Egg Roll is As Easy as 1-2-3 (4-5-6)

Ok the title is weird, but all I wanted to assert is that it's only six steps.

Egg rolls are probably my favorite part of eating Chinese. Anything fried is always delicious. But I should definitely tell you that this is a delicacy that should be enjoyed once in a while--not a daily thing, because it is high in everything that's bad for you.

Anyway--this recipe goes way back. I used to actually make these for my friends in Omaha when I was in high school. This, and the momo (which is another dish I will talk about when I make it, and I'm excited to talk about!). Other than those, I really didn't know how to cook. Here's how the story goes:

Back in 2008, I was dating A, and, in an effort to woo her, I decided to cook her some chicken curry. She perceived it as me trying to kill her. It wasn't because it was not good tasting, but more that it was ridiculously pink. In fact, it was 15 minutes undercooked, and undercooked chicken can cause baad consequences.

My point is--I didn't know how to cook anything else, but my eggrolls used to turn out delicious (and well cooked). Basically--if you know how to turn a stove on, you can cook this.

All you'll need is egg roll wraps, some kind of meat (I used pork, but you can easily substitute ground meat such as turkey, bison, beef, chicken, boca bits, etc.), little bit of cabbage (I used the left over from the cashew chicken recipe I posted a couple of days ago), garlic, fresh ginger roots, salt, pepper, and oil for frying.

The technique is not hard to grasp. First, you need to brown the meat with salt, pepper, garlic and ginger roots. No grease needed here, because the meat itself will be oily. If you use boca bits, however, you may need some oil. Break the ground meat into pieces so that there aren't big chunks.

Add the cabbage and eggs and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently until the egg whites turn completely white.

Finally, add the soy sauce. and mix for 2 minutes.

Now, the fun wrapping part. Get the wonton wraps, I used the following:

Get some water, and brush the top of the wrap.

Add a scoop of the meat/veggie mixture to the center of this wrap.

Bring the bottom of the roll and fold over the meat.

Fold the top side.

Fold the right and left edges over and your product should like this:

Heat oil in medium high in a large saucepan. How do you tell if the oil is hot enough? Stick the end of a wooden spoon in the oil. The oil is hot enough for frying when there are bubbles forming around the wood. Hot oil can be extremely dangerous, so just be very careful.

Add the egg roll with the side that shows edges on the bottom.

In about 45 seconds, flip the roll using tongs.

The color for the rolls need to match the picture shown above. The final product should look like this:

Serve with Chinese food, or just a side of soy sauce to dip.

Egg Rolls

Prep-time: 5 minutes
Cook-time: 15 minutes for meat, <5 minutes for rolls
Nutritional facts: See image on the right. This is a side dish that should be eaten occasionally. If you eat this all the time, you'll end up like this.
Serves: 6 rolls

Ingredients

• Protein
• 1/2 pound ground meat
• 1 large egg
• Carbohydrates
• Egg Roll Wraps
• Veggies
• 1/4 cup cabbage
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp freshly grated garlic or garlic powder
• Spices, Oil, and Sauces
• 1 cup of canola oil for frying
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

Directions

1. Brown meat with garlic, ginger, salt and pepper.
2. Add cabbage and eggs and cook for 3-4 minutes until the egg is cooked through (whites turn super white)
3. Take egg roll wrap and brush water on the edges.
4. Add a scoop of the meat mixture in the center, fold the bottom up, and the top portion down.
5. Fold the side edges.
6. Heat oil to about 360 degrees. Flip the egg roll and place it in the oil for frying. In about 45 seconds (or when the roll browns) flip and cook on the other side. Make sure all the sides are golden brown color.
7. Serve with soy sauce and as a side to Chinese food.