Charlene's Recipe

Egg Rolls

Category: side dish

2 T. peanut oil
3 to 4 cups shredded cabbage
3 green onions, sliced crosswise thinly
1 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 cup cooked chopped meat and/or shrimp

Put oil in a 12" (or larger) wok or a 12" (or larger) skillet. Add cabbage and green onions and toss with oil to coat. Turn heat on high and stir-fry for about 3 minutes, or until cabbage gets limp. Add the last three ingredients and continue stir-frying for 1 minute, or until done. (Pick out a shred of cabbage and eat it to determine when it's done.) Let cool a bit and then fill the wrappers according to the directions on the package.
While you are rolling them, heat peanut oil. You can either deep- fry at 375 degrees or just put 1 1/2 " or so of oil in a skillet. When they are all rolled, add some of them to the oil. (I put as many as will fit without crowding. Just remember that the more you put in, the more it lowers the temperature of the oil, and if the temp gets too low, the egg rolls will absorb more oil and be greasier than they would otherwise.) They only take a minute or two to cook -- go by the color. When they look almost as browned as you want them, take out and cool and drain on paper towels. I say "almost as browned" because they are so hot they continue cooking for a little bit after you take them out. (They stay really hot for a bit -- warn the family!) Serve with the sauce and/or mustard.
The reason the amount of cabbage was listed as 3 to 4 cups is because you want to fry the cabbage rather than steam it. If the pan isn't big enough, the cabbage will steam and there will be too much liquid in the filling when it is done, so you might want to play it safe and use only three cups. If you do end up with liquid-y filling, simply put it into a colander set over a plate or in the sink and let it drain.
Also, you should probably make about 3 batches of the filling to use up one whole package of egg roll skins.
The sweet and sour sauce we use is Ty Ling brand. I have made my own, but I prefer theirs by far. The Chinese mustard is nothing more than dry mustard mixed with water to the consistency you prefer and then let to sit for 15 minutes, but I just think it's handier to have nothing else to make besides the egg rolls.