Chicken and Vegetable Egg Rolls

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Pastry Filling

1. 1
   Heat some of the oil in a large pan over high heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 2
   Add the chicken, garlic and ginger and fry 5 minutes, breaking it up, until the chicken changes color.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 3
   Add the cabbage, carrot and scallions and fry 3 minutes, tossing, until slightly softened.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡The vegetables go in for just a few minutes: they should soften slightly and stay crisp, since they keep cooking inside the roll as it fries.
4. 4
   Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and salt, stir and let cool completely.

   Stove

   💡Roll only with completely cooled filling: warm filling softens the wrappers, so they tear and soak up oil.

To assemble

1. 5
   Lay an egg roll wrapper out vertically and place 2 tbsp of filling near one end.
2. 6
   Roll the dough around the filling, fold in the sides and keep rolling.
3. 7
   Heat the oil in a deep pot to 170–180°C (340–355°F) and Fry 3–4 minutes, until the pastries are golden and crisp.

   ⚙ Deep-fryingStoveSlotted spoonCandy/oil thermometerDeep pot for frying

   💡Keep the oil at 170–180°C (340–355°F): too cold, and the food soaks up oil; too hot, and it browns outside before the inside cooks. Without a thermometer, dip the tip of a wooden spoon in the oil: when medium bubbles form around it right away, the oil is hot enough.

   💡Don't overload the oil: every piece that goes in cools it down. Fry one piece as a test, then the rest in several batches, and transfer to paper towels.
4. 8
   Drain on paper towels and serve hot.