When making egg rolls for a gathering or an event, you might have some guests who are vegetarians or are unable to have meat. In this recipe I will show you how to make delicious vegetarian egg rolls without any egg, seafood, and dairy products that tastes just as good as its meat counterpart. You won’t believe how easy and delicious it is!
As always, if you like this recipe please share it with your friends and family. Enjoy!
- Vegetarian & vegan safe
- Extra Mild
- Healthy alternative
Peparations
Chopping Knife & Cutting Board
Slice Peeler
Kitchen Scissor
Tong or Skimmer Ladle
Cooking Pot
Strainer / Colander
Deep Frying Pan or Fryer
Paper Towel
Mixing Bowls
Cheese Cloth
Siracha Hot Sauce
Mushroom Soy Sauce
Season Sauce
(Golden mountain)
Ground Black Pepper
Mushroom Seasoning
Shredded Carrot
Shredded Cabbage
Diced Yellow Onion
Chopped Green Onion
Minced Cilantro
Bean Threaded Vermicelli
Bean Sprout
All Purpose Flour
Spring Roll Pastry Wraps
(TYJ Brand Vegetarian)
Cooking Oil
(Vegetable or Canola)
The Vegetable Filling
Shred 3 cups of cabbage. Keep it to a moderate size and length for texture.
Dice 1 cup of yellow onion.
Shred 1 cup of carrot that is about 3 inches in length. Make sure to peel or scrape away the outer layer first.
Scoop 1 tablespoon of mushroom seasoning. I use this in place of salt because it adds more flavor.
Add 1 cup of bean sprouts to substitute for what usually would be the meat.
Mix all your vegetable in the bowl thoroughly. Then set it aside for 20 minutes so the sodium can draw out the moisture from the vegetables.
Wrap the vegetable mix in cheese cloth into a ball and then squeeze it as hard as you can to strain as much liquid out as possible.
This step is very important to prevent soggy egg rolls which will cause the wrap to break while cooking as well as cook improperly.
The Cooking the Noodle
Make sure to use bean thread vermicelli (also known as glass noodles).
For this recipe, buy the ones that come in individual small packets.
Drop 4 packets into a pot of boiling water and let it cook for about 1 minute or so. Don’t let it cook for too long or they will become too watery and lose their form.
When they are cooked thoroughly pour them into a strainer to drain out any remaining water. Let it sit on the side between 20-30 minutes to cool down.
After the noodles have cooled use a kitchen scissor and cut them into smaller chunks. This will allow for easier mixing and wrapping. Make sure not to cut them too short.
Pour in the vegetable mix and we’re ready to add in the seasoning sauce.
Seasoning Sauce & Mixing
The seasoning sauce only consists of 4 simple ingredients:
1/3 cup of Sriracha hot sauce. Add more or less if you want.
1/2 cup of seasoning sauce.
1/4 cup of mushroom soy sauce to substitute fish sauce.
1 tablespoon of ground black pepper.
Mix the sauce with the noodles and vegetable thoroughly until the noodles turn to a beautiful, golden brown color.
Make sure to break up the noodles softly if they clump up.
Chop 3-4 stalks of green onion and a small handful of cilantro to add to the mix for extra flavor and aroma.
Then give it one last mix evenly to create this delightful bowl of egg roll filling.
Wrapping
To substitute egg yolk let’s prepare some flour we can use to seal the egg rolls when they’ve been wrapped.
Scoop 1/4 cup of flour and pour in 1/2 cup of water then mix the flour until it’s a little runny.
Use 8×8 inch vegetarian wraps that does not contain any egg products. TYJ Spring Roll Pastry is my favorite brand to use for vegetarian egg rolls.
Before you peel the wraps, be sure to thaw them if they come frozen.
Peel each layer delicately to avoid tears. Cover the wraps not currently in use as you work so they don’t dry out.
- You may get some tears here and there, but if they are small enough the wrap can still be used.
- Not all wraps are created equal. Some packs might come damaged and causes the wraps to bend, warp, and wrinkle. If a wrap can lay flat with minimal deformity it should be ok to use.
- If the edges are dry and crumbly simply tear or cut it off.
Lay one wrap down in a diamond shape in front of you. Scoop about 2½ tablespoon of the filling and place it right below the center line.
Slightly shape the filling outwards to the sides. Take care not to stretch too much or it’ll become too skinny.
Grab the corner of the wrap closest to you and fold it over the filling while leaving a small flap.
Press your fingers over the flap and pull the egg roll back toward you until it feels snug and firm. This will strengthen the egg roll’s composure.
Roll the egg roll until you reach the middle of the center line.
Crimp down on the each edge of the filling and snugly fold it inwards.
Your egg roll should now begin to take its shape and we’re almost done with wrapping.
Roll the wrap over one more round until you have a small flap at the end.
Dip your finger in the flour mix and spread it along the flap then roll the wrap one last time to seal it.
Now just repeat this however many times until your filling runs out then we’re off to cooking!
Cooking
Using canola oil or vegetable oil, pour into a deep frying enough to submerge the egg rolls.
Turn the heat to high and when the oil starts to simmer carefully place in each egg roll one by one into the pan. Make sure you don’t overcrowd because you’ll need room to turn the egg rolls over.
Turn the heat down to medium high so it’ll give the egg rolls enough time to cook thoroughly. Keeping the heat on high might net you with under cooked fillings or an overcooked shell.
Occasionally turn each egg roll over so the underside gets a chance to cook. Repeat this motion a good 2 or three times and you’ll have evenly cooked egg rolls.
Take them out when their color turns slightly golden.
Don’t wait until they get any darker than this or else they will begin to taste charred. Even though the egg rolls have been taken out of the oil, they will continue to cook as the heat settles.
Place the egg rolls on a heavy-duty paper towel for a few minutes to soak up the excess cooking oil. Stand them up to drain the oil even faster.
Before you start your next batch, make sure to check the cleanliness of your oil. Use a metal skimmer to fish out any residue and charred flakes that may be floating around.
For big batches you might need to filter your oil or completely replace with a new pour.
