Chinese Takeout Egg Roll Recipe

(makes 8 egg rolls)

1 recipe Chinese ground pork (page 2)

1 recipe egg roll vegetables (page 3)

Duck sauce (page 4)

Mustard sauce (page 4)

1 egg, beaten

8 egg roll wrappers/skins

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

1. Preheat oil to 350 F (175 C)
2. With flour side facing down, lay egg roll wrapper down with one corner facing you (like you’re looking at a diamond)
3. Place approximately ½ cup (80-85 grams) of egg roll vegetable mixture in the center of the wrapper but slightly closer to you
4. Lift the end of the egg roll wrapper closest to you over the top of the vegetable mixture and roll it over onto itself
5. Push down on both sides of the vegetable mixture and take the left and right sides of the skin over the top of the egg roll
6. Tuck in the sides and the front of the wrapper while rolling it forward
7. When you have 1.5-2 inches left, brush the front of the wrapper with the egg wash and continue rolling forward until the egg roll is totally sealed
8. Continue with the remaining egg rolls
9. Fry egg rolls for approximately 7 minutes, turning every minute to ensure all sides fry
10. Drain on paper towels or a wire rack
11. For crispiest egg rolls, increase oil temperature to 375 F (190 C)
12. Fry egg rolls for an additional 2 minutes
13. Drain and serve immediately

Note: if making a large batch, egg rolls can be frozen after step 9. Make sure to cool completely and freeze on a baking sheet in a single layer before storing in Ziploc freezer bags. 

Chinese ground pork recipe:

¼ lb (115 grams) ground pork

1 tsp garlic (3 grams) minced

Spice mix:

¼ tsp (1 gram) sugar

¼ tsp (.75 gram) kosher salt 

⅛ tsp (.4 gram) Chinese 5 spice 

⅛ tsp (.3 gram) white pepper

1 tbsp (15 ml) Shaoxing wine

¾ tsp (3.7 gram/ml) light soy sauce

½ tsp (3.3 gram) hoisin

½ tsp (3.2 gram) oyster sauce

Neutral oil

1. Add all spice mix ingredients to a small bowl and mix thoroughly
2. Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat
3. Add pork and cook on one side until browned
4. Stir pork and cook thoroughly
5. 2-3 minutes before pork is done, add garlic and saute for 1 minute
6. Stir in sauce mixture and cook until reduced completely
7. Drain on a paper towel and reserve

Egg roll vegetables:

8 cups green cabbage (600 grams) finely shredded

1 cup celery or Chinese celery (70 grams) julienne

1 cup carrot (90 grams) julienne

Salt, for blanching vegetables

¼ cup green onions (15 grams) thinly sliced

1.5 tsp (7.5 gram) toasted sesame oil

Vegetable seasoning mixture:

2 tsp (6 grams) kosher salt 

2.5 tsp (12.5 grams) chicken bouillon powder

1.5 tsp (6 grams) granulated sugar

⅛ tsp (.4 gram) Chinese 5 spice

⅛ tsp (.3 gram) white pepper

⅛ tsp (.3 gram) black pepper

1. Mix all ingredients for the seasoning mixture until thoroughly combined, set aside
2. Heat a large pot of lightly salted water over high heat
3. Prepare an ice batch
4. Blanch vegetables for 1 minute 
5. Remove to an ice bath or run cold water over them to cool vegetables completely 
6. Remove excess water from vegetables by pressing against a colander, wringing in a towel, or by pressing in a potato ricer
7. Spread vegetables on a baking sheet to dry 
8. Shortly before frying the egg rolls, toss the vegetables with the seasoning mixture, toasted sesame oil, ground pork, and green onions

Duck sauce:

2 tbsp (30 ml) water

1 tbsp (12 grams) sugar

¼ tsp (.75 gram) kosher salt

¼ cup (80 grams) apricot preserves

¼ tsp (1.2 grams) light soy sauce

½ tsp (2.5 grams) unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tsp (5 grams) apple sauce

Mix water, sugar, and kosher salt until sugar and salt have dissolved. Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow pectin to set.  

Mustard sauce:

1 part hot mustard powder

1 part water

Toasted sesame oil, to taste

Unseasoned rice vinegar, to taste

White pepper, to taste

Mix equal parts hot mustard powder and water. Stir in sesame oil, rice vinegar, and white pepper to taste. Allow mustard to sit for at least 1 hour before serving. The mustard sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 month.