Mother's Famous Chinese Egg Rolls Recipe
Once you make these egg rolls, you'll never make them any other way! Make sure you get the correct egg roll wrappers. They should be FROZEN and very thin, almost paper thin. Do not use egg roll wrapper found in the refrigerated section (usually near tofu) in Western supermarket - they make starchy, thick, gooey egg rolls with big bubbles on outside when you fry. It's important to make sure you keep your wrapper and rolled egg rolls under plastic wrap so that they do not dry out!
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
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ head of cabbage about 11 ounces
- 6 fresh shiitake mushrooms stems discarded
- 1 cup julienned carrots
- 2 cloves garlic very finely minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 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
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 85kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 3gFat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 167mgPotassium: 72mgVitamin A: 440IUVitamin C: 3.5mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 0.8mg
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