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Chinese Restaurant-Style Egg Rolls
Instructions
Mis en Place (for the filling)
Core and finely shred (1) 4-lb head of cabbage.
Cut celery crosswise into 2” long pieces. Then slice the celery lengthwise into matchsticks.
Peel the carrot. Cut the carrot crosswise into 2” long pieces. Then slice the carrot lengthwise into matchsticks.
Cut 1 pound of Chinese barbequed or roasted pork into matchsticks.
Place 1 tbsp of chicken bouillon powder into a small bowl.
Add 2 tsp of Kosher salt to the bowl with the chicken bouillon powder.
Add 2 tsp of sugar to the spice bowl.
Add 1/4 tsp of Chinese five spice to the spice bowl.
Add 1/2 tsp of white pepper to the spice bowl.
Add 1 tbsp of sesame oil to the spice bowl.
Add 3 tsp of soy sauce to the spice bowl.
Preparation (for the filling)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Prepare a bowl of ice water.
When the water boils, add the celery, carrot, and cabbage and cook until the cabbage is vibrant green, about 2 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the ice bath.
Drain and transfer the vegetables to a kitchen towel.
Wring out the towel to remove all of the water from the vegetables, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Add the pork to the mixing bowl.
Add the spices to the mixing bowl.
Mix the filling by hand to thoroughly combine.
Cover the filling with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Mis en Place (for the egg rolls)
Separate the whites from one egg, and place in a small bowl. See note.
Open a package of egg roll wrappers, and cover with a moist towel.
Beat the egg whites.
Preparation (to roll the egg rolls)
Position one egg roll wrapper on a clean, flat work surface in a diamond shape with one point facing you.
Lightly brush the egg wash along the two edges of the wrapper that are furthest away from you.
Place a heaping 1/3 cup of filling on the wrapper about 1/3rd of the way from the bottom point facing you.
Form the filling into a log shape about 3” long.
Fold the point of the wrapper that is closest to you up and over the filling.
Tighten the wrapper over the filling in a slight rolling motion, pulling the far edge of the filling back towards you.
Using a finger, press down on the wrapper on both ends of the filling to partially seal the ends.
Fold the left and right corners of the wrapper corners inwards over the filling so that the fold is perpendicular to the filling.
While slightly pulling the filling towards you to keep it tight, roll the egg roll away from you, sealing it onto the far point.
Set the egg roll aside and repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
Preparation (for frying)
Heat 3-inches of oil in a large saucepan until it reaches 325°F.
Working in batches, cook the egg rolls, turning as needed, until lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
Transfer to a cooling rack set over a sheet tray.
After all of the egg rolls are fried for the first time, increase the temperature to 375°F.
Working in batches, fry the egg rolls a second time until slightly darker and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer to the cooling rack set over the sheet tray to cool slightly.
Service
Serve warm with duck sauce and Chinese mustard.
Freezing
Allow the egg rolls to cool completely.
After the egg rolls have cooled, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap.
Place the egg rolls in a resealable plastic bag and freeze.
Preparation (for air frying frozen egg rolls)
Preheat air fryer to 400°.
Place frozen egg rolls into the air fryer basket in a single layer with space between them.
Set the cooking time to 10 minutes.
Flip or shake the egg rolls halfway through cooking.
Add an additional 1-2 minutes if needed to reach your desired crispness.