Chinese Takeout Egg Rolls (VIDEO)

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Chinese Takeout Egg Rolls (VIDEO)

Learn how to make the crispiest, most flavorful Chinese Takeout Egg Rolls at home! I have several key tips and techniques that will help you master this recipe and become an Egg Roll master in no time!

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: egg rolls

Author: Chris Joe

Equipment

Ingredients

1 lb ground pork
½ lb shrimp roughly chopped
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp kosher salt divided in half
1 tsp white pepper divided in half
½ tbsp cornstarch
3 cups shredded green cabbage
2 large carrots shredded
3 stalks celery shredded
1/2 tbsp chicken powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp msg
½ tbsp sesame oil
16 egg roll wrappers 8 inch
2 quarts neutral oil for frying

Instructions

In a bowl add the pork and shrimp along with oyster sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, half of the salt, half of the white pepper, and cornstarch. Cover and marinate while you prep the vegetables (about 15 minutes).
Heat a tablespoon of neutral oil in the wok or pan over high heat. Add the cabbage, celery and carrots along with the remaining half of salt and pepper. Cook for 7-8 minutes until the water has been released from the vegetables and evaporated off. Transfer to a plate until cool to the touch.
Add the vegetables to the pork and shrimp then add chicken powder, sugar, msg, and sesame oil. Mix until combined and you see protein streaks on the bowl.
Take one egg roll wrapper at a time and place about ¼ cup of filling onto the lower third of the wrapper into a cylinder. Take the bottom corner of the wrapper and fold it up over the filling and squeeze to remove any air. Then wet the two edge corners and fold them in over the bottom layer. Gently roll the egg roll tightly up towards the top corner, wetting the edge with water before sealing the eggroll.
Add neutral oil to the wok and fry the egg rolls at 350°F for 6-8 minutes, rotating the egg rolls to ensure an even golden brown. Drain on a wire rack or paper towel and serve.

Notes

Cook Out the Moisture

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.

Keep Wrappers Moist

Avoid rolling these in ‘assembly line’ style. Work with one sheet at a time when wrapping and MAKE SURE to keep the other wrappers COVERED with a DAMP kitchen towel or paper at all times. This will help prevent them from drying out.

Watch the Oil Temperature

Use a thermometer to ensure that the oil temperature is at 350F before frying. If you notice that the temperature drops below 300F, remove some of the Egg Rolls before continuing to fry - this means that your batch was too large compared to the amount of oil. A low temperature will make your Egg Rolls soggy and oily.

Before you fry your next batch of Egg Rolls, make sure that the oil returns to 350F before frying the next batch.

Rotate While Frying

This is a tip that is not mentioned as much but make sure to rotate the Egg Rolls while frying. This will ensure your Egg Rolls are evenly golden brown all around - otherwise, you'll notice that some parts of your Egg Rolls are a paler color compared to the rest. You'll also get a more evenly crispy Egg Roll by doing this.

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).

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.

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