Egg Rolls With Shrimp and Pork
I've been making these for a few years now. The recipe makes more than we can use at one meal, but I cook them all and freeze the extras. They can be reheated in a microwave or oven quite successfully and make for an "almost instant" Chinese appetizer or part of another Chinese meal.
I've been making these for a few years now. The recipe makes more than we can use at one meal, but I cook them all and freeze the extras. They can be reheated in a microwave or oven quite successfully and make for an "almost instant" Chinese appetizer or part of another Chinese meal.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon chinese rice wine or pale dry sherry
- 1/2 pound bean sprouts
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in
- -- the filling --
- 1/2 pound raw shrimp in their shells
- 1/2 pound lean boneless pork finely ground
- 4 cups celery finely chopped
- 2 medium fresh mushrooms (up to 3)
- 2 tablespoon chicken stock cold
- -- the wrappers --
- 3/4 cup cold water
- -- to fry --
- 3 cups peanut oil or flavorless vegetable oil
- Carbohydrate 17.4668312493751 g
- Cholesterol 44.05225 mg
- Fat 45.188114765625 g
- Fiber 1.43768750825897 g
- Protein 8.713403125 g
- Saturated Fat 7.92347422092578 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Egg Roll (141g)
- Sodium 73.3464453125 mg
- Sugar 16.0291437411162 g
- Trans Fat 2.41503963488516 g
- Calories 507 calories
Step-by-step
- Rinse the fresh bean sprouts in a pot of cold water and discard any husks that float to the surface. Drain and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Shell the shrimp. With a small, sharp knife, devein them by making a shallow incision down their backs and lifting out the black or white intestinal vein wiht the point of the knife. Using a cleaver or large knife, cutthe shrimp into fine dice.
- Set a 12 inch wok or 10 inch skillet over high heat for 30 seconds. Pour in 1 tablespoon of oil, swirl it about in the pan and heat for another 30 seconds, turnings the heat down to moderate if the oil begins to smoke. Add the pork and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until it loses its reddish color. then add the wine, soy sauce, sugar, shrimp, and mushrooms, and stir-fry for another miute, or until the shrimp turn pink. Transfer the entire contents of the pan to a bowl and set aside.
- Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into the sabme wok or skillet, swirl it about in the pan and heat for 30 seconds, turning the heat down to moderate if the oil begins to smoke. Add the celery and stir-fry for 5 minutes, then add the salt and bean sprouts, and mix thoroughly together. Return the pork and shrimp mixture to the pan, and stir until all the ingredients are well combined. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the liquid starts to boil.
- There should be about 2 or 3 tablespoons of liquid remaining in the pan. If there is more, spoon it out and discard it. Give the cornstarch mixture a quick stir to recombine jit, and add it, stirring until the cooking liquids have thickened slightly and coated the mixture with a light glaze. Transfer the entire contents of the pan to a bowl and cool to room temperature before using.
- Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. With a large spoon or your hands, gradually combine the flour and salt wiht the water, mixing until a stiff dough is formed. Knead the dough in the bowl for 5 minutes, or until it is smooth, then cover the bowl with a dampened cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and firmly roll it out until it is no more than 1 1/16th inch thick. With a cookie cutter, pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut the dough into 7 inch squares. When you have finished, there should be 16 squares.
- For each egg roll, shap about 1/4 cup of filling with your hands into a cylinder about 4 inches long and an inch in diameter and place it diagonally across the center of a wrapper. Lfit the lower triangular flap over the filling and tuck the point under it, leaving the upper point of the wrapper exposed. Bring each of the two small end flaps, one at a time, up to the top of the enclosed filing and press the points firmly down. Brush the upper and exposed triangle of dough with lightly beaten egg and then roll the wrapper into a neat package. The beaten egg will seal the edges and keep the wrapper intact.
- Place the filled egg rolls on a plate and cover them with a dry kitchen towel. If they must wait longer than about 30 minutes before being fried, cover them with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator.
- Set a 12 inch wok or heavy deep-fryer over hight heat, add 3 cups of oil and heat it unitl a haze forms above it or it reaches a temperature of 375 F. on a deep-frying thermometer. Place 5 or 6 egg rolls in the hot oil and deep-fry them for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they have become golden brown and are crisp. Transfer the egg rolls to a double thickness of paper towels and let the oil drain off while you deep-fry another batch of 5 or 6.
- Serve the rolls as soon as possible, aranged attractively on a large heated platter. If necessary, the egg rolls can be kept warm for an hour or so in a preheated 250 F. oven, or they can be reheated for about 10 minutes in a 450 F. oven.
- Substitute 1 pound fresh, ready made spring roll wrappers for the egg roll wrappers. Prepare the filling according to the recipe already given, then assemble the rolls and deep-fry them as described above.
- Because preparing spring-roll wrappers from scratch is so demanding and precise a culinary operation, even the fussiest Chinese cook prefers to use the ready-made variety.
The Filling and Moisture Control
The most common mistake cooks make with fried appetizers is introducing excess liquid that breaks down the wrapper during frying. When stir-frying the celery and bean sprouts in a 12-inch wok, excess water will pool at the bottom of the pan; spooning out this residual liquid before adding the cornstarch slurry ensures a thick, stable glaze. Cool this pork and shrimp mixture completely to room temperature before filling the wrappers, because trapping steam inside the dough causes premature tearing.
Dough Rest and Rolling Mechanics
Making wrappers from scratch requires patience with gluten development. Kneading the flour and salt dough for five minutes builds the structural elasticity needed for rolling it down to a thin sheet without puncturing. Once the dough rests under a damp cloth for 30 minutes, roll it out evenly to no more than 1/16th of an inch thick so the fried exterior shatters delicately rather than remaining chewy.
Frying Temperature and Batch Management
Maintaining a stable oil temperature of 375 degrees Fahrenheit prevents the wrappers from absorbing excessive grease. Fry no more than five or six egg rolls at a time in three cups of neutral oil to avoid dropping the temperature of the wok. Drain the finished batches on a double thickness of paper towels before serving.
