I received a new follower on twitter a few days ago and was amused by the name of the blog – I Burn Popcorn – so I checked it out. The writer, Carmen Kiew, had recently posted her family’s recipe for eggrolls, and it looked great.
She reveals some of her family’s secrets, including rolling techniques, so please be discreet and use this recipe for personal use only. Take it away Carmen. [I Burn Popcorn]
Our family has been serving these eggrolls ever since I was born 27 years ago (ugh). The recipe combines pork with imitation crab meat for a deliciously flavorful and texturally interesting appetizer.
This is a Kiew Family recipe that I’m probably supposed to take to the grave but for the sake of my readers and foodies everywhere, I will post it. I’ll also go over some good techniques for rolling eggrolls and eggroll-like things that will help you in the future.
Rolling Eggrolls:
First and foremost, you need to make sure to get good wrappers. I typically go to Chinatown and browse in the freezer section of the grocery stores. You want a square wrapper (it should be about 8×8, give or take) that isn’t too thick or thin. The consistency of the wrapper will definitely affect how the eggroll cooks and tastes so make sure to try out a few different ones if you don’t get it the first time out. If you live in the NYC or Bay Area (Cali), ask me and I can give you a few helpful hints.
Secondly, make sure to defrost the wrappers in the fridge for a few hours beforehand. Trying to separate them out if their still frozen is going to result in a bunch of tearing and unhappiness. It’s also important to keep the wrappers from drying out while you’re working with them. I like to dampen a paper towel with cool water and lay it on top of the them so they don’t end updried out. you can also do the same for the completed pre-cooked eggrolls to keep them from hardening.
To roll, start with the filling on the a corner of the wrapper. Make sure to put about a tablespoon of filling, no more and no less, otherwise your roll may end up misshapen or worse, exploding in
the frying process. Step 1 of the rolling process should look like this:
Fold up the same corner where you just put the filling. fold in the sides towards the center of the wrapper. The roll should now look like an envelope:
The most important part of the process is to make sure you roll the filling in tightly. If it’s too loose, the eggroll will probably come apart during the cooking process. Keep it airtight also helps the eggroll crisp up and cook evenly. At the end of the process, you’ll end up with this:
As you’ll notice, a little flap is still hanging out, waiting to be dealt with. Separate an egg white out and put it in a shallow bowl. Dip the little flap into the bowl (no need to go nuts, a little bit will do) and use it as an edible adhesive to seal off your eggroll. Tada! You’re done!
Kiew Family Eggrolls
Directions:
1/2 lb lean ground pork
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon oil
3 cloves garlic
Imitation crab meat to taste
To Wrap:
Eggroll wrappers (30)
1 egg white
To Prepare:
Vegetable Oil (about 3 cups), for deep frying
1. Heat oil in a large frying pan, add garlic
2. Add ground pork until browned but not fully cooked through
3. Add onion, cook until translucent (about 4-5 minutes)
4. In a separate bowl, mix all sauce ingredients together (soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce) – add a tiny bit of water to loosen the mixture slightly.
5. Add sauce to the stir fry, mix well
7. Taste – add additional sauce as needed until desired level of saltiness
8. Add crab meat – cook for no longer than 1 minute
9. Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool in fridge for 1/2 hour
10. Wrap eggrolls as directed
11. Heat up vegetable oil in a small sauce pan – you’ll know the oil is hot enough when you stick a chopstick in and bubbles form around the stick.
12. Deep fry eggrolls until golden brown (usually around 5-7 minutes). Be sure to not crowd the saucepan and check frequently to make sure the rolls are not burning.
13. Transfer to a paper towel to drain and cool
14. EAT!!
I hope you guys get as many years of joy out of this recipe as I have. Just don’t forget that deep fried food goes directly to your ass… [I Burn Popcorn]
