Crispy Egg Rolls (VIDEO)
These homemade crispy egg rolls (made Vietnamese-style) are super crispy with their pork and shrimp filling with bean thread noodles and mushrooms - for incredible flavor and texture! This makes a big batch of pork egg rolls which is perfect for meal planning. They freeze and reheat really well.
Servings: 40 Egg Rolls
Ingredients
Egg Roll Filling
- 1 cup bean thread noodle (this was 2 oz dry) - rehydrated, drained, and cut to ~1/2" pieces with scissors
- 1 lb ground pork 80% lean / 20% fat
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined, minced
- 1 cup wood ear mushroom minced
- 1 cup carrot shredded
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp MSG or chicken powder
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
Other Ingredients
- 40 egg roll wrappers I recommend the brand "Spring Home" or "Wei Chuan" - look for the term Spring Roll Pastry to achieve the smooth, crispy texture when fried
- 2 quarts Neutral oil for frying Avocado, Canola, Vegetable, or Peanut oil all work well
- sweet thai chili sauce store bought, or try my homemade version!
Instructions
- In a large heatproof bowl, rehydrate bean thread noodle/vermicelli with boiling hot water until soft and pliable. Rinse, drain, and pat competely dry with paper towels to remove moisture, then cut the noodles into 1/2" pieces with kitchen scissors.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground pork, shrimp, bean thread noodle, wood ear mushroom, shredded carrot, egg, salt, garlic powder, sugar, white pepper, msg, light soy sauce, and fish sauce. Mix the filling in one direction until thoroughly mixed.
- Peel one egg roll wrapper at a time from the sheet. Add 1.5 tbsp of filling onto the bottom corner of the wrapper and shape into a log about 4 inch long. Fold the bottom corner over the filling and tuck underneath. Roll tightly towards the center then fold in the sides, roll again then brush the last flap lightly with beaten egg wash and roll to seal. Repeat with remaining egg rolls until all are wrapped.
- Heat neutral oil to 350F in a wok or heavy bottom pan like a dutch oven. Fry the egg rolls in batches for 6-8 minutes until golden brown, making sure the oil does not drop below 325F.
- Serve hot with sweet chili sauce and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- ground pork - I like to use 80% lean / 20% fat; I find that it's the perfect balance of lean to fat meat. You can use what you prefer. If you cannot eat pork, you can substitute with another ground meat - I recommend using ground turkey with similar fat content.
- shrimp - Use raw, peeled, deveined shrimp of any size.
- bean thread noodle - Bean thread noodle is also called cellophane noodles or Chinese vermicelli. When using dry bean thread noodle, you will need to rehydrate in water, drain it, and cut to ~1/2" pieces with scissors. I find this at our local Chinese grocery (99 Ranch). If you cannot find bean thread noodles, you can substitute with rice vermicelli or even a thin pasta, such as angel hair.
- wood ear mushroom - I find this at our local Chinese grocery (99 Ranch). If you cannot find wood ear mushrooms, you can substitute with white mushrooms. If using white mushrooms, cook them down to remove as much moisture as possible before mixing it into the filling.
- MSG - I use MSG in moderation as an optional flavor enhancer. You can substitute with chicken powder (or leave it out).
- fish sauce - Fish sauce adds an extra oomph of umami that I love. If you don't have it, you can substitute with Shaoxing wine or light soy sauce.
- I used "Spring Home - Spring Roll Pastry" or "Wei Chuan Spring Roll Shell" which you can find in the frozen section of most Asian grocery stores (I get them at 99 Ranch). These will result in the smooth, crispy take-out style Egg Rolls that you are familiar with. If you use traditional "egg roll wrappers" (like by the brand Dynasty), you will get egg rolls that have the blistered, bubbled texture.
- Keep the wrappers covered with a damp kitchen towel or paper towel to avoid them drying out while you roll the egg rolls. Avoid rolling these in 'assembly line' stylee and work with one sheet at a time when wrapping.
- When freezing the Egg Rolls, you want to fry for a shorter amount - heat the 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).
- 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 273mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 549IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
