Chinese Egg Rolls

The Lunar New Year is on Friday this year! In China, this marks the beginning of the Year of the Horse. Festivities begin on New Year’s Eve with families gathering for dinner and last until the Lantern Festival on February 14th this year. Over the next couple of days, I will be sharing Chinese dumpling recipes, along with these egg rolls, to celebrate.

I have tried a few different egg roll recipes over the years, but this one from Steamy Kitchen is a new favorite. The filling is made from seasoned ground pork, cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms. You can also change the meat and vegetables to suit your taste, just be careful to remove excess moisture from ingredients that contain a good amount of water. It was definitely Evan approved! He seems to like most food in dumpling and wrapped form.

The type of wrapper you buy makes a difference. Mine were a little too thick and created bubbles on the outside when I fried them. The best ones are square, about 8 inches across, and are thin enough to be translucent. They are often found in the frozen section of the Asian Food Market. Make sure to remove as much moisture as possible from the filling. I place a paper towel under the bottom part of the propped baking sheet to catch any excess drippings in case there is too much water. Roll up the filling (no more than a heaping tablespoon!) as tightly as possible without ripping the wrapper to prevent filling from falling out and oil from seeping in.

As with many of the dumpling and wrapped recipes I prepare, I like to double or even triple recipes to make many at once. I freeze the extra in single layers (separated with parchment) on baking sheets after forming, but before cooking. Once frozen, they can be transferred to freezer bags. They can be fried straight from the freezer, just add about 2 minutes to the cooking time.

Chinese Egg Rolls Recipe

Adapted from Steamy Kitchen

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Chinese Egg Rolls

A recipe for Chinese Egg Rolls

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword appetizer, cabbage, China, Chinese, egg roll, napa cabbage, pork, vegetable, wrap

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 10 minutes

0 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 50 Egg Rolls

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• pepper to taste

Filling:

• 1/2 head (11 ounces) napa cabbage
• 3 carrots
• 10 fresh shiitake mushrooms stems removed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• pepper to taste

For wrapping:

• 50 egg roll wrappers
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, combine pork, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and pepper. Allow to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
• Shred or thinly slice the cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms.
• In a large wok or pan, drizzle 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the pork and cook, breaking up into small pieces, until browned, about 3 minutes. Push the pork to the side of the pan and reduce heat to medium low. Add the cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, and ginger to empty side of pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, sugar, and pepper. Cook for a minute, then remove from heat.
• Slightly prop a large baking sheet, placing paper towels under the lower end to catch any excess moisture. Spread the filling out on the baking sheet to cool. Once filling has cooled, use a paper towel to press out any excess moisture.
• Place the egg roll wrappers next to work surface and cover with a towel to keep from drying. In a small bowl, mix together water and cornstarch.
• Place wrapper on a dry work surface with corner facing you. Place a heaping tablespoon of cooled filling in a line above the nearest corner. Starting from that corner, tightly roll up halfway, then tuck in the sides. Wet the top edge with the cornstarch water, then continue rolling to seal. Place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment with the seam side down. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Cover the prepared egg rolls on baking sheet with towel.
• To try, pour oil into wok until 2 inches deep over medium heat. Once 350 degrees F, gently add a few egg rolls. Don't overcrowd. Fry on each side until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Place on towel lined plate or wire rack to cool slightly. Repeat with remaining egg rolls.