These Chinese Egg Rolls are a Chinese favorite that you can make at home! They are filled with Chinese bean sprouts, chicken, and bamboo and then fried.
Ah, the infamous egg roll. The staple at the center of every Chinese American meal in the United States. But did you know that the egg rolls actually stem from China (unlike our Chinese American friend, the crab ragoon)?
The Chinese version of egg rolls aren’t filled with cabbage or bean sprouts, and they’re certainly not deep fried. In fact, the eggs rolls in China are more reminiscent of what we call Spring Rolls here in America.
The American version seemed to have been invented with spring rolls in mind. But of course with that good old-fashioned American (ahem *fattening*) twist. Egg rolls here in America aren’t exactly like anything you’d find in China. But they are delicious.
These egg rolls are most delicious when eaten with Sweet and Sour Sauce!
Why are Egg Rolls called Egg Rolls?
Egg rolls got their name because the wrappers have egg in them, where Spring Roll wrappers do not. The first Chinese American cookbook that displayed an Egg Roll recipe called the food “Dan Gun”, which literally translates to Egg Roll. This book was published in the 1930s, and was called Cook at Home in Chinese by Henry Low.
What’s in Chinese Egg Rolls?
Fresh bean sprouts
Mushrooms
Chicken, already cooked
Bamboo shoots
Green onions
Chinese 5 spice
Sesame oil
Egg roll wrappers
Egg
Oil for frying
Do Chinese Egg Rolls Have Meat?
My version of Chinese Egg Rolls does have meat in the recipe. However, if you’d like to make your version vegetarian, this is a great option as well!
Probably the most popular version of meat-filled egg rolls includes ground pork! If you’d like to add pork to your egg rolls, simply cook the pork in a pan on your stove top until cooked all the way through.
For the chicken in this recipe, I used a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from my local grocery store. This made it easy, as I simply had the chicken left over from another meal, meaning that I didn’t have to add another step to this recipe.
How to Make this Recipe
In a wok, heat your sesame oil.
Add the bean sprouts into the sesame oil and cook for about three minutes.
Add the mushrooms, chicken, bamboo shoots, green onions, and Chinese 5 Spice into the sprouts and stir over the heat for about 5 minutes, just until warmed. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Wrap the filling in the egg roll wrappers, brushing the last corner with egg to hold in place.
Heat oil and deep fry the egg rolls. Remove from oil and let rest on paper towel to remove excess oil. Enjoy!
Did you like this recipe for Egg Rolls from China? Make sure to check out my other Chinese recipes, including:
Chinese Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup bean sprouts
- 1/2 cup mushrooms
- ½ cup chicken
- ½ cup bamboo shoots
- ½ cup green onions
- 1 tsp chinese 5 spice
- An egg for egg wash
- Oil for frying
- Egg roll wraps
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
- In a wok, heat your sesame oil.
- Add the bean sprouts into the sesame oil and cook for about three minutes.
- Add the mushrooms, chicken, bamboo shoots, green onions, and Chinese 5 Spice into the sprouts and stir over the heat for about 5 minutes, just until warmed. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Wrap the filling in the egg roll wrappers, brushing the last corner with egg to hold in place.
- Heat oil and deep fry the egg rolls. Remove from oil and let rest on paper towel to remove excess oil. Enjoy!
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