Homemade Egg Rolls Ideal Party Appetizers

When I was growing up, fast food wasn’t McDonald’s or Burger King. It was Chinese take-out.

When Mom was rushed, we stopped at Jimmy Wu’s. She ordered, but I got to hold the bag of warm white containers all the way home, the aroma penetrating the whole car.

I especially loved Chinese appetizers, exotic and intensely different from our standard American diet. Egg rolls were the best. Crisp on the outside, the interior filled with interesting vegetables, I thought they were the perfect health food.

Turns out I was wrong. Although Chinese food in its native setting is mostly vegetables, grains and fruit - a diet that protects against major diseases such as cancer and heart disease - Americanized Chinese is heavy on the fat.

The egg roll filling was easy to slim down, but wasn’t the only way to achieve the crispy exterior a dip in the deep-fat fryer?

Dreaming of the flavor of Jimmy Wu’s, I experimented with baking the egg rolls. The exterior crisped nicely within 15 to 20 minutes in a 400-degree oven, especially if lightly brushed with flavorful sesame oil.

Egg rolls became my perfect fast-food appetizer. Assembled weeks ahead of a party, they could be placed uncooked on a baking sheet to freeze, then stored in plastic bags. I baked them frozen to prevent the filling from saturating the egg roll skin, watching for the required crispy golden exterior.

Below are two favorite recipes for baked-not-fried egg rolls, one large and one miniature.

Crispy Baked Egg Rolls

1/4 cup water

1 cup diced onions

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups diced celery

1/2 cup diced shiitake mushrooms

1/2 cup diced domestic mushrooms

3 cups diced green cabbage

1 cup diced canned bamboo shoots, drained

1 cup diced canned water chestnuts, drained

2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine or mirin

1 tablespoon honey or sugar

24 egg roll skins

2 tablespoons dark sesame oil, warmed

Heat water in wok. Add onions, ginger root and garlic and stir-fry until onions are soft but not browned, 5 minutes.

Add celery, mushrooms, cabbage, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts and stir-fry until vegetables soften, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add tamari, rice wine and honey and toss well. Place mixture in colander over bowl and let stand 10 minutes to drain off excess moisture.

Stack egg roll skins on flat surface with one corner pointing away from you. Have small bowl of water ready.

Spoon 1/4 cup drained filling into center of egg roll skin. Lightly brush edges with water. Fold side corners to center, covering filling. Bring bottom corner to center of fold. Tuck under slightly and continue to roll egg roll into a cylinder, sealing top corner by lightly moistening with water and pressing down.

Repeat process. Place egg rolls seam side down on 2 nonstick baking sheets. Do not crowd. Lightly brush each egg roll with a little dark sesame oil.

Bake at 400 degrees on center shelf, turning once, until golden and crispy, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Yield: 24 egg rolls.

Filo-Wrapped Miniature Egg Rolls

This interesting egg roll is wrapped with filo pastry rather than traditional egg roll wrappings. The recipe is adapted from one that appeared in Health magazine.

1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms

1/3 cup sliced green onions

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root

1/4 cup seeded and minced green or sweet red pepper

1 cup chopped Chinese or green cabbage

1 cup chopped fresh bean sprouts

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

8 sheets filo dough

Hot mustard

Place mushrooms in bowl with hot water to cover. Let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile bring 2 tablespoons water to boil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions, ginger root, green pepper and cabbage. Cover skillet and cook mixture 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add bean sprouts, sesame oil and soy sauce.

Drain mushrooms. Cut off and discard stems. Chop caps into small pieces and add to vegetable mixture. Place mixture in colander set over bowl. Let stand 10 minutes to drain off excess moisture.

Use 1 sheet of filo dough at a time. Lightly coat top with vegetable cooking spray, then fold in half. Coat again with spray. Cut filo into 4 (6-1/2 by 4-1/2-inch) rectangles.

Place 1 tablespoon vegetable filling on short side of each rectangle. Fold in long sides and roll up. Place roll, seam side down, on nonstick baking sheet. Repeat until you have assembled all the egg rolls.

Lightly coat tops of egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake at 450 degrees until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve at once with hot mustard.

Yield: 32 miniature egg rolls.