I was perusing a foodie website the other day and noticed a recipe for an egg roll bowl – basically the egg roll filling served loose, over rice, instead of in a wrapper. Sounded intriguing, so I gave it a try and both my better half and I enjoyed it. But that got me to thinking that there are really a few different ways to make egg rolls – read on for details!Each version starts with the filling. I don’t love cabbage on its own, but it’s great in this filling and was a good way to use up the huge head of cabbage I got from my farm CSA.The first way to serve the filling is simply served over rice. Easy and delicious, and a good gluten free option (use gluten free Tamari in the filling).After having that for dinner the night before, I spent some time the next day rolling the rest of it into egg rolls using store-bought egg roll wrappers. Lay the wrapper in a diamond shape with a point facing you, then place about 1/3 cup of the filling in the middle of the wrapper. Fold up the bottom triangle of the wrapper over the filling, then fold in the 2 sides to make it look like an envelope. Continue rolling up, and wet the corner of the top triangle to seal the egg roll wrapper. Place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone liner.I tried 3 different techniques for cooking the egg rolls, from left to right above: steamed, baked and deep fried. The steamed egg roll tastes great (think steamed pork dumplings), but it’s less than sturdy and if I made this again I’d use less filling to ensure give it some more heft. The baked ones and deep fried ones are similar, with the baked being a bit more crunchy and the deep fried ones being a bit more chewy. If you’re making egg rolls, it’s a bit of a project so you might as well make a large batch and freeze some. Just pop the baking sheet with the uncooked rolls into the freezer until firm, then put the frozen egg rolls into a plastic bag or covered container. No need to thaw – just bake or deep fry them frozen when you’re ready.
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated finely
- 2 cups grated carrots (about 3 large carrots)
- 1 pound shredded cabbage (about 1 medium head)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon chile garlic sauce
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- Egg roll wrappers
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and brown the pork. When nearly cooked through, add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Remove to a bowl.
- Add the carrots and cabbage and sesame oil to the skillet and sauté until the cabbage is softened, about 5 minutes.
- Combine the sautéed vegetables with the pork and add the soy sauce, fish sauce, chile garlic sauce, and cilantro; stir until mixed well. Serve over hot rice or make egg rolls using about ⅓ cup of filling per egg roll. Either deep fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, or steam for 8 minutes, or bake for 15 minutes.