Egg Roll (1) Recipe

Prepare vegetables: finely shred cabbage, grate carrot, and thinly slice scallion. Pat shredded cabbage lightly with paper towel to remove excess moisture—this helps avoid a soggy egg roll.

In a small bowl combine ground pork, shredded cabbage (squeezed), grated carrot, sliced scallion, minced garlic, minced ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Mix until evenly combined but don't overwork the meat—mixing gently until uniform is sufficient.

Pre-cook filling (recommended for food safety and to reduce moisture): heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the pork-vegetable mixture and cook, breaking up meat with a spatula, about 3–4 minutes until pork is no longer pink and vegetables are softened and most moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool 3–5 minutes.

Prepare egg wash: beat the quarter of a large egg with a fork until uniform. Lay one egg roll wrapper on a clean work surface in a diamond orientation (one corner pointing toward you).

Place about 3 tablespoons (roughly 2 heaping tablespoons) of the cooled filling slightly below center of the wrapper, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the edges.

Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, tuck snugly while rolling once, then fold the left and right corners toward the center to seal the sides. Continue to roll tightly to the top corner. Brush the top corner edge with the egg wash and press to seal. Repeat for any additional egg rolls (this recipe yields one).

Heat oil: in a small heavy skillet or wok, pour oil to a depth of about 1/2 inch (this recipe uses approximately 1/2 cup). Heat over medium-high until shimmering and a small piece of wrapper sizzles and browns quickly (about 350–365°F / 175–185°C). If you don't have a thermometer, test carefully with a wooden chopstick—bubbles should form steadily around it.

Fry the egg roll: carefully slide the wrapped egg roll seam-side down into the hot oil. Fry, turning occasionally, until evenly golden brown on all sides, about 2.5–3.5 minutes total. Adjust heat to maintain even browning without burning.

Remove the egg roll and drain on a wire rack or paper towels for 1 minute to remove excess oil. Let rest 1–2 minutes to cool slightly—hot filling can be very hot.

To serve

Slice the egg roll in half on a diagonal if desired and serve immediately with sweet chili sauce or your preferred dipping sauce.