When I set out to develop this recipe, I didn’t realize that it would end up being the base for two different recipes. I’m quite happy that it did because it allowed me to make two delicious and distinctly different meals, out of essentially the same ingredients. I’ll start with the egg rolls and write a separate post for the second recipe, Chinese Fried Egg Noodles.
So – the egg rolls. I love egg rolls. Unfortunately, by the time they get delivered from the Chinese restaurant, they’re typically lukewarm and slightly soggy after sitting in that dreaded Styrofoam container. I mean – honestly, can someone invent a better container for carry-out fried food?!? Fried food does not do well when completely enclosed in something. It gets soggy and loses the distinctive crunch that makes it taste so good. I find it hard to believe that there isn’t a better way to deliver fried food. Anyways, I digress, but until my local restaurateurs figure that out, I’m either eating my fried food at an actual restaurant or making it at home on my own.
Homemade egg rolls may sound intimidating, but they’re really quite simple. The keys to successful homemade egg rolls are:
- Sauteing the vegetables beforehand to get rid of excess moisture.
- Not overfilling your egg roll; otherwise it may burst.
- Sealing the egg roll completely with an egg wash.
- Finally, frying it at the correct temperature so the egg roll wrapper absorbs very little oil and cooks evenly.
See? Simple. Give this recipe a try the next time you’re craving deliciously crispy egg rolls. And don’t forget to save any extra filling for my Chinese Fried Egg Noodles recipe. It’s a 2 for 1 special – a deal your local take-out place can’t even beat!
Pork Egg Rolls
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, divided into 2, 2 tbsp. portions
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 cup shredded green cabbage
- 3 carrots, peeled and shredded
- 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp. Chinese rice wine
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 16 egg roll wrappers
- 1 egg, lightly beaten.
- Vegetable oil for frying
Directions:
- Place pork, 2 tbsp. of the soy sauce and corn starch in a medium bowl. Mix to combine and let marinate for 30 minutes.
- After marinating, cook pork in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, until browned, about 5 – 7 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks.
- When pork is browned, add cabbage, carrots, ginger, rice wine, sesame oil and sugar. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes until vegetables are softened but not completely cooked.
- Remove from heat, drain additional liquid and let cool.
- Lay one egg roll wrapper on your work surface, with one of the points toward you.
- Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling just below the center of the wrapper, above the bottom point.
- Pull the bottom point up over the filling, fold over the sides, and roll up, brushing the final top corner with the beaten egg, before completely enclosing the filling.
- Place seam side down on a parchment line sheet pan. Repeat with remaining wrappers.
- Refrigerate any remaining filling.
- To fry the egg rolls, fill a pot with 2 inches of the vegetable oil and heat over medium heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees.
- Fry 4 to 6 egg rolls at a time, turning occasionally until golden brown about 1½ minutes. Place on wire rack to drain and cool.
Tagged: cabbage, carrots, chinese food, chinese take-out, egg rolls, ginger, pork, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil
Leave a Reply