HappyTummy              

Who knew there was such confusion about that Asian food in which vegetables and meat are wrapped in a skin and deep fried until they’re crispy and delicious? Are they egg rolls? Are they spring rolls? Wikipedia and various other websites I consulted all had conflicting information. At any rate, these rolls are delicious. And although my mom is neither Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino or Indonesian, we grew up on these rolls, and they remain a family favorite to this day. My mom always called them egg rolls, so for purposes of this blog post, I’ll refer to them that way.

My brother, sister and I were addicted to our mom’s egg rolls growing up. She’d make the filling from scratch, shredding cabbage, carrots and mushrooms, sautéing ground beef, pork or chicken, and dicing water chestnuts. Then she’d carefully wrap the filling in lumpia and deep fry them until they were golden brown. The best thing about my mom’s egg rolls was the way she served them: sliced in half on the diagonal, with a small bowl of soy sauce on the side. There was something so special about that diagonal cut. Mmmm. Biting into that crispy, crunchy shell, getting a burst of hot juices inside, and then tasting the savory filling of meat and crisp-tender vegetables–we could eat a whole plateful after school, just the three of us.

I’ve made her egg rolls quite a few times, mostly for parties I’ve thrown, where they’re honestly always the hit of the night. No matter what else I make, the egg rolls are always the first to go. And after I got married, I made them for my husband, who was equally as wowed. I don’t make them often though, because they are pretty labor intensive.

When we were at my parents’ house this past Christmas, my mom made a huge batch of them so we could snack on them at any time. They’re great because they can be made in advance and frozen–simply bring them to room temperature before frying.

When my husband bit into my mom’s egg rolls, he raved. And it wasn’t insincere–he really meant it. “These are so good,” he said, picking up one egg roll after another with his chopsticks. He wolfed them down with such gusto, I was confused as to why his response to my mom’s egg rolls was so much more, well, pronounced than it was to mine. “These are the exact same ones I make at home,” I said. “They’re my mom’s recipe. They’re exactly the same!” He looked at me, looked down at the egg roll, and looked up at me again. “Oh. They just taste a little different,” he said.

How could my mom’s egg rolls taste different from the ones I made at home? I used her exact recipe…it was impossible!

I looked closely at the egg roll. I thought hard for a minute.

Ohhh…right. I forgot. “She makes hers with pork,” I said sheepishly. “Mine are vegetarian.”

Oops. I guess pork really does make everything taste better!

So…for my non-vegetarian husband, I came home and cooked him a nice batch of egg rolls…but with ground turkey instead of ground pork. That’s the great thing about this recipe–you can really substitute whatever you want in them!

Recipe: Egg Rolls (Spring Rolls)
Adapted from HappyTummy’s mom’s recipe
Makes about 60 egg rolls

• 2 packages Filipino lumpia skin
• One small head cabbage, shredded
• One cup shredded carrots
• One 8 oz. package of mushrooms, diced
• One 8 oz. can of water chestnuts, diced
• 1/2 lb. ground beef or pork, or diced chicken or shrimp, cooked (optional)
• 1 egg, beaten
• Canola oil for frying

Before beginning to cook filling and assemble egg rolls, open both packages of lumpia. Peel and separate each skin so that once assembly begins, the process can move quickly. After separating each skin, stack in a pile and cover with a damp paper towel so that they won’t dry out. Set aside.

In a large pot, without any oil, sauté cabbage, carrots, mushrooms and water chestnuts. Cook on medium heat until tender but not mushy. Remove pot from heat.

The natural water from cabbage will make the mixture it a little bit soggy, so using a towel or cheesecloth squeeze excess moisture from the mixture. Return mixture to pot or large bowl. If using meat, add to vegetable mixture.

Taking one lumpia skin, wrap the rolls like a burrito. (See pictures above). Seal edges with a little egg wash. Repeat with all the lumpia skin.

Fill small pan with about 1/2-inch of oil (or, you can use a deep fryer). Heat oil on medium high heat. Place one row of egg rolls in the pan–be sure not to crowd them, or the skins won’t fry up properly. Adjust the heat so that the egg rolls are just bubbling on the sides–this will ensure a golden brown exterior and a properly heated-through interior. After about 2 minutes, flip egg rolls over. Continue frying the other side for another 2 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove egg rolls from oil and drain on paper towel. Repeat with the rest of the egg rolls.

* You can make the rolls in advance and keep them uncooked in the refrigerator for up to two days, separated by waxed paper so they don’t stick. Or, freeze them for up to two months. Bring to room temperature before frying.