Egg Rolls (2) Recipe

Prepare ingredients

Finely shred the cabbage, grate the carrot, dice the onion, and shred or finely chop the cooked chicken so pieces are small and will roll easily.

Cook aromatics and vegetables

Heat 1 tsp vegetable oil in a 10" skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and cook 1–2 minutes until translucent. Add minced garlic and cook 20–30 seconds until fragrant. Add shredded cabbage and grated carrot, stir-fry 2–3 minutes until vegetables are slightly softened but still have some texture.

Combine filling

Add the shredded chicken to the skillet with the vegetables. Stir in 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp hoisin sauce, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/8 tsp salt. Toss over heat 1–2 minutes until warmed through and liquid has mostly evaporated. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and let cool for 5–8 minutes so filling is not steaming hot when wrapping.

Drain if necessary

If the filling has released excess moisture, spoon it into a fine-mesh sieve or use a paper towel to blot so the filling is moist but not wet. Excess moisture will make wrappers soggy and harder to seal.

Make sealing paste

Mix 1 tsp flour with 1 tsp water to form a thin paste; this will act as glue to seal egg rolls.

Assemble egg rolls

Place one egg roll wrapper on a clean work surface in a diamond orientation (one corner pointing toward you). Spoon about 1/2 cup of the cooled filling slightly below center of wrapper, leaving about 1"–1½" border at the near corner and 1/2"–3/4" at the sides. Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, tuck the filling in snugly while rolling once toward the top corner, then fold the left and right corners inward over the filling. Continue rolling tightly toward the top corner. Brush the top corner edge with the flour-water paste and press to seal. Repeat with the second wrapper and remaining filling. (Yield: 2 egg rolls.)

Rest before frying

Place assembled egg rolls seam-side down on a plate and let rest 5 minutes to set the seal.

Heat oil

Pour about 1 cup neutral oil into a heavy skillet (or shallow pan) to reach roughly 1/2"–1" depth. Heat over medium heat until oil reaches 350°F (175°C) or until a small piece of wrapper sizzles immediately but does not burn (about 5–7 minutes).

Fry egg rolls

Carefully place egg rolls seam-side down into the hot oil, leaving space between them. Fry for 2–3 minutes per side, turning with tongs to brown evenly, until wrappers are golden brown and crisp. Total frying time ~5–7 minutes depending on pan and heat.

Drain

Remove egg rolls to a paper-towel lined plate to drain excess oil. Let rest 1–2 minutes before serving so filling isn't scalding hot.

Slice each egg roll in half on the diagonal if desired, sprinkle with chopped scallion, and serve with sweet chili sauce or soy-vinegar dipping sauce.