Do You Want to Eat Egg Rolls But You Don’t Like What They Put Inside? Is it Too Bland for You?
These homemade egg rolls are so easy and delicious. You can make it with whatever ingredients you like. If you don’t like cabbage, HOLD The Cabbage Please! My kids love using rice as their filler with a good marinated meat and some chopped veggies. In this post I will show you how we make our egg rolls the way we like them. Air Fried Egg Rolls have much less oil in them than the deep fried version and still taste the same. The recipe is easy to follow and can be used with most staple ingredients in your frig and pantry.
Marinate Your Protein and Make Your Rice The Night Before If You Can
The first thing you want to do is pull out your rice and make it ahead of time. Day old rice is best for fried rice, but you can use fresh rice if you don’t want to fry your rice.
Next you will want to marinate your protein. We used beef this time with a sesame garlic seasoning we found at Aldi. I added some rice wine vinegar and some fish sauce alongside coconut aminos. We prefer coconut aminos as it limits the amount of soy we consume. My son has a sensitivity to soy so we try to limit that as much as possible. I find the soy mimics estogen as well so we don’t need any added hormonal influencers in our bodies.
Time to Cook Your Protein and Your Veggies
I like to throw some coconut oil in the pan over a medium high heat to cook my veggies and minced garlic. Once it starts to become fragrant, I add the protein. In this case, we used beef. After the beef and veggies are cooked, I set it aside and let it cool. I want to slice it up finely if it isn’t already. We chose a carnita style sliced beef so we did not have to do any slicing of our protein. Aldi sells it in amounts of a pound and a half which is the perfect amount for us to have leftovers for a few days.
Now It’s Time to Wrap Your Egg Rolls
You will want to lay your egg roll wrapper out on a clean dry surface. Keep a small bowl of water to use to close the wrapper when it is done. You can lay a generous portion of your rice, beef and veggies mixed in the middle. Start at the bottom point and fold it over the top. Roll it once and fold in the two side points so there are not any open sides. Keep rolling it until the top point folds flat over the roll. Now you add a little bit of water on your finger and seal it closed.
It’s Time! We Are Ready to Deep Fry or Air Fry
I chose to deep fry 3 and air fry 3 to do a blind taste test. We couldn’t tell the difference between the two. They both were equally crunchy and brown, but did not seem to take on oil while deep frying.
Deep Frying Method
Turn the heat up to medium high and let the oil get hot. Ladle the egg rolls into the oil slowly so it does not pop and spray hot oil everywhere. You will need to watch them and turn them to cook so they cook on all sides. When the start getting brown, it’s time to take them out. Place them on a cooling rack over a plate or pan to collect the oil that drips off. The egg rolls above where deep fried.
Air Fryer Method
For the Air Fryer, you will brush the wrappers with oil to produce the crispy crust. Air Fryers cook with hot air circulating around the food so you want to space your food out and cook it in an open style basket to maximize air. I placed a pan under the basket to collect any oil or drippings while it cooked. The 3 egg rolls on the left in the picture above were air fried. I can’t tell the difference in the air fried and deep fried!
Homemade Egg Rolls can be Intimidating, But They Don’t Have to Be!
It really is as simple as chopping up any ingredients you want and wrapping them. Then choose how you want to fry them. We have even taken the Thanksgiving leftovers and put them inside a wrapper and fried them, too. They are a great vessel for turning the ingredients you love into a little pocket of food. Why not experiment with different ways to consume your meals? You can use your leftovers to make an exciting dinner with variety. Who says you have to eat the same foods the same way?
If you tried this, let us know! We want to know what combinations you used inside your egg rolls. We are always looking for new things to try!
Ingredients
2 cups of Jasmine Rice
1.5 LBs of Beef of any Protein you want
2 Carrots – peeled and diced
2 Teaspons of Minced Garlic
1 Teaspon of Coconut Oil or any other Oil you prefer
1 Teaspon of Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Teaspon of Fish Sauce
1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos
2 Teaspons of Chili Garlic Paste
2 Teaspons of Sesame Garlic Seasoning
1 Package of Egg Roll Wrappers
1.5 cups of Vegetable Oil or Grapeseed Oil (For Deep Frying Method)
Hoisin Sauce (for dipping)
Oyster Sauce (for dipping)