The area of Little Saigon in Orange County, CA has the highest concentration of Vietnamese individuals living in the US. Among the Vietnamese supermarkets, specialty tea and dessert shops, and bakeries, one of southern California’s most authentic Vietnamese restaurants stands in Garden Grove of Little Saigon: Brodard Chateau.
FOODBEAST was lucky enough to have met with Executive Chef Francois Lu of Brodard to discover how to make both a Vietnamese and Brodard classic—traditional Nem Nướng̣ Cuốn, or pork spring rolls.
He takes a piece of rice paper, then dips it in warm water (about 40C or 104F). Then the wrapper is placed on the table, and lettuce, carrots, daikon, mint, cucumbers, fried egg roll, pork and/or shrimp are added and the mass is rolled once in full. Finally, chives are added, and the entire roll is wrapped once more and completed.
See the video above to truly take in the experience in full. Then watch it again, and again and again, because that’s what I’ve been doing. Watching spring rolls being prepared is inexplicably satisfying.
Created in partnership with Visit Anaheim
