Coastal Mains
Celebration Time Egg Rolls with Chicken, Mushrooms and Cabbage
The Strategy:
Crispy, golden-fried egg rolls are the ultimate festive treat, packed with a savory filling of seasoned chicken, earthy mushrooms, and shredded cabbage. Frying them in batches ensures they cook up incredibly crunchy while keeping the filling moist and tender. Serve them hot alongside a sweet and tangy homemade dipping sauce for a classic crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
Sauce
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with ½ cup water
Eggrolls
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 (2-inch piece) fresh ginger, peeled and minced, about 1 tablespoon
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, about 2 teaspoons
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- ½ pound fresh assorted wild mushrooms, sliced, about 2 cups
- 1 (1-pound package) egg roll wrappers, about 20
- ¼ medium cabbage, shredded, about 1 cup
- 3 to 5 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed and finely shredded, about 1 cup
- 4 to 5 green onions, thinly sliced, about ½ cup
- 1 large egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water
- Canola oil for frying
Instructions
Eggrolls
- Place the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and chili sauce in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry.
- Bring the sauce to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Stir and cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook the chicken until browned and crumbly.
- Stir in the ginger and garlic.
- Season with some of the salt and pepper.
- Cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes total.
- Transfer the chicken to a bowl.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan.
- Cook until just beginning to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer to a bowl. Lay one egg roll wrapper onto your work surface.
- Place a spoonful of chicken onto the bottom third of the wrapper.
- Top with a few slices of mushroom.
- Top these with a bit of cabbage, carrot and green onion.
- Roll the bottom of the wrapper over the filling.
- Fold in the sides.
- Roll once more to seal the filling in the wrapper.
- Brush with egg wash.
- Place onto a baking sheet, seam side down. Continue with the remaining wrappers and filling.
- Pour enough canola oil into a deep pot (or a skillet) to cover about 2 inches deep.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Carefully place the egg rolls into the hot oil, seam side down and fry until golden, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer the eggrolls to a platter lined with paper towels. Do this in batches, depending on the size of your pot or skillet.
- Serve warm eggrolls with dipping sauce.
The Heart of the Table
These golden egg rolls bring a joyful, celebratory mood to the table, evoking the fun of a neighborhood block party or family holiday. The satisfying crunch of each bite and the rich aroma of ginger and garlic invite everyone to dig in with their fingers, making the meal feel relaxed and full of laughter.
The Art of the Host
- a seamless, high-heat resistant silicone spatula in a soft slate grey
- unbleached, pre-cut parchment paper sheets for clean releases
- a pre-seasoned double-burner cast-iron grill pan with high ridges
- a heavy-gauge, polished stainless steel ladle with an ergonomic handle
- a heavy-duty die-cast aluminum lemon squeezer with an enamel finish
Neighborly Grace
- THE PRESENTATION: Stack the egg rolls log-cabin style on a flat wooden board next to a small bowl of the ruby-red dipping sauce, garnished with a few curls of green onion.
- THE POUR: A crisp, cold Pinot Grigio or a refreshing ginger beer garnished with a lime wedge.
- THE VIBE: Covered Veranda. The evening air is warm and casual as guests chat over drinks and crispy, golden appetizers before the main course.