Fried Egg Rolls

I must admit, there is something deliciously awesome about a greasy little egg roll. The problem with making these great rolls is the time it takes to prep all the ingredients and roll each and every one. On Mother's Day, after my husband and kids treated me to a fabulous brunch at the golf club, I decided to return the favor by making homemade egg rolls. Boy, were they excited!

There are various versions of the egg roll. The typical Chinese egg roll is made with a thicker wonton wrapper. The Filipino version, Lumpia, is made with a thinner wrapper. The filling also varies in different parts of Asia. Some make a filling mixed with cellophane rice noodles, cabbage, ground  pork, and shrimp. What's great about the filling is that it's purely subjective. You can julienne zucchini, leeks, shiitake mushrooms and use that as your filling. Virtually, whatever you desire can be wrapped in wonton skins and deep fried! My recipe is pretty typical. I use Savoy cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, celery and ground chicken.

Tip: Make a big batch and freeze for the future. Freeze them separately on a cooking sheet and place in a freezer bag once it's been completely frozen.

Fried Egg Rolls

1 head of Savoy cabbage
1 - 10 oz bag of shredded carrots 
8 oz of shiitake mushrooms - thinly sliced
4 stalks of celery - thinly sliced
1 - 8 oz bag of bean sprouts
1 lb of ground chicken (you can use ground turkey, ground pork, ground beef or minced shrimp)
3 TBL of soy sauce
1 tsp of red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper

1 tsp of ground ginger

1 TBL of kosher salt
3 TBL of canola oil
1 - 12 oz package of wonton wrappers
1 egg - beaten with 1 tsp of water

Heat a large saute pan on high heat with canola oil. Brown the ground chicken in the pan and break chunks into small pieces.  Add the salt, pepper, ground ginger and red pepper flakes. Once the chicken is browned add all the vegetables, except of the bean sprouts. Toss the vegetables in with the chicken and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and bean sprouts and saute for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool.

On a flat and dry surface lay out a wonton wrapper, like a diamond. Take about 2 tablespoons of the cooled filling and place it on the wrapper about 1 inch from the lowest point.

Carefully take the right and left sides of the wrapper and fold it towards the center. Take the bottom point, and slowly fold it up, tuck it in and roll. When you get to the end, brush the last point of the wrapper with the egg wash mixture to secure the egg roll.

Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

Deep fry in a deep fryer or a pot filled with about 2 cups of canola oil, heated to at least 360 degrees.