Ground Pork Egg Rolls

There is a very good reason I have yet to post an Asian recipe so far, even though I claim in my bio to love Asian food. Which I do. A lot. However, executing a Chinese stir fry or Mongolian Beef dish for example is not as easy as it seems. It’s hit or miss for me. It’s either surprisingly good or turns out gummy and flat. There is an art form to making many of the dishes and I think like all types of cuisine, it takes practice and patience (which I run short on). And let’s face it, sometimes the simplest dishes are oftentimes the hardest to get right.

One exception would be these ground pork egg rolls. The thought of making your own egg rolls may seem crazy, or a waste of time. But let me assure you they are not. Crazy that is. Well, crazy good maybe. And luckily, they are not hard to make at all, I promise. I used this recipe as a guide https://www.food.com/recipe/chinese-egg-rolls-134053?photo=327698 and have only tweaked it a bit. I would normally say to avoid pre-shredded products, but in this case a bag of cabbage carrot coleslaw mix works just as well as if you hand shred it! I’ve given options for both.

DISCLAIMER: This can get a little messy during frying. I find that a high-sided pot with room for about 3-4 egg rolls at a time works best.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1lb. Ground Pork
• 2 cups finely shredded cabbage*
• 1/4 cup hand grated carrots *
• *Or use a 16oz. bag of cabbage carrot coleslaw mix
• 1 large or 2 small scallions, finely minced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce, or coconut aminos
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1 lb. package egg roll wrappers like these
• small bowl of water
• Canola, grapeseed or peanut oil

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl combine the sugar, salt, reduced-sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos) and sesame oil and stir to combine completely until sugar and salt are dissolved. Set aside.

Heat a saute pan over medium high heat, which will take at least 5 minutes. Then add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl it around, letting it heat up for another couple of minutes. Add the pork to the pan. Do not touch it! Don’t stir or break up the meat just yet. Let it cook for a few minutes without touching, so that it will brown and start developing good flavor. After a few minutes you can stir the meat around, breaking it up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon.

Add the garlic, ginger and minced scallions and stir into the meat. Allow to cook for a few minutes until the mixture starts to smell really good! Then add the soy sauce mixture and stir to completely incorporate and heat through.

Add the cabbage & carrot and stir really well until the cabbage begins to wilt a little, just to combine everything. Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool completely.

After the mixture has cooled, line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Then, taking one egg roll wrapper at a time, place a wrapper in front of you, with a pointed end nearest you. Stir the pork mixture really well, and then add about 3 tbsp. or so of the mixture to the end of the wrapper closest to you, leaving about an inch of space at the bottom.

Taking the bottom, pull up over the mixture and then roll forward just a little. Fold in both sides and then continue to roll until you have about an inch of wrapper left. Wet your finger in the bowl of water and dab the last corner (or you can brush with water). Then finish rolling to seal the egg roll. Here’s a youtube link that walks you through the technique if you need help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KMOVZx7pMQ. They use egg wash, I use water. Either will do! Place each egg roll on the parchment lined sheet pan until you have used up all of the filling, between 16-18 egg rolls. At this point, you can fry the egg rolls or place in the fridge for a few hours until ready to use.

Heat about 2-3 inches of oil in a sauce pan that will easily fit at least 3 egg rolls at a time without crowding. When the oil reaches 325 degrees, gently place 3-4 egg rolls to the pot, or however many you can fit at a time without them touching and fry, stirring around constantly and flipping until they are nicely browned and cooked through. Using a spider like this one https://www.amazon.com/Asian-Kitchen-Stainless-Strainer-Natural/dp/B000PKQ3YW or slotted spoon, remove egg rolls to a paper-towel lined plate and continue cooking until all of the egg rolls are cooked. Serve right away.

To freeze and reheat: I was really skeptical that these would freeze and reheat well after being cooked. In fact, the first several times I made these I put the uncooked egg rolls I didn’t need that were on the sheet pan and placed them in the freezer for about 15 minutes, and then placed them in a ziplock bag to store in the freezer. This method works, but then you have to fry them every time you want a few egg rolls and you have to thaw them a bit so that they cook on the inside. So I tried the suggested method by cooking all of the egg rolls and freezing the ones we didn’t eat. Then I took them straight from the freezer and placed on a parchment lined sheet pan. I put the pan in a cold oven and set the temperature to 350 degrees. After 11-12 minutes the egg rolls were completed reheated and sizzling a little and they were delicious! Place them on paper towels to drain for a minute before serving.

Yields 16-18 egg rolls