I don't think that I am exaggerating when I say that I learned a couple of important life lessons when making these AMAZING egg rolls from Babble.com.
These lessons are as follows:
1 - Egg rolls are not intimidating. They are seriously simple to make.
2 - Having to roll tissue paper around glass vials at work is a skill that apparently pays off in spades when it comes to egg rolls.
3 - If you have never tried cooking with fresh ginger (I hadn't before this), do it. Now. Just so you have an excuse to smell it. Ginger smells so fresh and tangy, it almost reminds me of lemon. I am ashamed of myself for ignoring it in all of those smoothie recipes I have tried over the past few years. Plus, I can't have lemon, so ginger has earned bonus points with me!
4 - Get a helper when you make these. Throw a party even. It's more fun and takes less time!
Also, there are apparently there are no illustrated / photographic egg roll rolling guides online. At least not that I could find. So I made one. :) I've got you covered on this egg roll business.
Restaurant-Style Egg Rolls
(original recipe found here)
1 lb ground pork, beef, or turkey (I used turkey)
4 cups finely shredded cabbage
2 cups matchstick cut carrots
1 – 8 oz package bean sprouts
6 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
20 egg roll wrappers
olive oil
flour and water for rolling egg rolls
vegetable oil for frying
Pull out your egg rolls and set aside. This is so that they can warm up to room temperature. They roll better that way.
In a large frying pan (or a soup pot if you are like me and only have one large skillet, and need it for frying later), pour in olive oil and brown the ground meat. Add carrots, cabbage, sprouts, onion, and garlic and cook until the cabbage starts to soften (about 10 minutes). Add ginger, cilantro, Hoisin sauce, and oyster sauce and cook until cabbage has completely softened.
Transfer to a large bowl and spread out to cool. The fanning technique used for sushi rice really helps if you want it to cool faster!
To make egg rolls, first dust a egg roll wrapper very lightly with flour on both sides. This is important and do not try to skip it! I see you trying to cut corners over there... I know it is time consuming, but this keeps the egg rolls from becoming overly wet, getting sticky, and /or breaking open. Trust me. I am talking from experience.
Follow the following steps:
1 - Put your lightly dusted egg roll wrapper on a plate. Fill with approximately 2 tbsp of cooled filling. Place the filling just slightly below the middle of the wrapper as pictured.
2 - Roll the bottom up. I found it helpful to lightly wet the bottom corner with just a dab of water, and to stick it to the wrapper while using my other hand to form the round shape of the egg roll. Don't worry about the ends on this step.
3 - Stuff any fallen filling back into the ends of the egg roll. Lightly wet the two outside corners. Pull one in and tightly it fold on top of the egg roll, sticking the corner to the wrapper. Do the same with the second side. Your egg roll should now resemble an open envelope.
4 - Roll the egg roll from the bottom up, stopping when the last bit of the top flap is left exposed. Make sure to roll tightly.
5 - Wet the entire two sides left exposed, in order to ensure a tight seal. Don't want these popping open in the skillet!
6- Roll it up and press lightly to seal! You're done. :) Wasn't that easy?
Preheat a large skillet or deep fryer filled with oil to approximately 350°F (180°C). If using a skillet, you can tell that the water is hot if you take a small about of room temperature water and flick it onto the oil. The oil should pop and sizzle when ready. (My skillet was only around 275°F (135° C) and these fried brilliantly!) Put a few egg rolls in the oil and cook for approximately 2 minutes per side. This will vary depending on your cooking method and oil temperature.
If any of your egg rolls get holes and filling starts to fall out, pull a bit of the surrounding dough to try and cover as much of the hole as possible (without making it worse elsewhere). Put that side of the egg roll in first. This should seal it back up!
Turn often with metal tongs so that all sides get cooked, and the bottom doesn't stick. Take them out when they are golden brown and crispy. Press with paper towels to drain off the oil.
Serve with a variety of sauces, or a side of fried rice. My favorite sauces are hot mustard and sweet and sour sauce!
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