Mini Eggrolls

Eggrolls are NOT fast food.  If you are preparing this recipe for a week day meal, do the prep on a weekend and freeze the eggrolls, then remove them from the freezer just before frying.  These eggrolls are appetizer size because we found frying the smallest ones worked better in a regular kitchen.  If you have a deep fat fryer, you may be able to get the full-size eggrolls crisp on the outside without any doughy parts on the inside.

Filling

  • 12-14 oz roll Jimmy Dean sausage, regular or spicy flavor (can substitute chicken, shrimp, or tofu*)
  • 8-10 oz package dry American-style coleslaw mix (shredded white and purple cabbage with carrots)
  • 6 oz flat can bamboo shoots, drained
  • 4 green onions, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 box sliced mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons cooking sherry
  • 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 cloves chopped garlic

Wrapping

  • 40 mini egg roll wrapper (won ton size)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 cup water
  • pastry brush

Frying

  • 1-1/2 cups vegetable oil for frying
  • 8-10-inch skillet, deep frying works best in a skillet that is deep but not too wide
  • drainer and paper towels to absorb excess grease
  • long-handled tongs

Prepare filling:

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, sherry, and sesame seed oil. Set aside for later use.

Fry sausage (or coarsely chop cooked chicken, shrimp or tofu) and drain.  Pour grease into a container for composting or trash, don’t pour down the drain because over time,  discarded fats will congeal and clog your pipes.

If your coleslaw mix has dressing, discard the dressing packet. Combine shredded cabbage, green onion, chopped bamboo shoots, shredded carrots and sliced mushrooms. Fry the garlic in the remaining grease in the pan for 30 seconds, then add  other vegetables. Stir fry for 3 minutes.

Add the soy sauce mixture to the vegetables and stir fry 2 more minutes.

Transfer the filling mixture to a food processor in 1-2 cup batches and chop until finely-diced.  Allow the filling to cool completely to room temperature or chill overnight before wrapping.

Wrap:

To wrap eggrolls, place a dry won ton wrapper in a diamond shape on a flat working surface.  Place 1 Tablespoon of filling in center of wrapper, in a short rectangle shape.  Fold in side corners to cover sides of rectangle filling, then fold up bottom corner, taking the tip up, around and under the top of the filling.  Now your wrapper looks like an unsealed envelope.  Add the 1/4 cup water to the beaten eggs and mix to make an egg wash.  Dip the pastry brush into the egg wash and paint the top corner of the envelope wrapper with egg wash. Fold the top corner down  to over the filling and firmly press together to seal.  Place wrapped eggroll aside and make another one.  Freeze these wrapped eggrolls in a single layer without any of the eggrolls touching.  After 30 minutes or an hour, transfer the wrapped eggrolls into a freezer bag and store until you are ready to fry and serve.  Even if you want to serve the same day, this recipe works best if the eggrolls are frozen so make them in the morning and fry after noon.

Fry:

To fry the eggrolls, heat 1-1/2 cups vegetable oil in a deep skillet on high for 2 minutes.  Test heat by dropping in a bit of won ton wrapper.  The won ton wrapper should sizzle immediately.

Substitutions

*If you are using tofu, chicken or cleaned shrimp, fry this in 1/4 cup sesame oil first, remove the tofu or shrimp but leave the remaining oil because you need an oily pan to stir fry the vegetables later. Remember to add this extra oil to your ingredient list if you are shopping or checking your supplies.