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.
Recipe Origins
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 rangoon)?
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 Make this Recipe
- Try Something New: You may not be new to eggrolls, but it will definitely be a new experience making them from scratch! And doesn’t it always feel better when you make something yourself? 😉
- Experience a Chinese American Delight: Though egg rolls might not be entirely “Chinese” in origin, there is no denying that Chinese American food is it’s own breed of wonderful. If you want to try making a new type of cuisine at home, this recipe is for you!
What Ingredients are in this Recipe?
- Bean Sprouts: I try to use mung bean sprouts if I can find them, but in a pinch soybean sprouts will also work. Fresh is best, but you can also find them canned if need be.
- Egg Roll Wrappers: If you are having a hard time finding egg roll wrappers, look in the freezer section of an Asian grocery store. Make sure to leave them in the fridge the night before you plan to make this recipe to thaw.
- Bamboo Shoots: I found these canned in the vegetable aisle of an Asian mart. You can buy them online or you can always omit them if need be.
- Chicken: I used leftover rotisserie chicken that I had in the grocery store. If you need to bake chicken in order to make this recipe (or use leftovers from dinner a night before) that is certainly an option!
- Mushrooms: I simply used white mushrooms because they were what I could find at the grocery store. If you are able, Chinese variants of mushrooms, such as Shiitake, would be a great addition.
- Green Onions: I try to use the green parts of the green onions, but the white parts of the onion are also delicious
- Chinese 5 Spice: Chinese 5 Spice is a mixture of 5 of the most prominent spices in Chinese cooking. Though the ingredients in Chinese 5 Spice sometimes change, it normally includes anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel, and Szechuan peppercorns.
- Oil for Frying: I used vegetable oil, but you can also use sunflower oil. Anything with a low smoking point is a good option.
How to Make Chinese Egg Rolls
Step 1: Make the Filling
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.
Step 2: Roll the Egg Rolls
Lay an egg roll wrapper in a diamond shape, with one corner pointing towards you and one corner pointed away. About ⅓ of the way up the wrapper, place about 2 tbsp of filling (or more) in a horizontal line, leaving about ½” on the right and left sides.
Fold up the bottom corner to cover the filling and roll once. Wrap in the two side corners, then continue wrapping until you get to the final, far corner.
Wet it with a bit of egg to hold it in place, then stick the final corner to the egg roll (see photos for clearer explanation).
Step 3: Fry the Egg Rolls
Heat about 1” of oil until it’s hot enough that when you add an egg roll, it begins to fry immediately.
Deep fry the egg rolls in batches, about 4 at a time… When they are brown and the wrapper has bubbled, remove them from oil and let them rest on a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess oil.
Serve with Sweet and Sour Sauce. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Don’t forget to thaw your egg roll wrappers the night before making them!
- If you’d like to sub in different kinds of meat or vegetables, feel free to do that! This recipe is all your own.
- You can also bake egg rolls, though they will have a different texture. Place the oven to 400 and bake until they are toasted, turning every once in a while
- You can store the egg rolls in the fridge (covered) for up to a day before frying!
- If you want the filling to be more fine, you can also chop all of the ingredients up in a food processor.
Recipe FAQs
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.
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.
What are Other Yummy Additions Can I Add to Egg Rolls?
If you want to add something to this Chinese Egg Roll recipe, here are some other great ideas:
- Soy sauce
- Ground pork
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Cabbage
- Carrots
Or anything else you can think of!
Did you like this recipe for Egg Rolls from China? Make sure to check out my other Chinese recipes, including:
Chinese Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 1/4 cup mung bean sprouts
- 1/2 cup mushrooms
- ½ cup chicken cooked (I used rotisserie chicken)
- ½ cup bamboo shoots sliced
- ½ cup green onions cut into rounds
- 1 tsp chinese 5 spice
- An egg for egg wash
- Oil for frying vegetable or sunflower oil
- Egg roll wraps
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.
- Lay an egg roll wrapper in a diamond shape, with one corner pointing towards you and one corner pointed away. About ⅓ of the way up the wrapper, place about 2 tbsp of filling (or more) in a horizontal line, leaving about ½” on the right and left sides.
- Fold up the bottom corner to cover the filling and roll once. Wrap in the two side corners, then continue wrapping until you get to the final, far corner. Wet it with a bit of egg to hold it in place, then stick the final corner to the egg roll (see photos for clearer explanation).
- Heat about 1” of oil until it’s hot enough that when you add an egg roll, it begins to fry immediately. Deep fry the egg rolls in batches, about 4 at a time… When they are brown and the wrapper has bubbled, remove them from oil and let them rest on a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess oil.
- Serve with Sweet and Sour Sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- Bean Sprouts: I try to use mung bean sprouts if I can find them, but in a pinch soybean sprouts will also work. Fresh is best, but you can also find them canned if need be.
- Egg Roll Wrappers: If you are having a hard time finding egg roll wrappers, look in the freezer section of an Asian grocery store. Make sure to leave them in the fridge the night before you plan to make this recipe to thaw.
- Bamboo Shoots: I found these canned in the vegetable aisle of an Asian mart. You can buy them online or you can always omit them if need be.
- Chicken: I used leftover rotisserie chicken that I had in the grocery store. If you need to bake chicken in order to make this recipe (or use leftovers from dinner a night before) that is certainly an option!
- Mushrooms: I simply used white mushrooms because they were what I could find at the grocery store. If you are able, Chinese variants of mushrooms, such as Shiitake, would be a great addition.
- Green Onions: I try to use the green parts of the green onions, but the white parts of the onion are also delicious
- Chinese 5 Spice: Chinese 5 Spice is a mixture of 5 of the most prominent spices in Chinese cooking. Though the ingredients in Chinese 5 Spice sometimes change, it normally includes anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel, and Szechuan peppercorns.
- Oil for Frying: I used vegetable oil, but you can also use sunflower oil. Anything with a low smoking point is a good option.
- Don’t forget to thaw your egg roll wrappers the night before making them!
- If you’d like to sub in different kinds of meat or vegetables, feel free to do that! This recipe is all your own.
- You can also bake egg rolls, though they will have a different texture. Place the onion to 400 and bake until they are toasted, turning every once in a while
- You can store the egg rolls in the fridge (covered) for up to a day before frying!
- If you want the filling to be more fine, you can also chop all of the ingredients up in a food processor.
Suzanne Booth says
Can you prepare these ahead of time before frying?
The Foreign Fork says
Yes, absolutely 🙂 I would freeze them, then thaw before you fry.
– Alexandria
J Spener says
Finally found a recipe without coleslaw.
This is an egg roll.
The Foreign Fork says
Bean sprouts are the way to go! haha. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Kellie Hensley says
Ive been looking for a recipe like this for YEARS! I’m from Michigan and everywhere I’ve lives uses cabbage and I love the bean sprouts!!! Can I use tiny shrimp instead of chicken or pork?
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Kellie,
I am from Michigan as well, and I also love bean sprouts!! Yes you can use tiny shrimp if you’d like 🙂