Favorite Egg Rolls

Favorite Egg Rolls! I can’t guarantee these are authentic, or that I make them the “right” way. But for what it’s worth, they are our favorite (and it has taken me about a decade to get it right!). My husband lived in the Philippines for a few years and every time I would make egg rolls, despite his diplomacy I could tell they didn’t quite measure up to his memories of the lumpia he would eat there. Either he is far enough out from living there (so he can’t remember 😂) or I finally got it right because he proclaimed these the best egg rolls he’s ever had. Our family fights over every single last egg roll when I make them, so I’m going to retire this recipe as our Favorite Egg Rolls!

What makes these pork and veggie egg rolls different? Napa cabbage and sesame oil! Recipe is on my blog!

The Veggies

These egg rolls start with lots and lots of veggies: napa cabbage, shredded carrot, celery, and green onions.

This is the basic combination I have been working on for years, but once I tried substituting Napa cabbage in for the more common green cabbage it took the recipe to a whole new level.

Napa cabbage is the more beautiful cousin of the familiar green cabbage – haha.

The Meat

Ground pork makes these egg rolls especially good! You could use sausage in a pinch, but look for just plain ground pork if you can find it.

Put the veggies, pork, and a little oil into the bottom of a large sauté pan and cook over low heat until the vegetables are soft and the meat is cooked through.

Break the veggies and meat up with a spoon as the mixture cooks. You don’t want any large chunks of veggies or meat in the egg rolls.

It always amazes me how much the veggies shrink as they cook! What starts out as an overflowing pan of veggies, looks like this.

The Seasonings

It seems too good to be true, but the only seasonings necessary are some soy sauce a dash of sesame oil.

If you’re not familiar with it, sesame oil has a ton of flavor so a little goes a long way.

Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Assembling the Egg Rolls

I have found that egg rolls turn out better if you chill the meat and veggie mixture before assembling the egg rolls. I discovered this by accident one day when I had a busy night ahead of me and so I prepped the filling earlier in the day. So the fact that these taste even better if you make them ahead is win-win in my book.

As the meat and veggies sit, the flavors soak into the filling and the liquid solidifies instead of causing the wrappers to become soggy.

Place about 1/4 cup of the filling in each wrapper.

Fold the bottom up over the mixture.

Fold the sides in.

And roll the egg roll closed. Use a little water on your finger tips to seal the egg rolls.

Again, not sure if I’m doing this the “right” way, but it works for me!

Fry the egg rolls in 375 F degree oil. (I know some people are really good with their air fryers and I would love to hear how this turns out for you if you give it a try). In the meantime, I will be using my old-fashioned deep fryer! (Affiate link)

Serve with fried rice and your favorite dipping sauces. Enjoy!!

Favorite Egg Rolls

1 large carrot, shredded
2 stalks celery, minced
3 cups minced Napa cabbage
2 green onions, minced
3/4 pound ground pork
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions:

Sauté veggies and pork in a little oil until the veggies are soft and the pork is cooked through. Add soy sauce and sesame oil and cook briefly until half of the liquid is absorbed. Chill mixture completely before filling egg roll wrappers. Fill each wrapper with approximately 1/4 cup of filling (see pictures above) and fry at 375 until crisp and golden. Serve with fried rice and your favorite dipping sauce!