Egg Rolls
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Making your own Egg Rolls calls for a bit of work, but it is well worth the effort. My family loves them–even more than those at restaurants. These little gems are filled with sausage and well seasoned vegetables, and are then fried in deep fat oil for a crispy brown shell. So yummy!
(Post modified on 1/18/23.)
I like to make these appetizers ahead of time, hours or days before my dinner, even. I make them up and freeze them on a baking sheet covered with waxed paper. Once they’re frozen, you may place them in a freezer bag until you’re ready to use, up to 6 weeks. This makes preparation so much easier when it’s time to make dinner.
Especially if you’re like me and want to serve your family a big Chinese Dinner. I’ve mentioned on here before about my themed dinners, where I serve my entire family a four or five course meal. Freezing your rolls ahead of time does wonders for the last-minute work ahead of you. I do the same for Crab Rangoon.
Ingredients to Make Egg Rolls
(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)
- bulk ground sausage
- shredded cabbage
- carrots
- bamboo shoots
- water chestnuts
- mushrooms
- water
- minced garlic
- rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- reduced sodium soy sauce
- kosher salt
- granulated sugar
- ground ginger
- freshly ground black pepper
- egg roll wrappers
- water for sealing the egg rolls
Instructions for Making This Recipe
Gather the ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire cooling rack over it.
Prepare the Ingredients
Shred the cabbage and carrots with a food processor or box grater.
Using a knife and cutting board, chop the bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and mushrooms. Mince the garlic.
Cook the Cabbage Mixture
In a large skillet, brown the ground sausage until fully cooked.
I like to use Oldham’s Country Sausage (16 grams of fat) or even better, Williams Country Sausage (11 grams of fat) when I can find it. Both of these brands cook up wonderfully with so little fat it doesn’t even need drained.
Add the prepared cabbage, carrots, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and minced garlic to the cooked sausage. Saute until cabbage is tender, stirring frequently.
Stir in the rice (or red wine) vinegar, soy sauce, kosher salt, granulated sugar, ground ginger, and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes.
Even better, refrigerate the filling for several hours or even overnight. This helps when making the rolls. Using hot ingredients tend to make the wrappers tear. Ask me how I know!
Assemble the Egg Rolls
To prepare the egg rolls, add a generous one-quarter cup of filling to each egg roll wrap.
Coat edges of wrap with water and roll halfway, from corner to corner. I like to smear a little water along the edges of the wrapper to help hold things in when they are cooking.
*I used to use a cornstarch paste to seal the wrappers, but the producer now have cornstarch on the wraps, so it is not necessary. If you need more than water for sealing, simply prepare 1/3 cup cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water.
Fold over sides, being careful not to create any gaping holes for the filling to fall out. Continue rolling to seal the top edge. The tighter you roll, the better.
Place egg rolls on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Repeat until filling is gone. You may freeze extra filling, if you have any.
*At this point, the egg rolls may be placed in the freezer. Freeze for 20-30 minutes, and then place frozen rolls in a freezer bag for use later.
Deep Fry Egg Rolls
Heat a large Dutch oven with peanut (or vegetable) oil, filled to 3-4 inches, to 350-360 degrees. Fry rolls 3-4 at a time, turning twice, until a nice golden brown, for about 3-4 minutes.
Alternately, you may bake the egg rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat in a 400 degree oven. Lightly coat each roll with a little oil. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
Remove rolls with a wire strainer and place on the prepared baking sheet. Place in a warm 350 degree oven until all are done. Repeat with the remaining rolls.
This recipe makes about 20 rolls and will serve 8-10 people.
Serve Egg Rolls warm with sweet and sour sauce, plum sauce, or hot mustard. This recipe pairs well with Egg Drop Soup, Crab Rangoon, Fried Rice, or any of your favorite stir-fry recipes.
See more Asian Dishes Here. Browse Appetizers Here.
Egg Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bulk sausage
- 3 cups cabbage finely shredded
- 2 medium carrots peeled and shredded
- 1 cup bamboo shoots chopped
- 1/2 cup water chestnuts chopped
- 1/3 cup mushrooms chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce reduced sodium
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 package egg roll wraps 21 slices
- 1/3 cup water
- Peanut Oil or Vegetable Oil, for frying
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire cooling rack over it.
Prepare the Ingredients
- Shred the cabbage and carrots with a food processor or box grater.
- Using a knife and cutting board, chop the bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and mushrooms. Mince the garlic.
Cook the Cabbage Filling
- In a large skillet, brown ground sausage until fully cooked.
- Add the prepared cabbage, carrots, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and garlic to the cooked sausage. Saute until cabbage is tender, stirring frequently.
- Stir in rice (or red wine) vinegar, soy sauce, kosher salt, granulated sugar, ground ginger, and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool for at least 20-30 minutes.
Assemble the Egg Rolls
- To prepare the egg rolls, add a generous one-quarter cup of filling to each egg roll wrap.
- Coat edges of wrap with water and roll halfway, from corner to corner. I like to smear a little water along the edges of the wrapper to help hold things in when they are cooking.*I once used a cornstarch paste to seal the wrappers, but the producers now have cornstarch on the wraps, so it is not necessary. If you need more than water for sealing, simply make a paste with 1/3 cup water with 3 tablespoons cornstarch.
- Fold over sides, being careful not to create any gaping holes for the filling to fall out. Continue rolling to seal the top edge. The tighter you roll, the better.
- Place egg rolls on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Repeat until filling is gone. You may freeze extra filling, if you have any.*At this point, the egg rolls may be placed in the freezer. Freeze for 20-30 minutes, and then place frozen rolls in a freezer bag for use later.
Time to Deep Fry
- Heat a large Dutch oven with peanut (or vegetable) oil, filled to 3-4 inches, to 350-360 degrees. Fry rolls 3-4 at a time, turning twice, until a nice golden brown, for about 2-3 minutes.Alternately, you may bake the egg rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat in a 400 degree oven. Lightly coat each roll with a little oil. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove rolls with a wire strainer and place on the prepared baking sheet. Place in a warm 350 degree oven until all are done. Repeat with the remaining rolls.
- Serve Egg Rolls warm with sweet and sour sauce, plum sauce, or hot mustard. Serves 8-10.
Nutrition
This looks delicious. I have a surprise for you. Check out my blog http://www.cakesandteacups.com
I can not wait to try the Egg Rolls. I love them and always order them when I go for Chinese. I've always wonder how does one make them. Thank you so much for this and all you do on here to make it interesting. I am so excited for you and all you are doing. God Bless *
Thanks for responding, Cakes and Teacups. And thanks so much for the award! I will be sure to pass it on.
Anonymous, I hope you will enjoy the egg roll recipe. They were soooo good. Blessings to you both.
These look SO good!!! I am going to try them this weekend 🙂 Do you mind if I share this post on my personal blog @ https://duhpaynes.blogspot.com ?
Sure, Anne. I'd be honored for you to share them with your readers! Blessings.