Egg Rolls

It is safe to say that I love Chinese food.  The problem with eating Chinese food out is that you have no control over the ingredients (as is the case with all food when you eat out).  To remedy this problem, I came up with egg rolls that I can make at home.  They are tasty and, while not the healthiest, a better version than what my local take-out offers.

1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
1 onion, chopped
4-5 carrots, chopped or shredded
2 T. oil (coconut or olive work well)
1 cup chicken, cooked and cut up in small pieces
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
soy sauce to taste (I used about 3 tablespoons.)

egg roll wrappers (I use Melissa's.)

coconut oil for frying (I used about 3/4 cup>)

Chop up the veggies.  I threw them all in the food processor which pulverized them.  That was fine with me, but if you like a bit bigger chunks, you could do it by hand.  In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add everything but the wrappers and coconut oil to fry them in.  Saute the mixture about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.  You'll end up with this.

Remove from heat, but keep it close.  Next, open your egg roll wrappers.  Feel free to fill and roll the wrappers as intended, but I do it a bit differently so I don't have to use so much oil to fry them in.  I cut the egg roll wrapper down the middle to make 2 egg rolls from each wrapper.  Make a small pile of filling on the end of each piece.  They end up looking more like a giant ravioli than an egg roll, but it tastes the same.

Brush water around the edges of the egg roll wrappers so the edges will stick together.  In the picture, you can see that the edges are wet.

Fold the ends over the piles of veggies/meat and line up the edges as best you can.  Press to seal.  You will end up with something that looks like this.

When you have a few done, heat up coconut oil in a skillet to fry these bad boys up.  I used a medium sized cast iron skillet.  They seem to keep the temperature constant more so than the non-stick varieties I have.  When the oil is hot enough (I can tell because the oil starts to swirl a little in the pan), put your egg rolls in.



Watch these like a hawk.  They will go from barely brown to black in a matter of seconds.  I think it takes approximately 30 seconds to brown on the first side.  You can check by lifting the edge and looking to see how brown it is getting.  Once it is to your liking, flip and cook the other side.

When browned to your satisfaction, remove from the oil, shaking off the excess above the skillet and place on wire rack, brown paper, or even a paper towel to drain.  Here's the finished product.

Serve with homemade sweet and sour sauce or just eat them plain if you are too tired to make the sauce.  That was my excuse!  Enjoy!

I do realize that these aren't the most health conscious meal.  Deep frying anything, even if it is coconut oil is probably should not be a "go to" meal.  But, I think that occasionally having deep fried something or other is fine and coconut oil is a better choice than corn or veggie oil.  So, will this dish win health food recipe of the year?  Unlikely, but it tastes good and I'm ok with the health level for now.   Oh, yeah, and the egg roll wrappers are made with enriched flour (although the majority of other ingredients were ok-as far as ready-made items go), but I haven't found a recipe that I like and these are MSG free where most of the take-out wouldn't be, so I'm ok using them for right now.  If you know of a healthier alternative that's cost effective, comment below.  I'd love to hear about them.