Vietnamese Egg Rolls Recipe (3 Ways!)
Most of us normally see Vietnamese egg rolls made with ground pork. You can make this recipe with ground pork, ground chicken & shrimp, ground shrimp or with tofu to make it vegetarian. All ways are super tasty!
Servings: 48 to 50 egg rolls
Ingredients
- 2.5- ounce bag dried black fungus, about 1 1/2 cups (I used half of the bag)
- 1 1/2 cups bean thread or cellophane noodles and roughly chopped
- 2 green onions, sliced thin
- 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 carrot, about 1/2 cup, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 head of cabbage, about 1 cup, shredded
- 1 medium taro root, or melanga blanca about 1 pound (about 2 cups), cut into large matchsticks
- a couple of dashes granulated sugar
- 2 packages egg roll wrappers, I use Spring Home TYJ brand Spring Roll Pastry
- 2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
- vegetable or canola oil for cooking
Choose one of the following:
Chicken & Shrimp
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 pound shrimp, if frozen, defrosted, peeled and deveined and rinsed
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Shrimp Only
- 1/2 pound shrimp, if frozen, defrosted, peeled and deveined and rinsed
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Tofu
- 1 14-ounce package of firm tofu, sliced thin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- First thing, (soaked in hot water for at least 30 minutes, drained, rinsed and then cut
- and sliced). Soak 1/2 a bag of dried black fungus (dried wood ear mushrooms) in a large bowl with hot water for at least 30 minutes. Soak 1 section of a bag of bean thread noodles for 15 minutes in a hot water.
If you're making tofu egg rolls
- Heat a nonstick skillet with one Tablespoon of grapeseed oil.
- Slice tofu into thin slices and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
- Remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Allow to cool and set aside.
- Once they are cool, cut them into strips.
- Prep other vegetables. Removing knobby pieces of the mushrooms and then slice thinly.
- Mix all vegetables together in one large mixing bowl. Use your hands, if needed.
Meat and/or Shrimp Filling
- Pat meat and/or shrimp dry with paper towels. Add meat and/or shrimp to a food processor and pulse for a few seconds at a time until blended and meat is roughly chopped. Don't over process so that it's mushy.
- Split vegetable mixture in half and mix meat in batches. Until it's all mixed together. Add salt and pepper and dashes of sugar. Mix in egg yolks thoroughly.
Wrapping Egg Rolls
- After opening the bag of egg roll wrappers, cover with a wet paper towel (that's been wrung out) to prevent drying out of the wrappers.
- On a clean surface like a cutting board, place one wrapper on the cutting board so it's a diamond. On the corner closest to you, place 2 Tablespoons of filling. Fold up that corner and then fold over the side corners.
- Start rolling up and as you're rolling, tuck the filling side in tightly. Use egg whites as a glue on the inside and outside to seal it closed.
Frying the Egg Rolls
- Line a Cookie sheet with foil and paper towels and top with cooling rack.
- Heat oil (about a 1/2 inch layer) in a nonstick skillet on medium high for 5 minutes. Oil should start to swirl when it's hot.
- Add 6 to 8 egg rolls and cook for 3 minutes (if frozen 5 to 6 minutes) on each side and then an additional 60 to 90 seconds on each side, if needed, until golden brown. (Lower heat to medium if oil gets too hot.)
- Using tongs, remove one egg roll at a time and hold them up lengthwise and allow oil to drain back into the pan.
- Place egg rolls on prepared pan and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
When you make this recipe...
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