Egg rolls are one of my favorite Chinese food menu items. I always get an order from my favorite take out place. However I didn’t think I’d ever successfully make them at home. For one I didn’t know exactly what the ingredients were and how hard they would be to find and second the rolling process seemed too advanced. So even though I love to eat egg rolls, homemade egg rolls seemed kind of out of my realm.
Why was I so intimidated?! While not all the recipes we try are complete successes (or edible for that matter) this one absolutely was. They turned out way better than I ever imagined they would. The filling was perfect, totally authentic in my opinion. And the outside was crispy and golden. They were SERIOUSLY tasty.
I am definitely going to make these again. They are great for a crowd because you get about 25 or 30 per batch, and they can easily be frozen and reheated in the oven. Next time I might try with shrimp because the ones I order out are shrimp and I really love those. I think lil shrimps rather than chicken would put them over the edge to mouth watering amazing-ness.
Here's what you'll need
To a Ziploc bag add chicken and soy sauce
And garlic…
And veg oil…
And onion. The recipe actually called for green onion. As you can see we used a shallot
Squeeze the excess air out and seal the bag. Let the chicken marinate
Cook the chicken, dice it up and set aside
Then thinly shred the cabbage
Start piling the cabbage and shredded carrot into the hot wok or large skillet
Add the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce add the remaining garlic and onion and cook for another minute
Once it's cooked, transfer to a colander and squeeze out all the liquid
Now get ready for assembly. Mix a tablespoon of corn starch with 3 tablespoons water
Place a wrapper with the corner facing toward you and add a tablespoon or 2 of filling.
Start rolling away from you. Make sure to keep it tight
Now fold the sides in toward the center
And finish rolling it up!!
The corn starch mix will act as glue to keep the wrapper closed
Perfect!
Now fry them in the HOT canola oil, 4-5 minutes, or until golden
As they become golden lay them vertically on a paper towel to help soak up any grease
I have to admit, I'm so proud of how pretty they turned out! These were every bit as good (or better) than take out!
Yield: 24-30 egg rolls
Ingredients
For the Filling:
4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
3 cloves minced garlic, divided
4 chopped green onions, divided (we used a shallot, it was the closest thing we had :-/)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
¾ head green cabbage, shredded thin
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
To Finish
24-30 egg roll wrappers
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water
Canola oil, for frying
Directions
To make the filling, combine 3 tablespoons of the soy sauce, 1 clove of minced garlic, half of the green onions, and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a Ziploc bag; shake well to combine. Place the chicken strips in the bag, press out the excess air, and seal. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 hours.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable in a wok or large skillet over high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the chicken to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the chicken is cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the shredded cabbage and carrots and the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce. Stir to toss the vegetables. Cook over high heat for about 2 minutes. Toss in the bean sprouts, remaining garlic and green onions and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
Dice the chicken breast and add them to the vegetable mixture. Place the mixture in a colander and in the sink. Press down firmly on the filling mixture to remove as much excess liquid as possible. Let the filling cool for 30 minutes before filling the wrappers.
To finish the egg rolls, heat about 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees F. While the oil is heating, assemble the rolls. Lay an egg roll wrapper out on your work surface with one corner pointing toward you. Add a tablespoon or two of the filling to the center of the wrapper. Fold the corner closest to you up over the filling. Roll slightly away from you then fold in the two outside corners, and continue rolling the wrapper tightly away from you. Securly close the egg roll by lightly brushing the inside top corner of the wrapper with the corn starch mixture. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
Fry several egg rolls at a time in the hot oil but without overcrowding, about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a large plate lined with paper towels and place the finished egg rolls vertically to help drain excess grease. Repeat with the remaining rolls. Serve warm with soy sauce or sweet n’ sour.
Source: Tide and Thyme
