Eggrolls or Spring Rolls, what exactly is the difference? There are a few notable differences but they are very similar. The main difference between them is the addition of meat.
Both spring rolls and egg rolls are filled primarily with cabbage, carrots, onions and seasonings. Egg rolls are basically a spring roll with the addition of a protein such as ground pork or shrimp or even chicken. Egg rolls typically have a thicker wrapper which produces a thicker fatter roll. Egg rolls are usually served with sweet & sour sauce and spring rolls are typically served with ketchup and hot mustard for dipping.
Instead of heading out to your favorite Chinese restaurant for an order of egg rolls, you can make them at home. It’s a lot easier to make egg rolls than you think. Keep reading to find out how simple it actually is. You will be enjoying hot, crispy, freshly cooked egg rolls straight from your own kitchen sooner than you thought possible. No fancy equipment needed either!
To begin gather together all the ingredients.
I did not have fresh ground pork on hand so I had to defrost a pound from my freezer.
Try my all-time favorite kitchen hack for how to freeze and thaw meat in just minutes so you always have what you need on hand.
While the meat is thawing, thinly slice 1/2 a head of green cabbage.
Shred one carrot using a box shredder.
Place thawed pork in a large skillet and cook over medium heat until cooked through. Add a splash of sesame oil.
Stir in salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.
Cook until meat is no longer pink.
Add cabbage and shredded carrot and continue to cook over medium heat until cabbage is soft, about 10-15 minutes.
Stir in 2 tablespoons soy sauce.
Add green onions and stir to combine.
Remove mixture from heat and allow mixture to cool completely.
Once mixture has cooled completely it’s time to finish the egg rolls.
Set up a rolling station with the filling, wrappers, small bowl of water and a platter covered with damp paper towels.
Place an egg roll wrapper on your work surface and spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper. Dip your fingertips in the water and moisten the edge of the wrapper with water.
Carefully bring bottom point up over the filling and begin rolling the wrapper around the filling.
Tuck the side edges in towards the center of the wrapper and continue to roll up the wrapper.
The wet edges will hold the egg roll closed.
Place each egg roll on a platter and cover with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out as you finish rolling the remaining egg rolls.
Continue rolling egg rolls until you use up all the wrappers or run out of filling. Place a piece of parchment paper between layers of egg rolls to prevent them from sticking to each other.
Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Oil is ready when a drop of water added to the oil sizzles. Place 3-4 egg rolls in the hot oil.
Cook egg rolls until golden brown and heated through. Keep a close eye on them; they will cook up quickly.
Using tongs remove egg rolls and place them on a paper towel lined platter to drain off excess oil.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauces. We love these with a sweet chili sauce or a savory Gyoza soy based dipping sauce.
You can make your own sauces but these store bought varieties are very good.
Time to dig in!!!
Egg Rolls
Equipment
- Wok or large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ head cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 med carrot, shredded
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 pkg egg roll wrappers
- water
- vegetable oil, for frying
- sweet chili sauce, to serve
- Gyoza sauce, to serve
Instructions
Prepare the filling:
- Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over meadium heat.
- Add ground pork and cook breaking up the meat with a spatula until no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.
- Stir in salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Add sliced cabbage and shredded carrot to the pan. Cook until cabbage is soft.
- Stir in soy sauce and green onions.
- Continue to cook until liquid is reduced and mixture is dry.
- Remove from heat and allow mixture to come to room temperature.
Assemble egg rolls:
- Place a wrapper on a work surface.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the wrapper.
- Wet edges of the wrapper with water using your fingertips.
- Starting at the bottom point, roll wrapper around filling, tucking in ends as you roll the wrapper around the filling.
- Moistened edges will seal in the filling.
- Place each egg roll on a platter and cover with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out as you finish making the remaining rolls.
- Continue rolling egg rolls until all the wrappers and filling are used up.
Cook egg rolls:
- Heat about ½ inch of vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Oil is hot when a drop of water place in the oil sizzles.
- Using tongs, carefuly place 2-3 egg rolls in the wok and cook until golden brown and crispy. Keep a close eye on the rolls, they will cook up quickly.
- Remove egg rolls from the wok using tongs and allow them to drain on a paper towel lined platter.
- Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauces.
- ENJOY!
Did You Make This?
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