Ingredients
Method
Make the filling
- Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the ground meat for 7 to 9 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles with a spatula, until no pink remains (160°F for beef, 165°F for chicken). Spoon off any excess fat.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Add the cabbage and carrot shreds and the bean sprouts and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables have wilted and the sprouts are heated through. Stir in the 2 tablespoons soy sauce.
- Tip the filling into a colander set over a bowl to drain off the liquid, then spread it on a baking sheet and let it cool for about 15 minutes. Hot, wet filling softens the wrappers and makes them tear.
Fold the egg rolls
- Lay one wrapper on the work surface turned like a diamond, with a corner pointing toward you. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the filling onto the center.
- Lift the corner nearest you and fold it gently up over the filling.
- Wet the two side edges lightly, then fold one side corner inward so that it lies across the corner already covering the filling.
- Moisten the opposite corner with water and fold that side in as well.
- Moisten the edges of the unfolded flap that is left. Holding the filled end by both sides, roll it away from you to close the egg roll.
- Set the finished roll, seam side down, on a baking sheet that has been covered with a nonstick liner or parchment, and drape a damp (not dripping) towel over it. Continue filling and folding wrappers until the filling runs out; there should be about 20 rolls.
Fry
- Heat oil for frying to 350°F: use an electric deep fryer, or pour oil 1/2 to 1 inch deep into a 12-inch cast iron skillet, so that it reaches up the sides of the rolls while they fry, and set it over medium-high heat.
- Without a thermometer, test the oil by dipping a wooden chopstick into the middle of the pan. The oil is ready once small bubbles stream up steadily around the wood.
- Fry 3 or 4 egg rolls at a time, seam side down first, for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden underneath. Turn them carefully with tongs and fry 1 to 2 minutes more, until deep golden all over. Adjust the heat to keep the oil close to 350°F.
- Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet and let the fried rolls drain on it. Serve hot, with soy sauce for dipping if desired.
Notes
Equipment: a parchment-lined or nonstick-lined baking sheet to hold the folded egg rolls, a damp towel to cover them, a deep-fry thermometer, and a cooling rack over a second baking sheet for draining.
Either ground beef or ground chicken can be used for the filling. In place of the fresh garlic and ginger, use 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger.
The bean sprouts are cooked in the filling because raw sprouts carry a known risk of foodborne illness, and the short frying time is not enough to cook them through.
Folding and frying go quickly when two people share the work: one folds while the other fries.
Oil safety: keep the oil no more than halfway up the sides of the pan, lower the rolls in gently, and never leave hot oil unattended.
Storage: refrigerate cooked egg rolls for 3 to 4 days and reheat them on a rack in a 375°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until crisp and 165°F in the center. To freeze, set uncooked egg rolls on a tray in the freezer until firm, then bag them for up to 2 months; fry them from frozen, allowing about 1 minute more per side.