Homemade Chinese Egg Rolls - Recipes, Tips and Variations

Using the fabulous tips provided in this article, you can make delicious Chinese egg rolls from scratch using commonly available ingredients, and the simple recipe idea at the end of the article.

You can use various red meats, chicken or shrimp as substitutes for the pork. Or you can make vegetarian egg rolls by omitting the meat and adding more vegetables such as celery, carrots, fresh herbs, mushrooms, etc.

The most important tip of all is to not let the stuffing become too wet as this can make the rolls soggy and unappealing.

The egg rolls can be fried or you can steam them using a variety of Asian steamers that are available, if you don't want to fry them. Deep-frying is the conventional way of cooking them, but you should ensure that you use a suitable oil such as peanut, rice bran or grape seed oil that has a high smoke point. Also use an oil thermometer if you don't have and electric deep fryer. This is very important to ensure that the shell are crisp after draining and are not oily and soggy.

Egg rolls are ideal as entrees for evening meals, lunch or as snacks.

Tips for Success

Egg rolls only become a problem if the filling is too moist or too dry. The knack is to ensure the egg rolls don't becomes soggy inside or get dehydrated when cooked. These tips make it easier:

Veggie Preparation - Prepare the vegetables in advance and make sure they are drained thoroughly, even by rubbing them with a paper towel
Meat Choices - With the exception of barbecued pork, egg rolls taste better when made with freshly prepared meat fillings that are well drained. Don't use prepared or processed meats or leftover beef for fillings as its likely to be too dry
Filling - Once pre-cooked and combined, the filling should have little to no liquid. It is a good idea to methodically drain and squeeze the filling dry. Put the mixture in a colander or sieve over a basin while assembling the egg rolls to drain off any excess fluid. Soggy fillings makes soggy and unappealing egg rolls. The temperature of the filling also matters. The filling should be totally chilled before assembling the rolls.
Wrappers - Keep the wrappers moist by covering with moist towel or moistened paper towels while assembling
Rolling - After assembling the rolls, do not stack them. Instead keep them in strip on a baking sheet lined with paper towels or waxed paper. It you stack the egg rolls they will bind together and flatten
Cooking - Cook the egg rolls one at a time in wok, large skillet or deep fryer. Temperature is absolutely crucial! The temperature should be 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). If you try to cook more than one or two at a time this will frop the temperature and the rolls will soak up too much oil and become soggy. Make certain the rolls are thinly browned on both edges before removing from the oil.
Draining - Remove the egg rolls from the oil with slotted spoon or aspatula. Place in a single layer on a baking tray, colander, or plate lined with paper towels. Do not stack after frying
Seasoning - Taste check before assembly and sprinkle with salt when cooked, if required
Making egg rolls to reheat later - Keep th freshly cooked egg rolls on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. When its time to reheat them, remove the paper and bake for about 10 minutes in a moderate oven. Flip over and bake for a futher 10 minutes
Freezing - You can freeze egg rolls before or after cooking. Wrap the rolls in foil packets, then seal in a plastic freezer bag and transfer to the freezer. If they are freshly prepared or cooked, allow them to chill a little before preparing for freezing. You can store the wrapped rolls in the freezer for up to 4 months. If you freeze uncooked, thaw in the refrigerator before cooking
Reheating - You can reheat the rolls in a moderate oven or quickly refry them in hot oil

Egg Roll Recipe

1 pound (500g) ground pork, beef or chicken
Hot mustard dressing (see recipe below)
Sweet and sour dressing (see recipe below)
Canola or vegetable oil
1 packet egg roll coverings (16-18)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon saline
1 teaspoon five flavour dust
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons low-salt soy dressing
4 intermediate green onions, divide
1/2 cup matchstick slash carrots or cut up mushrooms
1 can (8 1/2 ounces) bamboo shots drained and sliced (or sliced water chestnuts)
3 cups shredded green cabbage or Chinese cabbage

Preparation

Stir fry the pork or other meat in awok or 10-inch skillet until brown.
Remove pork from wok retaining about 2 tablespoons of oilfor cooking the remaining ingredients.
Stir fry the cabbage, and other vegetables with the onions until just starting to soften.
Mix the five flavour powder, soy dressing, cornstarch, salt and sugar in a cup.
Pour this mixture over the vegetable mixture on the wok.
Stir fry for an extra minute until the sauce thickens. Remove from the wok. Transfer to a bowl, add the pork or other cooked meat and allow to cool completely.
Keep the egg roll skins moist by covering with a damp towel to avert drying out while the filling is being prepared.
Place 1/4 cup of the filling onto center of each egg roll skin.
Fold one corner of the egg roll skin over filling.
Overlap the 2 opposite corners.
Moisten fourth corner with water and stretch over to make the finished roll.
Heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
Fry 1-2 egg rolls at a time until golden dark, rotating once, after about 3 minutes.
Place the cooked rolls on towels to drain. Do not stack.
Serve the egg rolls warm with sweet and sour sauce or with a side serve of warm mustard dressing
After cooking the egg rolls can be wrapped and refrigerated for about 24 hours for later use.
Re-heat in a moderate oven uncovered for about 15 minutes, before serving

Sauce Recipes

HOT MUSTARD SAUCE

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons dry powdered mustard
2 tablespoons water

Mix the ingredients until smooth.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup plum or grape jelly

Heat these ingredients in a small saucepan, stirring constantly until the jelly is melted.

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