Crispy Pork Egg Rolls with Honey Mustard Dip

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Shatter-crisp egg rolls packed with seasoned ground pork, cabbage and carrot, shallow-fried in just an inch of oil. The trick is cooking the filling first and chilling it cold so no steam softens the wrappers — and a tangy honey mustard dip on the side instead of the usual duck sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, such as canola
• 12 oz ground pork
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 5 cups green cabbage, thinly shredded (about 3/4 of a small head)
• 1 cup carrot, shredded
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

• 10 egg roll wrappers (7-inch square), thawed if frozen
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp water
• 3 cups vegetable oil, for shallow-frying (about 1 inch deep)

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. Make the dip first so it can chill: whisk the mayonnaise, Dijon, honey, rice vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until serving (it keeps 1 week).
2. Heat the 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high. Add the ground pork and cook 5 to 6 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles, until no pink remains and some bits are browned.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and stir 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Add the cabbage and carrot and cook, tossing often, 4 to 5 minutes, until the cabbage has wilted and collapsed by about half but still has a little bite.
4. Stir in the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Keep cooking over medium-high 3 to 5 minutes more, until the liquid in the pan has almost completely evaporated — a dry filling is what keeps the wrappers crisp. Turn off the heat, stir in the scallions and sesame oil.
5. Spread the filling in a thin layer on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate 20 minutes (or up to overnight), until fully cool. If any liquid pools, tip it off or blot with a paper towel. You should have about 3 1/2 cups of filling.
6. Stir the flour and water together into a smooth paste for sealing. Set a wrapper on a work surface in a diamond orientation, keeping the rest covered with a damp towel. Mound 1/3 cup of the cold filling in a log across the lower third.
7. Fold the bottom corner up over the filling and roll once, tucking snugly. Fold in the left and right corners like an envelope, then continue rolling tightly. Brush the top corner with flour paste and press to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers, setting the finished rolls seam-side down and not touching.
8. Pour about 1 inch of vegetable oil into a deep 10- to 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven and heat over medium to 350°F (a wrapper scrap should sizzle briskly and turn golden in about 45 seconds).
9. Fry 3 or 4 rolls at a time, seam-side down first, 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once or twice, until deeply golden and blistered — about 5 to 6 minutes total. Adjust the burner to hold the oil between 340°F and 360°F.
10. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet (not paper towels, which trap steam) and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let the oil come back up to temperature between batches.
11. Rest the egg rolls 3 minutes, then cut each in half on a sharp diagonal and serve hot with the chilled honey mustard dip.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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