When you go to your favorite local Chinese restaurant, choosing your meal or combo is usually no brainier. Everyone knows their favorite meal when it comes to Chinese; whether it is chicken and broccoli with pork fried rice or boneless spare ribs with white rice, everyone has an idea of what they will get.
For me, an essential part of the combo meal is the egg roll! Without an egg roll, there might as well be no combo. I enjoy egg rolls so much that I even started to make them myself. It turns out, making egg rolls the right way tends to be a bit tricky. You need to follow directions carefully for them to come out the right way. I have come across instructions and ingredients online in the past but never found the right recipe until a few days ago when Steamy Kitchen inspired me.
Today I will share the full recipe for Chinese Egg Rolls, and not only will I share it with you, but I will also walk you through it step by step so your Egg Rolls don’t come out soggy and falling apart. The first step is getting a big bowl to mix up the soy sauce, cornstarch, and pork; let marinate for at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, shred carrots and cabbage by hand, and slice mushrooms into fragile pieces. This is getting the insides of the egg roll ready.
You’ll then want to grab a large pan and place on medium-low heat. Toss your pork and vegetables in with a little bit of oil and stir for about 3-4 minutes until the pork isn’t pink anymore. Once the pork is no longer pink, add garlic, cabbage, carrots, ginger, sugar, sesame oil, and black pepper, then continue to stir for another minute or so.
Finally, scoop out all filling and place on a cooking sheet, spread out, and wait for it to cool. While waiting for it to cool, prop up and tilt one side of the sheet so you can drain any extra moisture in the filling (about 15 minutes). These are the instructions on making the filling, now comes to the hard part: wrapping the egg rolls.
Wrapping the egg rolls can be very difficult; you must think of it like folding origami, neat tucks, and folds to accomplish the right wrap. Here are the steps to take you to success, first, lay your wrapper/dough on a clean, flat, and dry surface, then put the filling in the bottom corner and resist over-stuffing the egg roll!
Next, lift the bottom corner and roll up until you reach halfway. Next, you will fold over the left side + the right side towards the center until it looks like an open envelope.
Lastly, keep folding with a tuck-roll-tuck-roll motion while dipping fingers into cornstarch and rub over the final top corner, finish the roll, seal, and place seam side down. It seems like a difficult challenge, but it’s just like any other thing you are new at; it requires practice and repetition to finesse it nice and tight everything. It needs to be sealed without any holes or air pockets because it will leak out oil and grease, and you will end up with a soggy egg roll!
Once you have successfully put together your egg rolls, the next step is to bake them to crispy perfection in your Superheated Steam Countertop Oven. Set your oven to cooking mode Bake/Reheat at 425° for 10-15 minutes, or until the egg rolls reach your desired level (medium to well done).
Making and rolling egg rolls is quite a process but very convenient if able to master; it’s great for a quick snack, appetizer, or even a side with your meal. Egg rolls can be excellent finger food for big games such as a super bowl or the NBA playoffs, so when reading this blog, I hope it helps you learn something new and valuable, and you put the egg rolls to good use!
Egg Rolls
This crispy and delicious egg roll recipe is the perfect make-ahead appetizer for your next gathering with friends and family. While the art of wrapping an egg roll can be intimidating, we take you step-by-step through the process.
- 50 Spring/Egg Roll Wrappers (This is about 2 packages, defrosted unopened at room temperature for 45 minutes or in the refrigerator over night)
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch (The cornstarch will be mixed with ¼ cup of cool water to seal the egg rolls)
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 cup Cooking Oil (For Frying)
- 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 lb Ground Pork
- 1/2 head Cabbage (About 11 ounces)
- 6 Shiitake Mushrooms (Make sure stems are discarded)
- 1 cup Julienned Carrots
- 2 cloves Garlic ( very finely minced)
- 1 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger
- 1 tbsp Chinese Rice Wine (You could also use dry sherry)
- 1/4 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp Ground Black Pepper
Egg Roll Filling Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, cornstarch, and pork. Allow this mixture to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
- While the ingredients above are marinating, shred carrots and cabbage by hand, and slice mushrooms into very thin pieces.
- Heat large pan over stovetop on medium-low, toss in both pork mixture and vegetables with oil. Stir mixture for about 3-4 minutes or until the pork isn’t pink anymore.
- Once the pork and vegetable mixture is no longer pink, add garlic, cabbage, carrots, ginger, sugar, sesame oil, and black pepper, then continue to stir for another minute or so.
- Remove mixture from the stove top and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Scoop all filling out of the frying pan and place on a cooking sheet, spread out, and allow for it to cool for 5 additional minutes.
- While waiting for it to cool, prop up and tilt one side of the sheet so you can drain any extra moisture in the filling. (do for 15 minutes).
Egg Roll Wrapping Instructions
- Lay your wrapper/dough on a clean, flat, and dry surface, then put the filling in the bottom corner.
- Lift the bottom corner and roll up until you reach halfway.
- Fold over the left side + the right side towards the center until it looks like an open envelope.
- Continue folding with a tuck-roll-tuck-roll motion while dipping fingers into cornstarch and rub over the final top corner, finish the roll, seal, and place seam side down.
Baking Egg Rolls
- Place egg rolls on crisper tray.
- Set your oven to cooking mode Bake/Reheat at 425° for 10-15 minutes, or until the egg rolls reach your desired doneness.
