Chinese Takeout Egg Rolls (VIDEO) – Restaurant Quality!

My #1 Key Tip for Restaurant Quality Egg Rolls

Have you ever made Chinese Takeout Egg Rolls at home and been disappointed when they’ve turned out soggy and nothing like the takeout Egg Rolls you love? Here is my #1 key tip to making restaurant quality Egg Rolls – you must reduce as much as moisture as possible in the vegetables! Moisture is your biggest enemy when it comes to egg rolls – and vegetables are full of them! (Carrots, cabbage, and celery all have over 90% water content!)

The way to combat this is by cooking out all of the water of your vegetables before making the Egg Roll filling – my instructions say to cook for 3-4 minutes but if you still see water pooling in the pan, keep cooking! Storage time, temperature, and humidity can all impact the evaporation rate of water in vegetables, which changes the water content. (More fresh vegetables will have more water.) Cook the vegetables for as long as it takes until you no longer see any water. See photo below – this is what we want to get rid of!

Ingredient Tips

Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!

• ground pork and shrimp – if you cannot eat pork and/or shrimp, you can substitute with another ground meat, such as ground turkey, chicken, beef, or even crumbled tofu.
• oyster sauce – if you are looking for a vegetarian option, there is an oyster sauce made of mushrooms!
• Shaoxing wine – if you don’t have or can’t use Shaoxing wine, you can substitute with chicken stock
• green cabbage, carrots, celery – these are the most commonly used vegetables for Egg Rolls and what you will get when ordering them from your favorite takeout restaurant; however, you can also add or substitute with other vegetables like bell peppers, different varieties of mushrooms, bean sprouts – the options are limitless! Just make sure to shred or chop the vegetables to similar sizes so they cook evenly and also lend themselves to a nice mouthfeel inside the Egg Roll.
• msg – as you know, I like to use MSG in moderation as a flavor enhancer; this is always optional.
• egg roll wrappers – I like to use 8″ wrappers, which I find in the refrigerated section of my Chinese grocery store. You can use a different size but make sure to adjust the amount of filling and frying time accordingly.
• neutral oil, for frying – I always use avocado oil but you can also use canola, vegetable, or grapeseed oil. Do not use olive oil or sesame oil!

These have the blistered skin but if you prefer the smooth skin, try my Egg Rolls recipe that is inspired by Vietnamese takeout Egg Rolls!

1. Marinate the Protein Filling

The first step to any delicious egg roll is making sure that the filling seasoned well – and that starts with marinating the protein filling! In a bowl, add the pork and shrimp along with the marinade ingredients and set it aside covered for at least 15 minutes while you prep the vegetables.

2. Cook the Vegetables (KEY STEP)

This is a key step because as stated above, my #1 key tip to making restaurant quality egg rolls is cooking out all of the moisture in the vegetables. If you don’t, your egg rolls will turn soggy, as vegetables have a high water content (average 90% water!)

In a wok or large pan, heat neutral oil before adding the vegetables and salt and pepper. Cook for at least 3-4 minutes – the vegetables should be wilted but crisp (not burned) and there should be NO water pooling in the pan. If you see any moisture or liquid, KEEP COOKING.

Time to make the filling! Add the cooked vegetables to the marinating pork and shrimp. Add the seasonings and mix until combined well. You’ll know you’ve mixed enough when you see protein streaks on the bowl – this means that the protein strands have binded and turned almost paste-like, which will make your filling have a bouncier texture.

Take one egg roll wrapper and place approximately 1/4 cup of filling on the lower third of the wrapper. Shape the filling into a long cyliner or tube-like structure. Take the bottom corner of the wrapper and fold it up over the filling. Make sure to squeeze to remove any air. Wet the two edge corners and fold them over the bottom layer. This should now look like an open envelope. Gently roll the egg roll up towards the top corner – this should be done as tightly as possible to avoid any air. Wet the edge with water and then sell the egg roll.

Repeat until all egg roll wrappers have been rolled.

Add neutral oil to the wok pan – once the oil has reached 350°F, fry the egg rolls in batches for 6-8 minutes. If you notice your oil is dropping below 300F, remove some egg rolls – this means your batch was too large in proportion to the amount of oil. As the egg rolls are frying, rotate them so they are evenly golden brown.

Once fried, place the egg rolls on a wire rack or a plate with a paper towel to drain any excess oil before serving with your favorite sauce (like my Thai Sweet Chili Sauce!)

What Should I Serve with Chinese Takeout Egg Rolls?

Now that you know how to make the best Egg Rolls Chinese Take-Out Style, you’ll need to go all-out and recreate your perfect Chinese Take-Out meal at home!

You’ll need to have some carbs to start – I like to make my Chicken Fried Rice and Shrimp Lo Mein to go with these Egg Rolls. If I need more protein, I’ll make Sesame Chicken or String Bean Chicken– two Chinese take-out favorites! If you’d rather make something with beef, try my Orange Beef or Bourbon Beef recipes!

Freezing Your Egg Rolls

This recipe will probably make too many Egg Rolls for 1-2 people to consume in one sitting – that’s why it’s perfect for meal prepping! I love to make as many Egg Rolls as possible in one go and freeze the rest for the future.

Here is how to freeze your Egg Rolls:

• When freezing the Egg Rolls, you want to fry for a shorter amount – heat your oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and fry them for 3 minutes.
• Remove immediately and drain and cool on a wire rack. Do NOT freeze them immediately after frying.
• Once cooled down, place them in a freezer safe bag and freeze flat on a baking sheet until frozen solid (usually 1-2 hours).

How to Cook Frozen Egg Rolls

When you’re ready to eat your frozen Egg Rolls, you can cook them 2 ways:

• In an Air Fryer, fry them for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit
• In an Oven, bake them for 15 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit

In both methods, you should cook until they are golden brown and warmed inside.