Ingredients
For the Egg Rolls (Yields 12 Rolls)
- 12 egg roll wrappers/skins
- Vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 2 large eggs, beaten for egg wash
For the Pork Filling
- 0.5 lbs ground pork
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- Neutral oil, for cooking
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1.5 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
For the Vegetable Filling
- 12 cups finely shredded green cabbage
- 1.5 cups julienned celery
- 1.5 cups julienned carrot
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 tsp (1 tbsp) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 3.5 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
For the Duck Sauce
- 3 tbsp water
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 6 tbsp apricot preserves
- 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
- 3/4 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1.5 tsp apple sauce
For the Mustard Sauce
- 2 tbsp hot mustard powder
- 2 tbsp water
- Toasted sesame oil, to taste
- Unseasoned rice vinegar, to taste
- White pepper, to taste
First, Make the Pork Filling
In a small bowl, combine all the pork filling spices, from the sugar to the oyster sauce, and mix them together. Set this sauce aside.
Get a nonstick pan over medium-high heat with a bit of neutral oil. Add the pork and let it cook on one side until it gets a nice brown crust.
Stir the pork to break it up and cook it through. When the pork is almost done, add the minced garlic and saute it for about a minute until you can smell it.
Pour in the sauce mixture and keep cooking, stirring until the sauce reduces completely and coats the meat. Drain the cooked pork on a paper towel to remove excess grease and set it aside.
Next, Prepare and Dry the Vegetables
Mix the vegetable seasonings, from the kosher salt to the black pepper, in a bowl and set it aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Blanch the cabbage, celery, and carrots for just one minute; this slightly softens them without cooking them through.
Immediately move the vegetables to the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Once cool, you need to get the vegetables as dry as possible. Excess water will make the egg rolls soggy and cause the oil to splatter violently. You can press the vegetables firmly against a colander, wring them out in a clean kitchen towel, or use a potato ricer.
After pressing, spread the vegetables out on a baking sheet to air dry a bit more.
Combine the Filling and Roll the Egg Rolls
Just before you’re ready to fry, toss the dried vegetables with the ground pork, green onions, toasted sesame oil, and the vegetable seasoning mixture you made earlier.
Lay an egg roll wrapper down with one corner facing you, so it looks like a diamond. Place about 1/2 cup of the filling mixture in the center, positioned slightly closer to the corner nearest you.
Lift that bottom corner over the filling and tuck it under snugly. Fold the left and right corners over the center, creating an envelope shape.
As you roll it forward, keep the roll tight to avoid air pockets. With about two inches of wrapper left, brush the edges with the beaten egg wash, then continue rolling forward to seal it completely. Repeat until all the filling is used.
Fry the Egg Rolls Until Golden and Crisp
This recipe uses a double-fry method for an extra-crispy wrapper. The first fry cooks the filling, and the second fry at a higher temperature makes it perfect.
Pour enough vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer to submerge the egg rolls and preheat it to 350F. Carefully place a few egg rolls in the hot oil, being careful not to crowd the pot.
Fry for ~7 minutes, turning them every minute or so to ensure they cook evenly on all sides. Remove them and let them drain on a wire rack. At this point, you can cool and freeze the egg rolls for later.
For the second fry, increase the oil temperature to 375F. Fry the egg rolls again for an additional 2 minutes until they are deeply golden brown and very crispy. Drain them on a wire rack again and serve immediately.
Prepare the Dipping Sauces
Duck Sauce
In a small bowl, mix the water, sugar, and kosher salt until both have dissolved.
Stir in the apricot preserves, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and apple sauce until everything is well combined. For the best consistency, refrigerate the sauce for at least an hour; this allows the pectin from the preserves to set up.
Mustard Sauce
Start by mixing equal parts hot mustard powder and water; 2 tablespoons of each is a good starting point. Let it sit for a few minutes to allow the heat to develop.
Then, stir in toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, and a pinch of white pepper to your desired taste. The mustard is best if you let it sit for at least an hour before serving. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Chinese Takeout-Style Egg Rolls
Ingredients
For the Egg Rolls (Yields 12 Rolls)
- 12 egg roll wrappers/skins
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
- 2 large eggs beaten for egg wash
For the Pork Filling
- 0.5 lbs ground pork
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- Neutral oil for cooking
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1.5 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
For the Vegetable Filling
- 12 cups finely shredded green cabbage
- 1.5 cups julienned celery
- 1.5 cups julienned carrot
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt 1 tbsp
- 3.5 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
For the Duck Sauce
- 3 tbsp water
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 6 tbsp apricot preserves
- 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
- 3/4 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1.5 tsp apple sauce
For the Mustard Sauce
- 2 tbsp hot mustard powder
- 2 tbsp water
- Toasted sesame oil to taste
- Unseasoned rice vinegar to taste
- White pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix pork filling seasonings in a bowl from sugar through oyster sauce.
- Brown ground pork in oil over medium-high heat, add garlic when nearly done.
- Add sauce to pork, cook until reduced and coating meat. Drain and set aside.
- Combine vegetable seasonings in separate bowl.
- Blanch cabbage, celery, and carrots for 1 minute, transfer to ice bath.
- Thoroughly dry vegetables using towels or potato ricer, spread on baking sheet.
- Mix dried vegetables with pork, green onions, sesame oil, and seasonings.
- Place 1/2 cup filling on egg roll wrapper positioned as diamond.
- Fold bottom corner over filling, fold sides in, roll tightly. Seal with egg wash.
- Heat oil to 350F. First fry: 7 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Increase oil to 375F. Second fry: 2 minutes until golden brown.
- Duck Sauce: Mix water, sugar, salt until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients.
- Mustard Sauce: Combine mustard powder and water. Add sesame oil, vinegar, white pepper to taste.
