Now that I'm an adult (and have been for several years...) I finally have the desire to learn to cook the foods that I grew up eating, instead of expecting someone to make it for me. Last year, I learned to make Pho (will document it the next time I make it) and yesterday, my mom taught my brother's girlfriend and I how to make crack. Alright, so it's not really crack...but it can be just as addicting.
First step is admitting you want to make it. Okay good, we're there. Ingredients you will need from your local grocery store: 4 pounds of ground pork, 3-4 carrots, 2 eggs mixed (for sealing of eggroll) and oil for frying (I used canola...but grew up having it fried in vegetable oil.)
At the oriental grocery store, you'll want to hit the freezer section and get yourself the eggroll wrappers...
They come in all different sizes, but we chose the smallest size because we wanted to make small ones AND because we wanted more inside stuff than wrapping to eat. It's like eating a burrito -- wouldn't you rather eat more of the goodies inside than extra tortilla? BUT, it depends on what you want...I wanted small ones!By hand, I shredded 3 large carrots the smallest I could without making them mush. I guess you could do it in a food processor, but I didn't want it to be like baby food...consider it a good arm workout for 5 minutes.
The next item you'll want to find at the oriental grocery is this vermicelli. It comes in this cute packaging and is portioned out for you perfectly. You will want to soak this vermicelli in cold water for about 10 minutes until it loosens and softens up. 
Once it softens (won't be super soft), take it out of the water and chop it up.
Set it aside...Don't be alarmed when I tell you there is a dried fungus in your delicious eggroll. You'll want to take out a few pieces and boil. They will expand and you'll chop them up...much like you did with the vermicelli. 
Sorry about the quality of the next picture. That's the fungus (I'll call it mushroom) cooked. We literally let the water boil, turned it off and let it cool for a bit. There is a "seed" in the center of this mushroom that needs removed -- so you have to feel around for it.
Sorry about the quality of the next picture. That's the fungus (I'll call it mushroom) cooked. We literally let the water boil, turned it off and let it cool for a bit. There is a "seed" in the center of this mushroom that needs removed -- so you have to feel around for it. I wasn't crazy about chopping the mushroom up. It has this strange texture to it, like cartilage!
Put your ground pork, shredded carrots and cooked fungus in a large bowl. We added some salt and pepper. There was no measurement involved, but if I were to calculate it -- I'd say go for 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. We didn't put enough salt in with the amount of meat we used, but when I do it again, I'll use a little more than the dashes of salt my mom threw in.
I think the fun part is mashing all the goodies together. I didn't do that part. I don't like to touch meat in the raw form. So, I had Jesi (my brother's girlfriend) do the dirty work. Get your hands in there and mix it up...much like you would for meatloaf.
Then, you start rolling. Be careful to pull apart the wrappers and place them in front of you on the diagonal. Put a spoonful of meat close to the bottom corner and spread it out in the roll shape. Like a burrito, you'll pull up the bottom, fold in both sides and roll it away from you. When you get to the end, you'll want to brush some egg so it stays closed.
Roll away. Roll until you can't roll anymore. Don't be afraid to make a lot. They freeze very well.
Heat up oil in a deep pan and once it's "super hot" go ahead and put your eggrolls in. Don't walk away from them, as they can cook up relatively quickly. Once they float to the top and turn a golden brown, pull them out and place them on a plate (with a paper towel) to drain. I stood the eggrolls up vertically so they would drain better.
And then you can serve them with the eggroll dipping sauce of your choice. I always prefer to eat them wrapped with green leaf lettuce and cilantro, while dipping them in a fish sauce/vinegar mixture with chili sauce. I can post the homemade recipe for that if you are interested...just post it in the comments!
Okay, so not the healthiest meal on this planet...but it's definitely delicious and something you must make at least one time in your life.
Put your ground pork, shredded carrots and cooked fungus in a large bowl. We added some salt and pepper. There was no measurement involved, but if I were to calculate it -- I'd say go for 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. We didn't put enough salt in with the amount of meat we used, but when I do it again, I'll use a little more than the dashes of salt my mom threw in.
I think the fun part is mashing all the goodies together. I didn't do that part. I don't like to touch meat in the raw form. So, I had Jesi (my brother's girlfriend) do the dirty work. Get your hands in there and mix it up...much like you would for meatloaf.
Then, you start rolling. Be careful to pull apart the wrappers and place them in front of you on the diagonal. Put a spoonful of meat close to the bottom corner and spread it out in the roll shape. Like a burrito, you'll pull up the bottom, fold in both sides and roll it away from you. When you get to the end, you'll want to brush some egg so it stays closed.Roll away. Roll until you can't roll anymore. Don't be afraid to make a lot. They freeze very well.
Heat up oil in a deep pan and once it's "super hot" go ahead and put your eggrolls in. Don't walk away from them, as they can cook up relatively quickly. Once they float to the top and turn a golden brown, pull them out and place them on a plate (with a paper towel) to drain. I stood the eggrolls up vertically so they would drain better.
And then you can serve them with the eggroll dipping sauce of your choice. I always prefer to eat them wrapped with green leaf lettuce and cilantro, while dipping them in a fish sauce/vinegar mixture with chili sauce. I can post the homemade recipe for that if you are interested...just post it in the comments!
Okay, so not the healthiest meal on this planet...but it's definitely delicious and something you must make at least one time in your life. You can freeze the uncooked eggrolls, just defrost and thaw out completely before you fry them. I generally freeze them in sets of 5-6 because it's a good portion/serving size for two people.
Hope you enjoy the recipe and if you have any questions -- post them with your email address and I'll get back to you!
