How to Make Homemade Egg Rolls

After moving away from my husband’s family, we began to really miss {and appreciate} the homemade Vietnamese food that was at all of our gatherings.  At the top of the list was egg rolls.  A phone call one day to my mother-in-law and we had a list of ingredients in hand.  It took a few tries, but my husband and children developed the most delicious homemade egg roll recipe.  And one day, they let me document the process to share their recipe with you!

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Ingredients:

12 cups of {unpacked} chopped cabbage (get 1 head)

6 cups of {unpacked} shredded carrots (get 3-4 pounds)

18 eggs yolks

3 egg whites

2 Tablespoons minced onion

2 Tablespoons granulated onion

2 Tablespoons salt

2 Tablespoons pepper

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 1/2 ounces vermicelli noodles

2 pounds ground pork

3 packages of spring roll shells (8×8 inch size and 25 to a package…get these from an Asian market)

vegetable oil for cooking

 

How to Make Homemade Egg Rolls:

Chop the cabbage into 1 1/2 to 3 inch length sections.  (Do not shred the cabbage.)  Spread the chopped cabbage on 1-2 large cookie sheets lined with plastic wrap.

Shred the carrots and spread them on 1-2 other cookie sheets (also lined with plastic wrap).  You want them spread out in a thin layer not more than 1/4 inch deep,

Place these cookie sheets in a clean spot where they can dry out for 12-18 hours.

Once that time has passed, place all of the chopped cabbage and shredded carrots into a very large bowl.  (We use a large plastic punch bowl.)

Add the 18 egg yolks to the cabbage and carrots.  {Reserve and set aside 3-4 egg whites.}

Add all of the spices (minced and granulated onion, salt, pepper, sugar) to the bowl and using a rubber spatula, mix well.

Place the vermicelli noodles into a bowl of warm water and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.  (The time depends upon the heat of the water.)

Remove the noodles from the warm water and shake them a few times to remove excess water.

Place the noodles into the veggie/egg/spice mixture.  Using clean scissors, cut the noodles into 1/2-3/4 inch sections.

Stir the noodles in to the filling mixture and do a taste test at this time.  Adjust any flavoring as needed.  {Do it now BEFORE adding the pork!}

Add the ground pork and mix well.

Drain any excess liquid that the filling may have.  Some ways to do this are to either tip the bowl, use a colander, or blot with paper towels.  {Excess liquid will make your egg rolls soggy.}

Remove the spring roll wraps from the freezer.  Take them out of the package and place the entire stack between 2 damp paper towels.  Allow them to come to room temperature for a few minutes.  Continue to keep them covered at all times to avoid the edges drying out.

Lay one spring roll wrap like a diamond on a cutting board.  Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling towards the bottom of the wrap, but leave the bottom 1 1/2 inches of the wrap empty.

Wrap the bottom part tightly up and over the filling.  Roll tightly until you get to the middle of the spring roll shell.

Pull the right side triangle over the rolled part, and then the left side over.

Roll the shell until there is about 1 inch of the shell left.

Dip your finger in the egg whites and spread it over the remaining shell.  Quickly roll the final part of the shell and the egg white will seal the egg roll.

The egg roll must be tight with no part of the shell hanging loose…and the egg roll should not be more than 1.5″ wide.  Loose egg rolls will fall apart in the oil.  And wide egg rolls will not fully cook.

Place the uncooked egg rolls in a single layer onto a cookie sheet.  Assemble all the egg rolls at once.

Pour enough vegetable oil into a large stove top pot to cover 3-4 inches of the bottom of the pot.  Heat the oil to 350 degrees F.

Using long tongs, place the uncooked egg rolls, one by one into the hot oil.  Depending upon the size of your pot, you may be able to place 9-10 of them in at a time.

Turn them once in a while and allow to cook for 4-6 minutes.  Remove the egg rolls when they are a light golden-brown.  The egg rolls will continue to cook for a few minutes even after being removed from the oil.

Place them upright in a bowl {or colander} lined with paper towels.  Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a large baking dish lined with paper towels…continue to keep them upright to drain any excess oil.

Allow to cool and then enjoy!

{These egg rolls are the tastiest when they’re fresh.  However, they can be refrigerated for a few days…or in the freezer for longer.  Always use a toaster oven to reheat these egg rolls.}

This recipe yields 60-70 egg rolls and we enjoy giving them to neighbors and friends.  Any leftovers are then frozen.  And if you ever bring these to a party…get ready to be the most popular person there. 😉

Happy Egg Roll Cooking from my family to yours!

♥,

Leigh