- Hors D'Oeuvres
- Chinese
- Frying
- Pork
- Vegetables
These crisp rolls, filled with a steaming filling of cabbage, carrot, mushroom, and salty char siu pork, are a delicious study in contrasting textures and flavors.
By
J. Kenji López-Alt
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Updated August 29, 2023
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Why It Works
- Opting for thinner spring roll wrappers results in a crispier egg roll.
- Using frozen spring roll wrappers and buying char sui pork for the filling significantly reduces prep time.
- Tightly wrapping the filling ensures the egg rolls do not fall apart when fried or become overly greasy.
When I was a kid, the $1 egg rolls from the Chinese restaurant that used to be on the corner of 54th and 9th in Manhattan was my after-music-school snack. The ones there were fat and greasy, using the standard Chinese-American style wrapper: thick, with a blistered, bubbly surface. I'd empty a pack of sweet duck sauce over the top before downing it—they were crisp, with a steaming filling of cabbage, carrot, mushroom, and salty char siu pork. When well-made, they're a delicious study in contrasting textures and flavors.
Though the term "egg roll" and "spring roll" are occasionally used interchangeably, at least in the Chinese-American lexicon, the difference comes down to skin thickness and size.Egg rolls use thicker wrappersthat blister with bubbles, and are generally stuffed to the brim. Spring rolls feature a paper-thin wrapper that's less doughy, and are minimal when it comes to filling, maintaining a slender, hot-dog-sized shape.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__20110406-chinese-appetizers-egg-roll-14-73863fa2c09d4cbfa66c184aa97839aa.jpg "Crispy Pork and Cabbage Egg Rolls Recipe (3)")
I like mine somewhere in the middle. When I make them, they're closer to egg rolls in size, but use the thinner, crisper spring roll wrappers.
You can make the wrappers yourself if you'rereallyhardcore, but frozen ones work great, and are readily available in the freezer section of Chinese groceries (check near the frozen dumplings).
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__20110406-chinese-appetizers-egg-roll-01-326071f3ce604a0b9a9d1b6e8b60cdf3.jpg "Crispy Pork and Cabbage Egg Rolls Recipe (4)")
You can fill them with anything you like—greens, vegetables, noodles, or minced meat or shrimp all work—but I like the cabbage/carrot/mushroom/char siu combo of my youth. Buying the char siu pre-roasted from a Chinese barbecue makes the whole thing come together really quickly.
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Rolling egg rolls or spring rolls is just like any flat-starch-around-moist filling roll: you have to keep things nice and tight. Loosely rolled egg rolls will fall apart as they fry, or at the very least, leave you with greasy pockets in the finished product. Not a good thing.
April 2011
Recipe Details
Crispy Pork and Cabbage Egg Rolls Recipe
Prep20 mins
Cook20 mins
Active60 mins
Total40 mins
Serves12to 15 rolls
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium carrot, julienned or grated on the large holes of a box grater
1/2 pound Napa cabbage(about 1/2 small head), finely shredded
1/4 pound shiitake mushroomcaps, julienned
1 tablespoon Shaoxingwine
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt
1/4 pound char-siu pork, finely julienned (see note)
12 to 15 egg roll or spring roll wrappers
1 1/2 quarts peanut, canola, or vegetable oil
Plum sauceor duck sauce for serving
Directions
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until smoking. Add carrot, cabbage, and mushrooms and cook, tossing and stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and sugar, and toss to coat. Continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables begin to sizzle, about 2 minutes longer. Season to taste, then transfer to a paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet to cool. Once cool, transfer to a large bowl and toss with pork.
Lay one wrapper down with a corner pointed towards you (see note). Add about 3 tablespoons of filling to the lower third of the wrapper, keeping it in a nice, tight row. Roll from the bottom corner towards the top, keeping everything nice and tight. Roll until nearly half way up, then stop.
The next step is to fold the left and right corners towards the center. Start by first pressing in on the edges of the filling with your fingertips to make sure it's packed nice and tight. Fold the corners towards the center, again keeping everything tight. Moistening the edges of the wrapper with a bit of water will help it stick to itself and keep its shape. You want the bottom edge to form a 90° angle with the new edge you've just created by folding over the corner.
After both corners have been folded in, continue rolling towards the top of the paper. Moisten the top corner of the wrapper with a bit of water and continue rolling until the entire package is sealed. Repeat with remaining rolls until all the filling is used up.
Heat oil in a large wok or Dutch oven to 350°F (175°C) as registered on an instant-read thermometer. Add 4 to 6 rolls and cook, agitating occasionally with a wire mesh spider, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with plum sauce or duck sauce. Repeat with remaining egg rolls.
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Special Equipment
Wok, instant-read thermometer
Notes
Char siu can be found at Chinese barbecues. If it's unavailable, regular ham, or ground pork cooked with 1 tablespoons of hoisin sauce, can be substituted.
Spring roll and egg roll wrappers dry out very quickly. Keep them under plastic or under a damp kitchen towel while you work.
Read More
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- Crispy Bánh Mì Spring Rolls With Creamy Chili Mayo
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| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 155 | Calories |
| 11g | Fat |
| 11g | Carbs |
| 3g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 12to 15 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 155 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 11g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat 1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol 5mg | 2% |
| Sodium 116mg | 5% |
| Total Carbohydrate 11g | 4% |
| Dietary Fiber 1g | 2% |
| Total Sugars 1g | |
| Protein 3g | |
| Vitamin C 1mg | 4% |
| Calcium 9mg | 1% |
| Iron 0mg | 2% |
| Potassium 94mg | 2% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
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