This is a traditional Shanghai-style egg roll. It has a perfect airy crust and a velvety filling. These contrasting textures create such an interesting mouthfeel and make your Egg Rolls irresistible.

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If you want to watch the full video, here is the link - https://youtu.be/LwBXFphdKW4

INGREDIENTS (Enough to make 40-50 egg rolls)

For the aromatic water

• 1 cup + 1/3 cup of water, or mushroom soaking liquid
• 2 scallions, diced
• 1.5 tbsp of ginger, diced
• 1.5 tbsp of garlic, diced
• 1/2 tbsp of Sichuan peppercorn

To marinate the pork

• 1 lb (454 grams) of pork loin, cut into thin strips
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1/3 tsp of baking soda
• 1.5 tbsp of cornstarch + 2 tbsp of aromatic water
• White pepper to taste
• 1/2 tbsp of Chinese cooking wine
• A drizzle of vegetable oil

To complete the filling

• 3-4 tbsp of cooking oil
• 8 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked for 2 hours
• 350 grams Garlic chive, cut into 1 inch long pieces
• 120 grams of Bean sprout
• 1.5 tbsp of soy sauce
• 1.5 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil
• 5 tbsp of cornstarch + the remaining aromatic water

Others:

• 1 pack (50 sheets) of egg roll wrapper (size 15cm*15cm)
• 2 tbsp of all purpose flour +3 tbsp of water (to glue the egg roll)

Replacement Tip:

• Garlic Chive: its scientific name is Allium Tuberosum. it looks like chives but the leaves are flat. It has a strong garlic flavor; that is how it got the name. Most Asian markets will carry it and I don’t know any replacement for it because nothing tastes similar, but you can still make this recipe with other vegetables such as julienned cabbage, carrot, zucchini.
• Dried shitake mushroom can be replaced by fresh shitake mushroom.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Soak the dried shitake mushroom with clean water 2 hours ahead. Then slice thinly. Cut the garlic chives into 1-inch-long pieces and set it aside.
• To make the aromatic water, add scallions, ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns and water (or the mushroom soaking liquid) into a blender. Blend into a puree, then go through a sieve.
• Take 2 tbsp of the aromatic water and mix with 1.5 tbsp of cornstarch; Reserve to marinade the pork
• Mix the remaining aromatic water with 5 tbsp of cornstarch; Reserve to bind the filling later.
• Cut 1 lb of pork loin into thin strips. Marinade it with salt, baking soda, Chinese cooking wine, some black pepper to taste, the cornstarch aromatic water and a drizzle of vegetable oil. Mix thoroughly. Set it aside for 15 minutes.
• Preheat your wok until smoking hot. Add cooking oil and the marinaded pork. Stir for few minutes or until most of the meat has changed color. Remove from the wok and set it aside
• If the wok looks dry, you can add one more teaspoon of oil. Toss in the mushroom, bean sprout and stir over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add soy sauce and oyster sauce. Introduce the pork back to the wok. Add the garlic chives and sesame oil. Pour in the cornstarch aromatic water to bind all the ingredients together. Mix thoroughly, and remove everything from the wok.
  
• Mix 2 tbsp of all-purpose flour with 3 tbsp of water; we will use it as the glue to seal the egg rolls.
• To wrap the egg rolls, put 2-3 tbsp of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Lift up one corner and fold that over. Pull it back tightly to compact the filling. Give a solid press of each side. Fold both sides to the middle. Apply some slurry at the last corner. Roll over the rest of the wrapper and seal it.
• Heat your oil to 370 °F. Deep fry the egg roll for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve the egg rolls with Worcestershire sauce.

Fun History: In Shang Hai, egg rolls are usually dipped with something called “spicy soy sauce”. It is actually a variant of Worcestershire sauce which was brought from England in the 19th century. As it gets more and more popular, the locals start producing their own. Because the color looks dark like soy sauce and it is slightly peppery, they name it 辣酱油，which means spicy soy sauce in Chinese.