Homemade Egg Rolls

While many families are eating a pork roast to welcome in the New Year tomorrow, I’m going in a little bit of a different route! Did you know that you can make egg rolls at home? And honestly, they’re not super difficult! It would definitely be a fun family activity for the weekend. My parents received a cookbook for their wedding with this recipe in it. They’ve been married for forty years and this cookbook still has a place on the shelf. In fact, I remember helping my parents roll up egg rolls at the dining room table.

Egg Roll Filling

• 1 lb. chicken breast finely chopped (I’m using 1 lb. of ground pork)
• 2 TBS. cornstarch
• 2 TBS. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 4 TBS. oil
• 1/4 lb. mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped bamboo shoots
• 1 small cabbage, finely chopped about 3 cups (I’m making my life a little easier and using a pre-shredded coleslaw mix)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped water chestunuts
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. sugar

In a small mixing bowl, combine chicken, cornstarch, soy sauce, and ginger. Mix together and let stand for 15 minutes. Heat oil in wok. Stir-fry mushrooms for about 1 minute. Add chicken and continue to stir-fry until cooked through. Add remaining ingredients and stir-fry until cabbage is crisp-tender. Cool before filling egg roll wrappers.

Egg Rolls

-14-20 egg roll wrappers
– oil for deep frying
– spicy mustard and soy sauce for dipping

Use about a 1/4 cup filling per wrapper. Place filling diagonally across the center of the wrapper. Lift the lower triangle of wrapper over the filling and tuck in the point under it. Bring the 2 end flaps up and over the enclosed filling. Press flaps down firmly. Dip your fingers in cold water and brush them over the upper exposed triangle of dough. Then roll the filled portion over it until you have a neat package. Cold water seals the edges and keeps the filling intact. Cover the filled egg rolls with a clean, dry towel until you’re ready to fry. Fill wok with oil to 3-inch center dept. Heat to 375 degrees F (191 degrees C). With tongs lower egg rolls into the oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on some paper towels. Makes 18-20 filled egg rolls.

This is a tried and true recipe that we’ve been using in our family for decades at this point. And what’s even better, is that these egg rolls are easy to freeze. Fry them up first and stick them in the freezer for later. When you’re ready for a snack, defrost the egg rolls you want and place them on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. This allows the hot air to circulate the whole way around the egg roll so it doesn’t get too soggy!

I’m so excited for my egg rolls paired with a quick and easy stir-fry for a delicious dinner! Do you have a special recipe to kick off the new year?