I’ll be honest with you; I am a bear in the kitchen. The kitchen is my domain. When I’m in it, I like things done a particular way. My poor husband, Luke, sometimes gets a little skittish when I ask him for help for fear that he’ll end up getting his head snapped off. Cooking with me is not always pleasant. I admit it, but there’s one thing that Luke and I make together that leads us to marital bliss: egg rolls. Luke helps me roll the egg rolls and fry them, and I take care of seasoning and cooking the filling.
I love egg rolls so much they make up one entire tier of my food pyramid. For the longest time, I avoided making them because I’d watch an employee effortlessly crafting one in an Asian restaurant, and the process seemed entirely too artistic and daunting for me. One day, the urge came over me to give it a shot. I’m glad I did. I’ll let you in on a little secret—it’s not hard! The entire process takes maybe 30 minutes. In the end, you have crispy, golden, egg roll perfection. Just follow these simple steps, and you’ll never spend money on store-bought egg rolls again. Plus, the homemade ones taste better.
Here’s what you’ll need:
• A partner (cooking is more fun with two)
• Deep fryer or deep skillet
• Tongs for handling your egg rolls
• Frying pan for browning the meat; cooking the filling
• Basting brush
• Small Bowl
• Cookie sheet lined with wax paper
• Vegetable or Canola Oil (at least half a bottle’s worth)
• Ground pork or chicken (1/2 lb. or 1 lb.)
• Bag of coleslaw mix (it’s quicker than shredding your own veggies)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Ground Curry powder (optional)
• Freshly grated ginger (1 tsp. optional)
• 1 Egg beaten with 3 TBS of water
• Egg roll wraps (found in the refrigerated, natural foods/dressings section of Festival Foods. You can also find them in the Asian-international aisle of Woodman’s).
Getting Started:
1. You will want to get your oil heating up while you prep the egg rolls. Your oil should reach a temperature of 350 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, make sure your oil shows little bubbles before placing your egg rolls in it for frying. If you’re not using a deep fryer, don’t let the oil come to a rolling boil in your deep skillet. You don’t want the oil to splash you while placing your egg rolls in it. Ouch!
2. While your oil is heating, get your filling ready. Brown your meat on medium-high heat. Be sure to season your meat with salt and pepper.
3. After the meat is browned, add the coleslaw mix (about ¼ of the bag—depending on how much filling you want.)
4. Add another small bit of salt and pepper; sprinkle with curry powder if desired. You can add a tsp. of fresh ginger for a warm, sweet, spicy touch.
5. Cook the filling until the coleslaw mix is soft but not mushy. You should be able to stir it without the veggies falling out of the pan, and the green cabbage in the slaw should be somewhat translucent.
6. You can prep your egg mix for the egg roll wrappers in your small bowl while the filling is warming. Beat together one egg with 3 TBS of water.
7. Pull out your package of egg roll wrappers and read the instructions printed on the back. It’s essentially like rolling up a mini-burrito, but the instructions will provide more clarity.
8. Get a cookie sheet ready and line it with wax paper. This comes in handy for placing your egg rolls before frying.
9. Once your filling is heated through, you’re ready to fill and roll your egg rolls. Again, follow the instructions on your egg roll wrapper package carefully.
Frying Your Egg Rolls:
1. When your egg rolls are wrapped, you are ready to fry them! Carefully and delicately place your egg rolls into the hot oil. Fry each side for about 3 minutes or until the exterior is a nice, golden brown. If you’re not using a deep fryer, you will have to rotate the rolls with a pair of tongs throughout the frying process to ensure even browning. It typically takes no longer than 10 minutes for this process to complete.
2. Don’t overfill the pan or fryer with your egg rolls. You may have to fry them in 2 batches.
3. When the egg rolls are browned and delicious, line a plate with paper towel and set your egg rolls on it to cool. Let stand for about 10 minutes before eating.
If you’re like me, you eat egg rolls as a meal or snack on their own. I also like to pair them with a yummy chicken or beef stir fry, or fried rice dish. You can learn more about those in my next blogs. For now, revel in your success; knowing that you can craft a delectable egg roll that rivals any takeout place!
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