What are egg rolls?

[Tepee]

A finished egg roll measures about 4.5 to 6" long (11.5 - 15.5 cm) by about 2" (5 cm) in diameter.

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6" long?!! Why, that would be a whole meal for me!

You guys are great...thanks for all the details.

[SuzySushi]

that would be a whole meal for me!

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It is for me too, as a "light lunch"!

P.S. There are actually some egg rolls I like. I view them entirely differently than spring rolls. Two completely different dishes and meal occasions.

Egg rolls (to me) are meant to be eaten by themselves as a light meal or snack, or as a side dish to clearly Americanized Chinese food (especially take-out food) like chow mein. Spring rolls are meant to be served as part of an appetizer course for a formal meal, or as part of a dim-sum menu. Personally, I don't dip either of them in sauce, but that's just me!

[amandasmom971]

Besides cabbage, what's in the Ameri-chinese rolls?

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Filling for my rolls: I use coleslaw mix (pre-chopped cabbage and carrots), onions, LOTS of garlic, waterchestnuts, ground pork, seasonings and don't cook the veggies.

[Ben Hong]

Besides cabbage, what's in the Ameri-chinese rolls?

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Filling for my rolls: I use coleslaw mix (pre-chopped cabbage and carrots), onions, LOTS of garlic, waterchestnuts, ground pork, seasonings and don't cook the veggies.

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We had to cook the vegs. as on a good day, we sometimes sold 3-400 of the "eggrolls". We always made and half-cooked them beforehand, ergo if the veggies were not cooked and wrung dry, the things would turn into a soggy mess. And downright dangerous, as the accumulated moisture trapped in the casings would explode when immersed in a hot deep fryer.

[hzrt8w]

.....They're rolled up, sealed with egg, and deep-fried. The finished wrapper is crisp with a lot of bubbles on the outside and doughy on the inside. A finished egg roll measures about 4.5 to 6" long (11.5 - 15.5 cm) by about 2" (5 cm) in diameter.

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Oh my goodness... an egg roll that is 2 inches in diameter and 6 inches long! What is this? A burrito? A chimichanga?

But... I know I know... it is true. In many American-Chinese restaurants, that's what customers buy.

When you have an egg roll so big, invariably the skin could not be made crispy. That's what you see in the earlier picture: soft egg roll skins with brown dots all over. To make the egg roll crispy, you must use dry fillings, thin egg roll skins and less filling in each roll... and high temperature deep-frying.

Spring roll, egg roll... yeah, some restaurants use the name spring roll (closer to the Chinese translation). But just the naming does not dictate what it is. When I used to work as a waiter and I mentioned the name "spring roll", most of the customer would say "Huh???" Many restaurants got with the game and named the item "egg roll". Spring roll, egg roll, what it is... depends on how the given restaurant makes it really.

Edited April 26, 2005 by hzrt8w (log)

[touaregsand]

1.) Shrimp or any seafood with lots of mayo

Whenever I make these (not alot of mayo though) the plates are cleared really fast. I've made them Asians, Americans and French.

6" long?!! Why, that would be a whole meal for me!

Just one would be a whole meal? I can go for three (am I pig? ) The cabbage filled, Americanized ones can be pretty tasty when made well.

[Tepee]

Just one would be a whole meal? I can go for three (am I pig?  )

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Wull, how much do you weigh? I suppose sometimes our capacity is relative to size...I'm pretty petite. However, don't get me started on premium ice-cream and chocolate.

By the way, what skins are used for these biggies?

Edited April 27, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[touaregsand]

Just one would be a whole meal? I can go for three (am I pig?  )

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Wull, how much do you weigh? I suppose sometimes our capacity is relative to size...I'm pretty petite. However, don't get me started on premium ice-cream and chocolate.

By the way, what skins are used for these biggies?

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I haven't weighed myself in a while. I just go by how I look in my size 0-3 miniskirts or form fitting jeans or x-s to s cheong sam.

Eggroll wrappers. That's how they're labeled in the States anyway.

[Laksa]

Oh my goodness...  an egg roll that is 2 inches in diameter and 6 inches long!  What is this?  A burrito?  A chimichanga?

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I like to tell people I make my egg rolls six inches long, but they're really closer to four and a half.

Is anyone here aware of any Chinese restaurant in the US that serve a version of spring/egg-roll that's not deep fried? I like "soft" spring rolls.

[Badiane]

The not deep fried version, at least in my corner of the world, are called salad rolls and are vietnamese. They use a rice paper wrap stuffed with vermicelli and whatever else you want to throw in. Typically served with peanut sauce.

[touaregsand]

Oh my goodness...  an egg roll that is 2 inches in diameter and 6 inches long!  What is this?  A burrito?  A chimichanga?

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I like to tell people I make my egg rolls six inches long, but they're really closer to four and a half.

Is anyone here aware of any Chinese restaurant in the US that serve a version of spring/egg-roll that's not deep fried? I like "soft" spring rolls.

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Um... you set yourself up here for a Freudian punchline.

By soft do you mean summer rolls?

[SuzySushi]

The not deep fried version, at least in my corner of the world, are called salad rolls and are vietnamese.  They use a rice paper wrap stuffed with vermicelli and whatever else you want to throw in.  Typically served with peanut sauce.

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Around here, they're called Vietnamese summer rolls.

[Laksa]

I am familiar with the Vietnamese version with shredded carrots, shrimp, vermicelli, sometimes with Asian basil, in a transluscent wrapper made from rice, usually eaten with a dipping sauce. Never had it with peanut sauce though. I remember having it with the sweet and tangy, clear, orange-colored sauce.

I am thinking more of the Chinese version that has a soft flour-based wrapper. The fillings vary depending on provincial origins. They are usually vegetarian but some versions may have lard.

[JasonTrue]

These are lightly toasted in a pan and might be wrapped at the table by guests, right? Kenneth Lo, a UK-based Chinese restaurateur, had a recipe that called for using wheat-based "egg roll wrappers" cooked on a griddle until a little bubbly, on each side, then wrapped around simple stir-fried vegetable fillings (bean prouts and ginger, maybe ja tsai pickles and cabbage, some sesame-oil and soy sauce seasoned mushrooms/carrots/celery, etc.

He said these are almost never served in the "West".

It seems like a Chinese taco or piadina.

I am familiar with the Vietnamese version with shredded carrots, shrimp, vermicelli, sometimes with Asian basil, in a transluscent wrapper made from rice, usually eaten with a dipping sauce.  Never had it with peanut sauce though.  I remember having it with the sweet and tangy, clear, orange-colored sauce.

I am thinking more of the Chinese version that has a soft flour-based wrapper.  The fillings vary depending on provincial origins.  They are usually vegetarian but some versions may have lard.

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Edited April 27, 2005 by JasonTrue (log)

[touaregsand]

These are lightly toasted in a pan and might be wrapped at the table by guests, right? Kenneth Lo, a UK-based Chinese restaurateur, had a recipe that called for using wheat-based "egg roll wrappers" cooked on a griddle until a little bubbly, on each side, then wrapped around simple stir-fried vegetable fillings (bean prouts and ginger, maybe ja tsai pickles and cabbage, some sesame-oil and soy sauce seasoned mushrooms/carrots/celery, etc.

He said these are almost never served in the "West".

It seems like a Chinese taco or piadina.

This reminds me of mu shu pork wrappers.

I'm sure there must be a place in the SFG that serves what Kenneth Lo describes. But does the cabbage make it Chinese-American?

[JasonTrue]

Yes, but not quite as thin... these are probably the same thickness as "egg roll wrappers" and rolled out. Mu shu wrappers are basically eggless crepes.

Actually I meant cabbage in the generic sense; his recipe called for "Chinese white cabbage", which I believe is essentially the same as Napa.

This reminds me of mu shu pork wrappers.

I'm sure there must be a place in the SFG that serves what Kenneth Lo describes. But does the cabbage make it Chinese-American? 

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