Today I'm going to show you how to make crispy vegetarian egg rolls
The folding and frying process is a lot easier than you think
and making this appetizer at home is way better than takeout
For the filling, I like to add a variety of interesting textures and vibrant colors
I'm going to start by slicing some shiitake mushrooms these mushrooms have a really nice
savory and umami flavor and almost a meaty texture
Just going to trim off the stems because they're a little bit too tough
slice them into 1/8 inch thick pieces
If you don't have shiitake mushrooms available at the market,
brown mushrooms make a really good substitute
we need 3 cups for the recipe
I've got a peeled carrot and I'm going to cut it into 1/16 inch pieces
I cut them into 2- inch size pieces first
and then make really small thin slices
stack the pieces on top of each other and then chop
you want little matchstick-sized pieces
to make this process quicker you can even use pre-shredded carrots
the carrots add a nice pop of color and just a hint of sweetness, we need about 1 1/2 cups
I have some nice fresh and crispy napa cabbage leaves that I've washed and rinsed
and I just cut it in half down the center of the leaves so that the pieces aren't so long
we're going to cut this into 1/8 inch thick pieces as well
and then I discard this bottom root end
if you can't find napa cabbage, savoy or green cabbage works well too, we need about 3 cups
Green onions add a nice fresh onion flavor without that pungent taste
I'm going to cut this into really thin slices
about a 1/3 cup and then we just get rid of this white root end
To add some fresh aromatics, I'm going to mince some fresh garlic
just cut off the ends carefully, give it a quick smash, that helps remove the peel
use a fanning motion to cut it into smaller pieces, mince about 1 teaspoon
For a little bit of a warm spicy bite, I like to use some fresh ginger
I need 1 teaspoon, so I'm just going to rip off one piece of the root,
trim off the peel on the outside
smells really good already
If there's any big knobs getting in the way you could cut that off too
slice it into thin pieces and then use the fanning motion to mince
For the next step, let's head over to the stove
Heat a wok or large saute pan over medium-high heat then add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
once the oil is hot but not smoking, add 3 cups of sliced shiitake mushrooms and saute for one minute
add 1 1/2 cups carrots and saute for one minute
add 3 cups cabbage and saute for one minute
add 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts and 1/3 cup green onions and saute for one minute
add 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 1 teaspoon minced ginger and saute for 30 seconds
add 4 teaspoons soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, stir to combine, and cook for one minute
the vegetables contain a lot of moisture so we want to cook them and stir fry them in a hot wok
this is going to soften the leaves of the cabbage and tenderize those crispy carrots
now I'm going to transfer the filling mixture to a sheet pan,
spread it into an even layer so that it cools down quickly
now I'm going to refrigerate it for 15 minutes because we
don't want to add hot filling into the wrappers
this is nice and cool and if you see any excess moisture
you can just drain it and just tilt it like this
we don't want to add any water to the egg rolls or it's going to be soggy when we fry them
You can buy eggroll wrappers at any major grocery store or Asian market
they're made from wheat flour that's been thinly rolled into a large square
this is about 6 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches
I place the wrapper with the point facing towards me,
add 3 tablespoons of filling to the lower third of the wrapper
spread this into a tight 4-inch mound
tightly roll until you reach about halfway up and press any air out of the sides
brush a little bit of water on the sides so that it sticks
remember press out any air that stick together
brush the edges with some more water and tightly roll
so you have a little envelope shape like this and then transfer it to a sheet pan
this recipe makes about 10 vegetarian egg rolls
but if you want to make them heartier you could also add about a pound of sauteed
ground pork, or chicken, or turkey
these egg rolls are ready to fry or you can actually freeze them for later
I like to place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper
freeze them until they're solid and then transfer them to a resealable plastic bag in a single layer
they store well for about three months
I'm going to add enough oil so that it reaches 3 inches
so that when you add in the egg rolls they have plenty of room
to swim, fry, and be completely submerged
the trick to golden-brown and crispy egg rolls is using a high smoke point oil
that's neutral in flavor like canola or peanut
we're going to be frying at 350 degrees and their smoke point is about 450 degrees and above
this gives us plenty of buffer
so that the oil doesn't get too hot creating an unpleasant smell or taste
I'm going to heat the oil over medium heat
once this reaches 350 degrees we can add in the egg rolls
oils ready
working in batches use tongs to carefully add 3 to 4 egg rolls at a time to the hot oil
occasionally move them for even cooking
to achieve a crisp texture and golden brown surface
adjust the heat level as needed to maintain 350 degrees
wow these look amazing
I'm going to place a few on a serving platter
and as you can see the surface is golden-brown
and there's extra bubbles on top that's going to make the texture super crispy
I like to serve it with some sweet and sour sauce or plum sauce
I hope you enjoyed learning the science behind egg rolls
and if you did, please give it a big thumbs up
it means a lot when you do
if you're looking for more Chinese recipes
try my wonton soup right here it's another great appetizer
see you in the next video
let's give an egg roll a try
so crunchy you're gonna love it