare your Keto Glass Noodles and cover your wood ear mushroom with boiling or very hot tap water.
  2. Julienne carrots and place in the mixing bowl.
  3. Chop onion, shallots, green onions and garlic and add to the mixing bowl.
  4. Drain water from wood ear mushroom and julienne and add to the mixing bowl.
  5. Chop shrimp until sticky and pasty and add to the mixing bowl.
  6. Snip glass noodles into 1” pieces with scissors straight into the mixing bowl.
  7. Add salt, pepper, Lakanto and eggs.
  8. Mix thoroughly by hand.
  9. Heat up cast iron skillet or pan, add a bit of avocado oil and add mixture.
  10. Add napa cabbage if you’d like.
  11. Leave everything alone for a good 45 seconds and allow it to brown and develop flavor before flipping or stirring.
  12. Drizzle with keto nuoc cham and serve with your favorite herbs or leafy greens and enjoy. Omg. I’m so excited for you.

NOTES

I like to make a big batch all at once and put them into Ziplock freezer bags. I label the bag with a name and date, add some of the mixture and flatten them out so that the Ziplock bag is about ¾-1” thick, stack and place in the freezer. This way, on any given weekday I can pull out a baggie, run it under some warm water for a couple minutes and cook it up fresh. Because of the way it was stored flat, it should thaw very quickly. I like to use this method of storage often! It’s also a very efficient way to use the space in your freezer.

There are endless ways to eat this incredible mix, but here are a few ideas!

  • Place mixture in Cut Da Carb, roll up and deep fry, for a very close-to-the-actual version of Cha Gio (Vietnamese Spring Roll– not in a bowl)
  • Form the mixture into patties to cook like burgers
  • Roll them into balls and throw them into the air fryer
  • Use is as a taco filling on your favorite low carb tortilla or lettuce boat
  • Put an egg on it! Put an egg on everything! lol
  • Actually, make that a kai dao egg. 😉
  • Add them to your Bun Thit Nuong – Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowl (recipe coming next week!)

Get creative!! You’re the keto boss!! Tag me @jihaekwon_ so I cannot wait to see your creations #goodfoodonlyclub!!