Egg Rolls

Pastachef,

You can buy eggroll wrappers in the produce section of most grocery stores. Most of the Superfreshe have them and a Whole Foods you can choose from a selection of wrappers. If you venture into DC's Chinatown they have an even wider variety! Eggroll wrappers are a thicker dough than springroll wrappers, more like a homemade sheet of pasta. Springroll wrappers are thinner, more textured like a crepe. They can hold a wide variety of fillings.

What kind of eggrolls do you like? The basic pork or beef, shredded cabbage, carrot and onion, little soy and ginger? You can use thai cellophane noodles, fishsauce, carrot, chicken? the variety of fillings are endless.

I reccomend checking out the SOAR archives for a start at http://soar.berkeley.edu/recipes/cgi...uery=egg+roll.

There are also many wonderful Oriental cookbooks that are on the market.

After you master the rolls, you can start playing with shui mai and rangoons!

may i be so bold to assume that egg roll wrappers are wonton wrappers, if so, nope not a phyllo dough, more like a pasta.

Afra..would love the lumpia recipe.

There are several different kinds of Lumpia, but the three main types are Lumpia Shanghai which are deep-fried and about the same circumference as a cigar, regular Lumpia which are also deep-fried and about the size of eggrolls you find in Chinese restaurants and Fresh Lumpia which has more of a crepe-wrapper and filled with fresh veggies and sauteed meat. The last one is my favourite, but it also takes the most time to make. Reynaldo Alejandro's The Philippine Cookbook (avail at B&N.com) has fairly authentic recipes. I'll put the recipes on a webpage and post a link here.

Here's the link I said I'd post for Lumpia. I didn't get a chance to put in the Fresh Lumpia and Crab Egg Roll recipes yet, but I will sometime next week. Afra's recipes sounds somewhat similar and the sauce that Logose mentioned is very close to my fave sauce to go with the Fresh Lumpia.Lumpia recipes

Wow, thanks for all of the great egg roll recipes. www.cookinglight.com has a wonderful one for baked eggrolls that is yummy. I can't wait to try the ones you posted.
Svadhisthana

How about spring rolls..is it rice paper? Soaked to make it soft? The rolls we had today had a peanutty sauce..does anyone have that recipe? Thanks.

Afra, have you ever had the lumpia with garlic sauce? My mother would make lumpia and she would serve it with the most wonderful addicting garlic sauce I have ever had. Give this a try.

Lumpia Sauce
4 T brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup chicken stock
2 T cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water
1 clove of garlic minced
1/4 t salt
Combine in a saucepan sugar, soy sauce, and stock. Bring to boil. Add the cornstarch and water and stir cooking unti it thickens about 1 minute. Stir in the garlic and salt.
:D

SeattleDeb,
Here is a recipe that works quite well and I have used this for my class.I have heard of one method in which you place the rolls in cold oil and then fry for 20-30 minutes. Have never tried it for I think it would soak up the oil and be quite greasey at the end.
I also heard of brushing the rice paper rounds with an egg wash then waiting for it to soften about one minute. I never tried this either.


* Exported from MasterCook *

VIETNAMESE IMPERIAL ROLLS

Serving Size : 16

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
2 c Warm water
1/4 c Sugar
Sixteen 8-inch round dried rice paper wrappers
Peanut oil for deep-frying
Lettuce leaves
Fresh mint leaves
Cilantro leaves
-----FILLING-----
3 tb Small dried tree ear
-mushrooms
2 oz Bean thread noodles
1 lb Ground pork butt or Substitute Lobster meat, shrimp or crab meat or combine pork with seafood
4 Garlic cloves, finely minced
4 Shallots, minced
1 tb Fish sauce
1/2 ts Pepper
1 c Grated carrot
1 c Bean sprouts, tailed
-----DIPPING SAUCE-----
1 Garlic clove, squeezed
-through a garlic press
1/2 tb Sugar
4 tb Fresh lime juice
3 tb Fish sauce
1 Fresh or dried red chile
-seeded, finely minced
3 tb Water
1 tb Finely grated carrot

.

In 2 separate bowls, soak the tree ears and the bean thread noodles
in warm water until soft and pliable, about 6 minutes. Rinse tree
ears and drain. Remove and discard any hard centers. Coarsely chop
and set aside, Drain the noodles and roughly chop into about 2-inch
lengths; set aside.

Mix together the pork, garlic, shallots, fish sauce and pepper. Add
tree ears, noodles, carrots and bean sprouts; mix together with your
hands.

Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce: Combine garlic, sugar, lime juice, fish
sauce, chile and water; let sit at room temperature for at least 10
minutes, When ready to use, strain into a small bowl and add grated
carrot. Makes 1/2 cup.

To form spring rolls: Combine warm water and sugar in a wide shallow
pan (such as a cake pan). Immerse 1 wrapper in the sugar water for a
second and immediate immediately place it flat on the counter or on a
wet, wrung-out, kitchen towel. Let sit until it wrinkles and softens
to a pliable skin, about 1 minute, sometimes longer.

Using your hands, shape 3 tablespoons of filling into a tight compact
log, about 1-inch in diameter and 4 to 5 inches long. Place the log
along the bottom third of the wrapper. Roll the bottom edge over the
log, then roll it over the filling once more. Make sure the wrapper
is taut around the filling. Fold the outside wrapper edges inward to
enclose the ends. Roll up to seal. If there is a tear in the
wrapper, bandage it with a soften softened rice paper remnant.

Set rolls seam side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cover
with a damp towel. Continue making the remaining rolls.

To deep fry rolls: Pour 2 inch inches of oil into a wok or deep-fat
fry fryer. Heat to 325F. Add a few rolls at a time. Do not crowd.
Fry for 10 seconds. Immediately increase heat to high (375F).
Continue to fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 to
8 minutes.

Remove rolls to paper towels to drain.

Serving suggestions:

Cut fried rolls crosswise into 1 1/2-inch pieces . Dip into sauce and
enjoy as an appetizer. Or, wrap rolls lettuce leaves with sprigs of
coriander and mint. Dip into sauce and eat as a light lunch or part
of a multi course meal.

NOTE: If you're working ahead, place the rolls (unfried) on a tray
with a sheet of plastic wrap be between each layer, and refrigerate
them overnight, wrapped in plastic. Don't keep them longer than 1
day. Fried, cooled rolls may be sealed in airtight freezer bags and
frozen for up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw, place on a baking sheet
and bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

Makes 16 rolls.

PER ROLL: 175 calories, 5 g protein, 18 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat (3g
saturated), 1 mg cholesterol, 90 mg sodium, I g fiber.



Serving Ideas : Serve with lettuce, cilantro, mint and nuoc cham

NOTES : The Vietnamese spring rolls are much smaller and more crisp than
the Chinese version. Unlike the Chinese spring rolls, they can be
rolled in the morning, then covered and refrigerated for several
hours before cooking. After cooking they will keep nice and crisp
in 150-degree oven for up to 3 hours. BTW you can substitute shrimp and crabmeat with more ground pork or chicken if you don't like seafood.

Lorraine, that recipe looks great. These were served uncooked...fresh? They said Vietnamese Spring rolls on the menu, but they were definately not fried. Is there another variety?

Found this one, it is fresh roll, unfried and comes with a peanut sauce.
This is probably what you were looking for.

Fresh Shrimp Rolls

6 oz. thin rice stick noodles
(rice stick vermicelli) softened in hot
water, cooked until just tender, rinsed under
cold water and drained, and cut into 3-inch
lengths

2 large carrots, peeled and grated
3/4 cup fresh Thai holy basil or sweet basil
leaves, finely shredded
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely
chopped

Spicy lime dressing, mix together:
3 tbsp fish sauce
juice of 2 limes
1 to 2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded and
chopped
2-1/2 tbsp sugar

24 round rice paper wrappers (about 8 inches
in diameter)
1 to 2 heads Boston lettuce or 1 large head
leaf lettuce, leaves separated, rinsed and
dried, and tough center ribs removed
1 lb. medium shrimp, poached in boiling water
until pink, peeled, sliced in half
lengthwise, and deveined

Peanut sauce for dipping, recipe below

In a bowl, combine the noodles, carrots,
basil and cilantro. Add the spicy lime
dressing and toss lightly to coat.

Fill a wide shallow pan with hot water and
spread a dish towel out on a work surface.
Dip a rice wrapper in the water for about 3
seconds until softened and place on the
towel.

Place a lettuce leaf on the lower third of
the rice wrapper. Spoon a scant 1/4 cup of
the noodle mixture onto the lettuce, arrange
2 shrimp halves next to each other, and roll
up into a cylinder, tucking in the ends as
you go. Place the roll on a platter and
cover with a damp towel to prevent it from
drying out. Repeat with remaining rice
wrappers, noodles and shrimp. Serve with the
peanut sauce for dipping.

Peanut sauce:

1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1-1/2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tsp safflower or corn oil
1-1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper

In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce,
peanut butter, tomato paste, sugar and water
and stir until smooth.

Heat a small heavy saucepan over high heat.
Add the oil and heat until hot, about 20
seconds. Add the garlic and crushed red
pepper and stir-fry for about 5 seconds,
until fragrant. Stir in the peanut butter
mixture and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve
warm or at room temperature. Makes about 3/4
cup. Any leftover sauce can be thinned with
a little water to make a spicy dressing for a
salad. Refrigerated, in a covered container,
the sauce will keep up to a week.

Source: Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds :)

hi everyone....this post is making me hungry.

i've seen deep-fried rolls called either egg rolls or spring rolls, but when they're cold and unfried...they're always called spring rolls.

for the deep-fried type egg rolls the dough is a very basic fresh-pasta type dough. you can make it yourself using a fresh pasta recipe (but not with semolina) or you can buy the "won ton skins" available in most grocery stores or asian markets. the store bought skins are great for egg rolls, and i've made ravioli or tortelloni with them lots of times and this works well too. you could even make canoli using them. using filo would give you a whole different kind of thing...more like puff pastry.

there's a great filipino restaurant in chicago that uses a little cinnamon in the filling of their lumpia, and it adds souch a nice subtle touch.

Thank you all for these tasty recipes.

Here's some from my favorite caterer.

Vegetarian or Seafood Spring rolls with Mango Emulsion

Vegetarian spring roll
Round rice paper wrappers (about 8 inches in diameter) (Use two wrappers per roll)
Arugula
Julienned mango (not too ripe)
Julienned red onions
Julienne tomatoes
The herbs: basil, coriander, mint, chervil

Seafood spring roll
Same ingredients as above
Plus: grilled scallops, cooled and finely sliced

(Serve one roll per person for appetizer)

Fill a wide shallow bowl with hot water and spread a dish towel out on a work surface. Dip two rice wrapper at a time in the water for about 3 seconds until softened and place one on top of the other on the towel.

Place the arugula on top of the two wrappers, followed by the mango, the red onions, the tomatoes and end with a few basil leaves, coriander and mint leaves. Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of your best extra-virgin olive oil.

Roll and make a diagonal cut.

For the seafood rolls,do as above, ending with the scallops placed on top of the herbs. Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of your best extra-virgin olive oil.

Mango Emulsion

Put a few mango slices in a blender. Add water (half the volume of the mangos) and start pulsing. Then reduce to a smooth puree. With the motor running, add some extra virgin olive oil until you get a mayonnaise consistency. Finish off with a few drops of sherry vinegar. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Add a few leaves of julienned basil and stir with a spoon.

The plating:
Use a large white or black plate for this or a square japanese plate if you want really pretty.

Place a spring roll on the plate (have one half standing and the other half laid down).

Drizzle a little mango emulsion around. Decorate with a few chervil sprigs. You can add a few slices of mango.

For the seafood roll, you can decorate with a small spoonful of caviar (if you want to splurge).

Variations
Try the following combination: julienned avocado, pieces of pink grapefruit and shrimp or scallops.

Or
Thin slices of duck. For the mango emulsion, use nut oil instead of olive oil. Season with "Fleur de sel" and superfine ground black pepper.

:p

[ May 13, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]

Lorraine and Kimmie, thank you again. These look perfect. Can't wait to make them on a warm summer day. Love the fresh ingredients and that they're not fried. Mango is one of my favorite fruits...sounds like a great addition.

Monsta,
I bake my eggrolls too. I also use ground turkey in place of the beef or pork. ( I stopped eating both beef and pork 11 years ago) yummy

I eat at a couple of Vietnamese/Thai restaurants herre in N.Y.C. They tend to refer to the cold vermicelli and shrimp rolls as "Summer ROlls".

In any case, thanks for the recipe. Spring or Summer, I love them.

\dave

Eggroll skins can be made cooked or uncooked. Even though it's still easier to buy them at the grocery, the uncooked are easier than the cooked. Even so, it's one of those things that you have to do a few times before it comes out right. Sooooo, here goes:
Beat an egg; then combine with 2 C. flour, 1/2 t salt and 1/2 C. ice water. Knead until smooth and elastic. Cover dough with a damp towel and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Place dough on a floured board. Roll out until paper thin; then cut in 6-1/2" squares. Dust with cornstarch and pile skins. Cover with damp towel until ready to fill.