Egg Rolls with Beef and Vegetables

For filling:

1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 medium carrot, finely diced or shredded
1 cup thinly sliced cabbage
½ lb ground beef
1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and roughly chopped
½-1 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp water
1 package egg roll wrappers
Oil to fry

(Recipe for Spicy Vinegar Sauce follows.)

To make egg roll filling, heat a large frying pan to medium heat. Add about 1 Tbsp of oil along with the onion and garlic. Stir and fry about 1-3 minutes, until fragrant and onion is softened. Add carrots and cabbage. Stir and fry 5-7 minutes until cabbage is wilted and cooked down. Remove cooked vegetables to a plate. Return pan to burner. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Add cooked vegetables back to pan along with the fresh bean sprouts. Stir to combine. Next, mix in soy sauce. Start with about ½ Tbsp and taste the mixture. Add more soy sauce as desired. Stir to combine. Turn off heat. Put mixture into a colander/strainer to drain excess grease and liquid. Set this aside for 20-25 minutes until cool.

When filling is cool, set up items for assembling egg rolls. In a small bowl, mix flour and water into a paste. Open egg roll wrappers and cover with damp paper towel to keep them from drying out. Have a tray lined with plastic wrap ready to receive assembled egg rolls. Also, have some plastic wrap ready to cover finished egg rolls as you go. This will prevent them from drying out. DRY EGG ROLL WRAPPERS ARE NOT GOOD. To assemble the rolls: Place egg roll wrapper on work surface or plate. Make sure one corner is pointing toward you. Place about ¼ cup of egg roll filling on the bottom section of the wrapper near the corner facing you. Bring that corner up and over filling, pulling back gently to try and keep filling fairly tight in wrapper. Fold side corners in toward the center, fully encasing the filling. Begin to roll it forward toward the opposite corner. When you get near the end, stop and use a finger to spread some flour paste on the edges of that far corner. (The paste will act as a glue to hold the wrapper together.) Continue rolling until egg roll is fully closed. Place finished egg roll on the tray covered in plastic wrap, and cover with the other piece of plastic wrap. Repeat process until all filling is used up. Refrigerate rolls if not frying immediately, making sure they're well covered. (Makes about 12 egg rolls.)

To fry egg rolls, fill frying pan with oil to about ½ inch deep. Heat to a moderate heat (between 350-375 degrees). You can also use a deep fryer if you have one. When oil is hot, place about 4-5 egg rolls in pan. Make sure they're not too crowded. Turn egg rolls every 10 seconds or so, and cook until golden brown on all sides. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate or tray to drain excess oil. Allow to cool a few minutes. Serve warm or room temperature with dipping sauce of choice. See my recipe for spicy vinegar sauce below.


Spicy Vinegar Sauce

3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp chili-garlic sauce (may sub Sriracha/rooster hot sauce)
1 ½ tsp honey, optional

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients well. Enjoy with egg rolls, dumplings, or pot stickers. It is SPICY!!! You can use less chili/hot sauce if you want it milder.