Egg Rolls

I will be the first to admit that I have several food 'addictions' that I just cannot shake - and really, I see no reason to try, because it makes me happy not to... One of these is egg rolls. Rather than be dependent upon takeout, which my husband can't eat anyway, I love to make my own. I have made them by pan-frying and by baking the finished rolls, and they turn out well either way, so they are quite a bit healthier than takeout as an added bonus. 

The other really nice thing about making your own egg rolls is that you get to decide what goes in them. I have made several variations, they can be savory or sweet. I had extra wrappers in the fridge at the same time that I had leftover chicken pot pie filling, and while they were a bit drippy, they were quite tasty. I have also made them with homemade apple pie filling, yumm. The only guideline I would recommend following is to make sure the filling doesn't have sharp edges that will puncture the wrap - this is usually easy to accomplish if you cook your filling before making the rolls.

For this batch, I decided to go pretty traditional. I used 2 lbs of ground pork, a nice big green cabbage, 4 carrots, and 4 cloves of garlic. Shred the cabbage and carrots and mince the garlic.

I have made my own dumpling wrappers, which could be modified into egg roll wrappers, but it is sooo much easier to just purchase them. The seasonings I like to use are ginger juice (because I always end up with multiple bleeding knuckles when I try to grate my own fresh ginger...), fish sauce, coconut aminos (my allergy friendly substitute for soy sauce), and sriracha.

Put your minced garlic with a drizzle of olive oil into a cold wok or large, deep skillet and turn the heat on to medium-high. The garlic will begin to cook while the pan heats, once you can start to smell the garlic but before it starts to brown, add your ground pork. Break up the ground pork with a wooden spoon or spatula while it cooks; once you have it broken into small bits, add your shredded cabbage and carrots and stir together. Add a couple teaspoons of ginger juice or fresh grated ginger (or use powdered if you have neither), about 10-12 shakes each of the fish sauce and coconut aminos or soy sauce, and a liberal squeeze of sriracha. (Have I mentioned that I tend not to measure ingredients.... I do apologize for this if 'winging it' is difficult for you, but this is an easy way to get used to doing so, because it is really hard to screw this up - just start with a little bit and taste it, then add more until you have the flavor you like. You can do it, I believe in you!) Stir seasonings in and finish cooking until veggies are softened.

You can go ahead and use the filling right away - just be careful not to burn your fingers - or you can allow it to cool, and even refrigerate for up to two days before using. It is usually more convenient for me to make the filling during the day (read: while the baby takes a nap) and then refrigerate until I have more time to fill the rolls. I didn't take photos of the roll filling process due to messy fingers, but the package insert that comes with the wrappers has instructional diagrams. Use as much or as little filling for each roll that you like - another perk of making your own - you get to decide whether you want skinny rolls or big chunky ones. Do make sure you have a bowl of water to moisten the last corner with to help seal the edge. Once you have rolled the amount you want to cook, heat up a drizzle of olive oil in your large skillet and brown on each side - start by placing the sealed edge down. Or, line a baking sheet with foil and bake the rolls at 425* until they start to brown.

Voila! Homemade egg rolls! I enjoy them just as they are, hubby likes to dip them in sweet chili sauce. They are delicious hot, and leftovers are fantastic cold or can be reheated either in the oven or toaster oven. They freeze well too!

Enjoy!                                            

Sue