My Mother's Famous Chinese Egg Rolls
These homemade crispy pork and vegetable egg rolls are a delightful treat to make at home. Filled with a flavorful mixture of ground pork, cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms, these slender egg rolls are perfectly fried to a golden brown crispiness. The process of filling and rolling the egg rolls is a rewarding and fun experience, resulting in a delicious snack or appetizer that you can enjoy on its own or with your favorite dipping sauce. Great for freezing too, so you can always have a stash ready for a quick and tasty treat.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 50 Spring/Egg Roll Wrappers (about 2 packages), defrosted unopened at room temperature for 45 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup of cool water to seal egg roll
- Cooking oil, for frying
- FOR THE PORK
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- FOR THE VEGETABLES
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
- ½ head of cabbage (about 11 ounces)
- 3 carrots
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 10 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded
- 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2. To a food processor, add the shiitake mushrooms. Pulse a few times until the mushrooms are finely chopped. Insert shredder disk (large holes) and shred the cabbage and carrots.
- 3. Heat a wok or large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add just 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add in the garlic and ginger and quickly stir-fry until fragrant. Add in the contents of the food processor (cabbage, carrots and shiitake). Turn heat to high and stir-fry for 1 minute until the vegetables are beginning to soften.
- 4. Use your tongs to make a large, empty spot in the middle of the pan (push the vegetables aside), swirl in an additional 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. When hot, add in the ground pork. Cook the ground pork in the middle of the pan until beginning to turn brown. Now use your tongs to mix the pork with the vegetables.
- 5. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and black pepper. Continue to stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes until the pork is cooked through.
- 6. Scoop out the filling to a baking sheet and spread out to cool. Prop up one end of the baking sheet slightly to allow excess the moisture to drain to one end. Let cool for 15 minutes and then discard all of the accumulated juices.
- 7. Now, you're ready to wrap (see photos for instructions on how to wrap). IMPORTANT: Only use 1 heaping tablespoon of filling for each egg roll. These are slender egg rolls, the width of the egg roll should only be 1.25" diameter. Keep the rolled egg rolls in neat, single layer and covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. If you want to stack the egg rolls, make sure you have layer of parchment paper in between the layers to prevent sticking. Keep wrappers also covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to fry or freeze.
- 8. To fry the egg rolls, fill a wok or pot with 2 inches of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) or until a cube of bread will fry to golden brown within 10 seconds. Gently slide in or lower the egg rolls, frying 4 to 6 at a time, turning occasionally until golden brown about 1½ minutes. Place on wire rack to drain and cool.
- NOTE: To fry frozen egg rolls, do not defrost the egg rolls – just add them to the oil frozen, frying 4 to 6 at a time. Add an additional 1½ minutes to the frying time since they are frozen.
Instructions
- To Make the Filling
- In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, cornstarch and pork. Marinate at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, shred the cabbage and the carrots using your food processor or by hand. Slice the mushrooms into very thin strips (or you could use your food processor and pulse a few times to get a fine dice.
- Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the marinated pork and stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, push the meat to one side of the pan. Add the garlic, cabbage, carrots, ginger and the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and black pepper. Continue to stir-fry for another minute. Scoop out the filling to a baking sheet and spread out to cool. Prop up one end of the baking sheet so that it tilts and will allow all the moisture to drain to one end. Let cool for 15 minutes.
- Wrap Egg Rolls
- Discard all of the accumulated juices. Use paper towels to blot the filling to rid of extra oil or juice. Now, you're ready to wrap (see step by step photos in the post for instructions on how to wrap).
- IMPORTANT: Only use 1 heaping tablespoon of filling for each egg roll. These are slender egg rolls, the width of the egg roll should only be 1.25" diameter.
- Keep the rolled egg rolls in neat, single layer and covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. If you want to stack the egg rolls, make sure you have layer of parchment paper in between the layers to prevent sticking. Keep wrappers also covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to fry or freeze.
- Want to Freeze?
- If you want to freeze the egg rolls, lay the rolls in a single layer inside a gallon freezer bag. If they overlap, they might freeze and stick together. They can touch side by side, but try not to overload bag. When ready to cook, do NOT defrost, or they will be a soggy, deformed mess. Fry the egg rolls frozen (see below).
- To Fry the Egg Rolls
- Fill a wok or pot with 2 inches of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) or until a cube of bread will fry to golden brown within 10 seconds. Gently slide in or lower the egg rolls, frying 4 to 6 at a time, turning occasionally until golden brown about 1½ minutes. Place on wire rack to drain and cool.
- NOTE: To fry frozen egg rolls, do not defrost the egg rolls – just add them to the oil frozen, frying 4 to 6 at a time. Add an additional 1½ minutes to the frying time since they are frozen.
Cook Time
0M
Prep Time
PT0M
Yield
Makes 50 egg rolls
Nutrition
- Calories: 85 kcal
- Carbohydrate Content: 12 g
- Protein Content: 3 g
- Fat Content: 2 g
- Cholesterol Content: 8 mg
- Sodium Content: 167 mg
- Serving Size: 1 serving
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