As I’ve mentioned a few times: my husband loves Asian food. Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indian, Chinese…the list could go on. I, however, have had to warm up to bowls of rice and noodles to fish sauce and soy. Because my taste buds tend to gravitate towards cuisines that center around bread (cue Parisian music).
But I’m thankful Ryan and I have slightly different food preferences because it means we both get to learn and explore and grow. We visited Paris two years ago, so I imagine Vietnam or Malaysia might be next on our list.
Last Sunday night, after we had put Lucy to bed, we made these pork egg rolls. I love doing many different activities with my husband, but cooking with him has to be one of my favorite. We chopped and rolled and fried these pork egg rolls together. I was shocked at how easily and beautifully they fried up in our wok. And believe me, you will make fast friends if you make these and bring them to a party. Crisp and flavorful and fresh. Not soggy at all.
Pork Egg Rolls
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound ground pork
1 inch grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 carrot, cut into julienne strips
1 small red pepper, cut into julienne strips
1 cup napa cabbage
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
1 to 2 tablespoons sesame oil
20 egg roll or wonton wrappers, covered loosely with a damp paper towl to prevent drying
In a large wok, cook ground pork in 1/2 tablespoon oil until no longer pink. Remove to paper towels to drain and season with salt and pepper. In the same wok, stir-fry the ginger and garlic in 2 tablespoons oil until fragrent, about 30 seconds, then add the scallions, carrots and red pepper. Stir fry over high heat for two to three minutes.
In a large pot, combine chicken broth, soy sauce, and sugar. Add the napa cabbage and bring to a boil. Simmer for five minutes. Add the other vegetables and sesame oil and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Fold in the ground pork.
Fill and roll the egg roll wrappers with 1 tablespoon of filling for each roll (DON’T OVERFILL). Working with one wrapper at a time, place a heaping tablespoon of filling near the bottom corner of the diamond. Lift the bottom corner up and roll until you reach halfway up. Fold over the left side and then the right side towards the center. Continue folding with a tuck-roll-tuck-roll pattern. Finish up the roll, seal and place seam side down. Cover rolls with plastic wrap to prevent drying.
To fry the egg rolls, fill wok with two inches of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until a cube of bread fries to golden brown within in ten seconds. Gently slide in or lower the egg rolls, frying 4 at a time, turning until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Place on a wire rack to drain and cool. Enjoy warm!
I also love cooking with my husband! All too often though, he ends up being my dishwasher/cleaner-upper! And these egg rolls! Monet, they look divine! Better than any you can get for take-out. They are perfectly stuffed and look shatteringly crisp!
Yum! These egg rolls look so delicious! I’m like your husband, addicted to Asian food (particularly Thai), but I also really like bread :). So hard to choose!
I’m so glad I discovered your site! I love your photography style! I’ve been needing to get some inspiration on simple photography and this fits the bill.
wow, these look amazing! all of your photography is just beautiful!
Beautiful!! I’ve never made egg rolls and absolutely adore them! I’m so impressed by your adventurousness to make them at home. I must follow suit and make these soon!
Holy smokes, those look absolutely perfect! I love being in the kitchen and working with someone who knows your next move and you theirs…it is a nice little dance where the music is your gentle chatter and the sizzle of the wok 🙂
p.s…love the cake stand!
I rarely attempt dishes like these, even though I’m Chinese, lol. Your egg rolls look amazing, Monet! So beautifully golden and crispy. You’d love Asia. The food is beyond incredible and usually very cheap ‘n affordable. One of my good friends went to Thailand with her husband and 2 year old daughter a few years ago and they had a blast. The people there love kids – I have no doubt they’d worship lil’ Lucy!
This is a perfect party treat, your are right! I imagine how nice and crunchy this must be…
🙂 ela
These are just gorgeous! I love egg rolls. Your photos really capture for me that texture you experience when you bite into a crisp egg roll.
Oh! yum!
and your pictures are really nice.
Valentina
Valentina Duracinsky Blog
Hubby and I like to cook together too, and we are always looking for something new to make. Egg rolls would be new to us. We both like them, but neither of us has ever made them from scratch. Thanks for the great idea and recipe Monet!
These look delicious! I really need to try making my own egg rolls 🙂
Your egg rolls look gorgeous Monet — what a success! Thai is my numero uno so I’m right there with Ryan with the fish, oyster and shrimp sauce ;-). Good thing opposites attract, heeheeh. I’m so impressed with the result – and great teamwork too, xx.
My husband and I both absolutely love asian food – so I know these would be a huge hit at our house! I’ve made baked egg rolls before but I still do want to try the real thing!! Happy Tuesday lady!
While I don’t eat pork, I most definitely am a sucker for egg rolls, Monet. Aren’t woks just the best for frying things up? (Though I’m still the kind of girl who needs foot-long chopsticks before she’ll get close to frying oil–just a long-standing fear, I guess!) These are lovely, and I’m glad you two got in personal time making these. Have a lovely lovely week, Monet!
I love really well made egg rolls, and these look fantastic. You and your hubs make a wonderful team 🙂
I don’t know about Vietnam or Malaysia, but if y’all book a trip to Thailand or Cambodia I’m coming in your suitcase.
These pork rolls look so delicious! Love the wonderful recipe, I want to make it for a massive party 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
My mom used to fry egg rolls and won tons and we went crazy for them! Your photos have given me a huge craving…they look magnificent!
Wow, these look like they turned out perfectly! Is it wrong that I’m now craving a 7 AM egg roll? =)
What amazing looking eggrolls! I’ve made them a few times, but I can never get them rolled up that perfectly! The pictures are beautiful.
Oh my gosh!! YUM!!! Why have I not thought to make homemade egg rolls! I would score major wife points with this!!
These have to be the most perfect egg rolls I have ever seen! those bubbles in the wonton are gorgeous! I love cooking with my boyfriend too, it’s such a great activity to share with someone you love.
So cute that you guys cooked these together! I’ve tried to get my husband in the kitchen but he ends up not enjoying it so i’ve stopped asking. Maybe I should give it one last try…and make it a food he loves 😉
Although I love baked versions of egg rolls, you can’t beat fried ones! And a wok is such a perfect vessel for frying — I fry most things in it. Love the pork in these — such good stuff! Thanks.
These look fabulous! What a lovely blog you’ve got, great photos and ideas 😀 I might just take a dive into the archive! x
These look incredible, Monet. I love how crispy and golden brown they are. Yes, I would definitely befriend anyone who brought these to a party. I am a huge sucker for Asian cuisines. Anytime my husband and I are looking for a new restaurant to try, chances are that I’ll suggest an Asian fusion place. When it’s his turn, he likes to pick Mexican or a classic New Jersey diner. I guess we balance each other out!