Egg Roll Recipe - How to make CRISPY take-out style egg rolls

5 from 17 votes

Egg Roll Recipe - How to make CRISPY take-out style egg rolls

These homemade egg rolls are super crispy with their pork and shrimp filling - so much better than takeout! This makes a big batch of pork egg rolls which is perfect for meal planning. They freeze and reheat really well.

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, vietnamese

Servings: Egg Rolls

Author: Chris Joe

Ingredients

Egg Roll Filling

1 lb ground pork 80% lean / 20% fat
1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined, minced
1 cup bean thread noodle (this was 2 oz dry) - rehydrated, drained, and cut to ~1/2" pieces with scissors
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

Egg Wash

1 egg
1 tbsp water

Other Ingredients

40 egg roll wrappers I recommend the brand "Spring Home" or "Wei Chuan"
2 quarts Neutral oil for frying Avocado, Canola, Vegetable, or Peanut oil all work well

Instructions

In a large heatproof bowl, rehydrate bean thread noodle/vermicelli with boiling hot water until soft and pliable. Rinse and drain well, then cut into 1/2" pieces with scissors.
In a large mixing bowl, combine ground pork, minced 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 incorporated and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
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!

Notes

KEY TIPS:

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.

Avoid Excess Moisture in the filling

In direct contrast to the wrappers, which you want to keep moist - excess water in your Egg Roll filling is your WORST ENEMY! Any extra water will result in your Egg Rolls being soggy and dark spots forming on your Egg Roll wrappers.

The #1 culprit for watery filling is usually the rehydrated noodles. Make sure to SQUEEZE your noodles to get rid of as much water as possible.

Stick to dry spices/ingredients such as fresh garlic. I use wood ear mushrooms for both their meatiness and low water content. If you are using white mushrooms as a substitute, cook your white mushrooms to remove as much excess water BEFORE mixing it into the filling.

Chop Your Ingredients to the Same Size: As much as you can, try to make sure your filling ingredients are all chopped/minced to roughly the same size (shrimp, bean thread noodles, carrots, mushrooms). This will ensure an even texture (imagine having large pieces of carrots with small pieces of shrimp) and better mouth-feel.

Keep Oil at 350˚F: If the temperature drops too low, the egg rolls will be soggy and oily. If it’s too hot, they will burn before the filling is cooked through. Ensure the oil does not drop below 325F.

Storage and Reheating Tips

Freezing Your Egg Rolls

This recipe makes about 40 Egg Rolls; while perfect for a large gathering, this may be too many Egg Rolls for 1-2 people to consume in one sitting. That's why this recipe is also 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 Your 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.

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