Chinese Crispy Egg Rolls Recipe

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• For the filling
• 1 1/4 pounds ground pork
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 head of small cabbage (about 10 ounces)
• 3 carrots
• 8 fresh shitake mushrooms (or dried Chinese mushrooms soaked overnight), stems discarded
• 1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• For the egg rolls
• 50 Spring Roll/Egg Roll Wrappers, defrosted unopened at room temperature for 45 minutes or in refrigerator overnight (about 2 packages)
• Cornstarch slurry: 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or flour) mixed with 1/4 cup of cool water
• Oil, for frying

Preparation

Step 1

Marinate the ground pork with the soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar and sesame oil for at least 10 minutes at room temperature.

In the meantime, shred the cabbage and the carrots using your food processor or by hand. Slice the mushrooms into very thin strips.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until hot. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic, ginger and fry until fragrant, 15-30 seconds. Add the pork and stir fry until no longer pink. Add the cabbage, carrots and the mushrooms and stir fry for 1 minute, until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil Chinese black vinegar, salt and black pepper. Continue to stir fry for another minute. Remove 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.

Discard all of the accumulated juices. Use paper towels to blot the filling to rid of extra oil or juice. Now, we’re ready to wrap!
How to Wrap Egg Rolls

I have step by step photos – but please note that I took these photos when I was making a egg rolls with a different filling (crawfish and Chinese sausage) – but look at the photos – they will give you a good step by step:


When you tilt the pan, see how much extra liquid accumulates at the bottom of the pan?


Place only 1 tablespoon of filling on one corner. Any more and you’ll overstuff.


Roll up that corner until you reach the middle of the wrapper.


Fold the sides towards the middle. Make sure that you make these folds tight and leave no air pockets.


Continue rolling. See that little corner? Brush a little of the cornstarch slurry on that end.


Press to make sure that cornstarch slurry holds on tight. Place seam side down, so that the slurry dries in place. See how nice, neat and tight that roll is?


What NOT to do: see how the roll is loose and there are air pockets? Oil will enter in through those air pockets and this egg roll will break.

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:

Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to fry or freeze.

To fry the egg rolls, fill a wok or pot with 2 inches of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350F or until a cube of bread will fry to golden brown within 10 seconds. Gently slide in or lower the egg rolls, frying 4-6 at a time, turning occassionaly until golden brown about 1 1/2 minutes. Place on wire rack to drain and cool.

To fry frozen egg rolls, do not defrost the egg rolls – just add them to the oil frozen, frying 4-6 at a time. Add an additional 1 1/2 minutes to the frying time since they are frozen.