Make Your Own : Egg Rolls

I love Chinese food, and in particular, egg rolls! I have been making my own egg rolls for a a couple of years, and though it might seem intimidating, it's really not. Here is a simple break down that will have you making your own egg rolls in no time!

Makes about 15 egg rolls

You will need: 

1 package of egg roll wraps (these you can generally find where the soy products are located)
1/2 pound of ground pork
1/2 head of small cabbage, shredded ( I like to do this in the food processor because it saves time)
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Fish sauce (you can find this in the foreign foods sections of most grocery stores)
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
Small bowl of water
Regular frying pan
Cast Iron or heavy pan filled with 1 inch of vegetable oil

For the egg roll filling: Heat a pan over medium high heat and add olive oily, garlic, and ground pork. Cook the pork until browned. Add the cabbage and carrot and cook for about 2 minutes. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

While the filling is cooling, begin to heat your oil. Frying with vegetable oil takes a little getting used to... and sometimes you will have to adjust the heat slightly after the first batch. I feel that it's better to have the oil just under heated than over heating and burning your batch. I recommend medium high heat and leaving at least 10 minuted for the oil to heat properly.

Once the filling has cooled enough, you can begin preparing your egg rolls. Some people get hung up on the rolling of them, so I have pictures to help ya along. (forgive the blurry picture, I am still learning a little.)

Place two tablespoons of filling in the wrap
Then, wet your finger and outline the wrap with a bit of water
(this helps it stick together) 

Fold the first end up over the filling 

Tuck your sides in 

Then roll it up, sealing the final end with a little extra water

Place your egg rolls in the hot oil, turning to brown on all sides

Let them cool and drain on a paper towel, and serve warm
with spicy mustard and duck sauce!!! 

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