Egg Rolls and Spring Rolls
- Serves: 6 – 10
- Preparation Time: 35 minutes
- Total Cooking time: 25 minutes
I’m a big time fan of these wonderful Chinese appetizers. Admittedly a bit labor intensive, most of the actual cooking can be done a day ahead then the finished dish assembled and cooked with no more specialized equipment than a deep fryer. If you have a little patience these can all be made with a minimum of effort and expense. You may wonder what the difference between egg rolls and spring rolls is since they have basically the same wrapper, well in this instance the difference is that egg rolls have a meat based filling and spring rolls have a vegetarian based filling.
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | egg roll wrappers | available in most grocery stores in the deli seciton or frozen |
| 8 | ounces | boneless, skinless chicken breast finely chopped |
| 4 | ounces | salad shrimp coarsely chopped |
| 4 | ounces | water chestnuts drained and chopped |
| 4 | ounces | bamboo shoots drained and julienne |
| 1 | cup | cabbage, finely shredded |
| 1/2 | cup | carrot, julienne or shredded |
| 1 | cup | bean sprouts |
| 1 | teaspoon | ginger finely crushed |
| 1/2 | teaspoon | garlic, crushed |
| 1 | tbsp | soy sauce |
| 1 | tbsp | Oyster Sauce, (available in the Asian section of most grocery stores) |
Spring Roll Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients | 15 | egg roll wrappers | available in most grocery stores in the deli section or frozen |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | cup | cabbage, finely shredded |
| 1/2 | cup | carrot, julienne or shredded |
| 1 | cup | bean sprouts |
| 4 | ounces | bamboo shoots drained and julienne |
| 1/2 | cup | carrot, julienne or shredded |
| 2 | ounces | dried Chinese black mushrooms soaked 15 minutes in hot water, drained, and sliced julienne |
| 1/4 | cup | green onion, finely sliced |
| 1/4 | tsp | fresh ginger |
| 1 | tbsp | soy sauce |
To prepare:
Combine the chicken and shrimp with oyster sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in a large non metal bowl cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and combine with vegetables. Preheat a wok or stir fry pan over very high heat, add 1-2 tbsp oil and bring to near smoking temperature. Add in the egg roll mixture and stir fry 3-4 minutes until chicken turns white and opaque. Remove from wok, set aside and let cool. Meanwhile combine the spring roll ingredients and stir fry 2-3 minutes in wok with 1-2 tbsp oil over very high heat. Again, remove from wok and let cool. Assemble the egg rolls and spring rolls by placing the egg roll wrapper flat on a cutting board or table so that it looks like a diamond. Brush water lightly on two sides of the wrapper in a right angle (IE the “top” of the diamond). Place 1-¼ tbsp of filling in the bottom two thirds of the wrapper then roll up from the bottom, tucking in the two sides then completing the roll sealing with the moistened ends of the wrapper (the package usually has an excellent diagram for how to roll these) Heat a deep fryer to 360 degrees or a deep heavy skillet with approximately 3″ deep oil. Place the egg rolls and spring rolls into the hot oil in small batches (no more than 5-6 pieces at a time) for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from deep fryer and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately with Sweet and sour sauce.
