Egg rolls are the quintessential Chinese food stuffed with cabbage, carrots, and pork and crisped to perfection.
My family’s favorite thing is that we eat Asian food each time, yet I have never attempted to prepare it at home. The opportunity presented itself, and it was much easier than I expected to prepare, and you can let your imagination do the cooking for you.
Sometimes, getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things feels good.
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The recipe below is my creation, precisely for 20 rolls.
Feel free to adjust the heat content by adding extra chilis to the sauce and the filling. I like the hot spicy to be mild to enjoy every flavor bursting in my mouth with each bite.
Egg rolls are a great snack or a start to any Asian-style meal.
In this Article
- Why you will love this recipe
- What are Egg Rolls?
- Ingredients needed to make this recipe
- Equipment Needed
- Step by step on how to make these delicious egg rolls
- Pro Tips
- Variations and Substitutions
- Storing and Reheating
- Frequently Asked Questions
- If you enjoy this egg roll recipe, you may want to try my other recipes.
- Egg Rolls
Why you will love this recipe
They can be prepared a day in advance and fried just before serving them, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy your guests.
Everyone loves egg rolls and they are so much fun to prepare.
What are Egg Rolls?
Egg rolls are savory rolls filled with cabbage, roast pork, and sometimes shrimp.
Contrary to the name, it does not contain eggs; at times, there may not be eggs in the wrapper.
Ingredients needed to make this recipe
This is a short introduction. The ingredient list is also brief. It includes essential items that you may already have in your pantry. Please read the recipe for complete instructions.
Vegetables – Carrots and white cabbage are used most to make egg rolls.
Garlic cloves – are a must in Chinese cooking as they add great flavor to all fillings.
Ginger – a must with all Asian food. When selecting fresh ginger, ensure they are no bruising and the skin is soft so you can peel it off with your fingernails.
Meats – cleaned shrimp and ground pork
Sauces – Chinese rice wine, garlic sesame soy sauce or regular, oyster sauce, rice vinegar.
Brown sugar – adds a layer of sweetness and works beautifully with the cabbage.
White pepper – can be substituted with black pepper
Spring roll wrappers – easily found at your local grocery stores. You will need 20 for this recipe
Oil for frying – vegetable oil is preferred
For the dipping sauce – garlic, green onions, ginger and oyster sauce
Equipment Needed
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Wok or large skillet
Step by step on how to make these delicious egg rolls
With all my recipes, please assemble all the ingredients before starting cooking and baking.
This recipe is a two-part recipe. One is the filling, and the second is the dipping sauce.
Let’s start with the filling:
- In a wok heat the oil until hot and add the ground pork and cook until all done. Add the shrimp and cook for another two minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add the carrots, cabbage, garlic, and ginger in the hot wok, and still add the brown sugar, Chinese wine rice, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and rice vinegar. Cook until tender to the bite.
- Return the pork mixture to the wok and mix well.
- Let the mixture cool off and place into the refrigerator.
- The above mixture will be more manageable when cooled off and in a cooler.
Start rolling your egg rolls
- Place your wrappers on a clean surface and in a diamond shape.
- Spoon the mixture into the lower mid-part of the wrapper.
- Cover with the tip corner, fold the side over, tuck the meat well inside, roll and wet the triangle tip with water, and seal. Continue this until all the egg rolls are done.
- In a wok, heat the oil and deep fry your egg rolls until golden brown.
Dipping sauce
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Pro Tips
- To facilitate your prep work, buy already shredded cabbage. Readily available in your grocery produce section.
- Squeeze out any excess moisture from the filling before wrapping the egg rolls. Moisture in the filling can be dangerous when frying.
- Do not overfill them, and keep them bite-size for everyone to enjoy.
Variations and Substitutions
Egg rolls are super versatile, and you can let your imagination take over and have fun creating amazing variations.
Here are a few suggestions:
- I used pork in this recipe, but you can use ground chicken or only enjoy it with chopped shrimp.
- Chopped celery, mushrooms, vegetables such as shredded zucchini, or cooked glass noodles.
Storing and Reheating
Make ahead: your egg rolls can be assembled the day before and stored in the refrigerator until ready to fry.
Freeze: uncooked egg rolls: Duct the uncooked egg rolls with a film of all purpose flour or cornstarch and place them, single layer, on a baking sheet, i use parchment paper between the baking sheet and the egg rolls. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze them for about an hour. At this point, they should be partially frozen. Transfer them into freezer bags or vacuum seal them to remove as much air as possible. They can stay in the freezer for up to six months.
Reheating: place them in an oven at 350 F and warm them. Do no not use the microwave as it will render soggy egg rolls and lose all their crispiness. If you use frozen egg rolls, let them defrost before frying.
Leftover egg rolls: after completely cooling off, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between egg rolls and spring rolls?
The main difference is that egg rolls have a thickened crisper wrapper made with egg in the dough, which has a more substantial, bumpy texture. The spring roll uses a thinner, smoother wrapper and has a lighter filling.
Is egg roll Chinese or Japanese?
Chinese, not Japanse. They are quite popular in China and date back to ancient China.
Are spring rolls fried or not?
Typically, spring rolls are fried. Wrapped in a thin dough and then cooked bt frying. Some variations can be baked or even served fresh without cooking, depending of the recipe or style of spring roo.
If you enjoy this egg roll recipe, you may want to try my other recipes.
Egg Rolls
Ingredients
Egg Rolls
- 3 carrots, shredded
- 2 cups white cabbage, shredded
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- pound cleaned shrimp, chopped into small pieces
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 3 teaspoons Chinese rice wine
- 2 teaspoons garlic sesame soy sauce (or regular)
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- white pepper
- 20 units spring roll wrappers
- oil for frying
Dipping Sauce for Egg Rolls
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped green onions
- 1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- soy sauce
Instructions
Egg Rolls Preparation:
- Shred the carrots and cabbage. Peel and mince the garlic. Mince the fresh ginger. Chop in small pieces the cleaned and deveined shrimps.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok until hot. Add the ground pork and cook until done. About 4 minutes. Add the shrimps and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add the carrots, cabbage fresh garlic and ginger to the wok. Stir and add the brown sugar, Chinese rice wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce and rice vinegar. Cook over high heat until tender to the bite.
- Return the pork and shrimps to the wok and mix well with the vegetables
- Remove and let it cool off. Can be placed in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Place egg roll wrapper in a diamond shape on a clean dry surface. Spoon mixture in the lower mid part of wrapper. Cover with tip corner, fold side over tucking meat well inside, roll and wet triangle tip with water and seal. Continue with all rolls.
- In the wok heat oil until hot and deep fry the egg roll until golden all around
Sauce Preparation:
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add more soy sauce as needed or desired.
- Serve alongside egg rolls.
Notes
- To facilitate your prep work, buy already shredded cabbage. Readily available in your grocery produce section.
- Squeeze out any excess moisture from the filling before wrapping the egg rolls. Moisture in the filling can be dangerous when frying.
- Do not overfill them, and keep them bite-size for everyone to enjoy.
Nutrition
Giangi’s Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.
- Course: Appetizers, Fish, Dinners, Pork, Vegetables
- Cuisine: International
- Type: Affordable Gourmet, Under 45 minutes
Did you make this?
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Jane Saunders
I’ve also been put off making egg rolls at home, as I wasn’t sure where to start. I might just have to give these a go with your simple instructions – they look better than take out.
Giangi Townsend
Thank you Jane for reading my blog. Yes, the recipe is so easy you will be amazed. We could not get enough of them.
Enjoy them and let me know how they turn out.
Bon Appetit!!
Giangi
Abeer Rizvi
This would be a great appetizer for holidays. Totally adding this to our party menu.
Giangi Townsend
Thank you Abeer. You will enjoy them, I am sure of it. Easy to make and gone before you know it.
Let me know and thank you for reading my blog.
Bon Appetit!
Giangi