Egg Roll Recipe

The egg rolls made from the recipe below were served at our house today and met with my family's approval. I'm posting this recipe at Carolyn's request. I did everything yesterday except wrap and fry the egg rolls.

Egg Rolls--Iwashige Version

1 1-lb. package egg roll wraps--about 21 count (Make sure they are the Asian rather than the Italian kind. The Italian ones are thicker.)

Main Ingredients for Filling:

1 lb. Ground pork or seasoned sausage (I used Shane's medium hot seasoned sausage.)

2 cups cabbage, finely chopped (about 1/2 head)

½ cup carrot, shredded (about 1 carrot)

1/4 lb. Bean sprouts, chopped coarsely (1-1 1/2 cup)

3 green onions, finely sliced, tops and all

2 cloves garlic, minced

10 Shiitake* mushrooms (If dried, rehydrate and chop, discarding stems. If sliced before drying, use 1 c.), optional

1 8 oz. Can bamboo shoots, optional (Cut the short strips into about 3 pieces)

1 8 oz. Can sliced water chestnuts, optional (Cut the slices into "matchsticks.")

Seasonings

Most of the following items can be purchased in the Asian foods section of a big grocery store.

½ t. monosodium glutamate (Some people avoid this as a matter of principle. Accent is an American brand name.)

1 t. sesame oil (Made from toasted sesame seeds)

1 t. grated fresh gingerroot (From the produce section.)

2 ½ t. soy sauce (Kikkoman brand is the authentic Japanese kind.)

1 T. Mirin (sweet rice wine for cooking)

2 T. Oyster sauce

If not using seasoned sausage, add:

1/4 t. red pepper

1/4 t. black pepper

Salt, to taste (May not need any with the soy sauce and the sausage seasoning.)

Binding Agent:

2 t. Mira-clear

3 T. Water

To seal wrappers:

2 T. Flour

enough water to make a paste

The general idea for this order of tasks is to get the little picky things done before tackling the bigger jobs.

Re-hydrate shiitake by soaking in warm water.

In a separate small bowl, combine water and Mira-clear.

In another bowl, combine all seasonings.

Drain bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Cut into smaller pieces as directed above.

Peel and grate gingerroot.

Mince garlic.

Chop cabbage, shred carrots, and slice green onions. Wash and coarsely chop bean sprouts.

Fry ground pork or sausage in crumbles. Put aside to drain.

Stir-fry all raw veggies together.

Remove a portion for those who have food allergies. (This is a necessity in our extended family.)

Add chopped mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and browned sausage.

Drain cooked veggies very thoroughly.

Return to pan and add seasonings and binder. Cook together briefly. Taste for salt and adjust if needed.

Cool filling thoroughly before wrapping. (I refrigerated it overnight.)

Wrapping:

Put 2 T. Filling in the bottom corner of each square wrapper. Fold up the bottom of the wrapper over the filling and fold over again. Then fold in the two corners at the side and give one more turn. With you finger, paint “sealer” around the remaining exposed edges and finish wrapping. The roll should be tight, with no big air pockets or open edges.

If egg rolls are to be wrapped ahead of time, the layers should be separated with parchment or waxed paper. They can also be frozen. They should be frozen in a single layer and then put together in a bag for freezing.

Frying:

Preheat oil to 350 degrees. (The oil is ready if a bread cube fries to a golden brown in 10 seconds.) Fry 4-6 egg rolls at a time–about 1 ½ minutes. Drain.

Sauces:

May serve with sweet and sour sauce (commercial), hot mustard (commercial), or homemade dipping sauce. See recipe below:

½ c. soy sauce

1/4 c. rice vinegar

4 t. sesame oil

2-4 drops “hot” oil

2 cloves garlic, minced.

The hot mustard and homemade sauces are our favorites.

All the adults helped each other wrap the egg rolls, and we fried some before the meal started. Then we kept on frying them all during the meal, since they're best when freshly fried. We made two batches for 8 adults and had three left, plus a bit of filling that we had no wrappers for. We served it with plain rice and Egg Drop Soup and salad.

Tips:

1. Make sure the filling is not too wet and not too warm. Either condition tends to make the egg rolls soggy.

2. Keep the wrapping tight to minimize seepage of oil into the filling, and to keep the filling from leaking out.

3. Make the preparation part of the party, and this process will seem less daunting.

*Shiitake is pronounced shee-ee-tahk-eh. It's usually sold dried, but may also be available fresh. The flavor is delectable, and it reportedly has many medicinal benefits.