As I announced in my newsletter yesterday, I was about to make my gluten free egg rolls recipe using leftover turkey. Well, one of my ingredients that I use for the outer crust wasn’t fresh. So, I had to use an alternative that worked better than the original ingredient. I just had to share this new recipe! It’s so simple to fill these gluten free egg rolls with any leftover cooked meat. Enjoy!
The ingredient that wasn’t fresh was my almost flat sparkling water. I ended up using about two-thirds beer (as I had already poured in some of the water when I noticed it was almost flat). The beer worked well without leaving any beer flavor. I have used it to fry onion rings but never thought of using it in egg rolls. It works out incredibly well. However, you can always use sparkling water. They just don’t turn out as crisp and take longer to crisp during cooking.
Make these crispy gluten free egg rolls. They taste just as good as their gluten counterparts! You can fill them with your favorite meat, egg, or veggies.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 head napa cabbage or green cabbage, thinly sliced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 2 pounds country-style boneless pork ribs, boiled until tender, broiled with gluten-free barbecue sauce, or rotisserie chicken, chopped or shredded
- 3 tablespoons gluten free barbecue sauce (or see the meat sauce ingredients below)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons low-sodium gluten-free soy sauce or GF tamari sauce (San-J)
- 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil, divided
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced or 2 tablespoons minced yellow onion
- 1/2 carrot, julienne sliced
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 - 2 packages round gluten-free rice papers (The Three Ladies Brand)
- Water, for soaking papers
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons white or brown rice flour
- 2 large, cold egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 (8.45 ounce) bottle sparkling water or 1 cup + 1 tablespoon gluten free beer (Redbridge)
- 2 quarts neutral-flavored oil, for deep-frying
- 2 tablespoons gluten free hoisin sauce (Dynasty)
- 1 tablespoon gluten free sweet & sour sauce (La Choy)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Gluten free sweet & sour sauce (La Choy) or your favorite gluten free barbecue sauce
Instructions:
- Toss together the cabbage and salt in a colander; set aside to drain. (The salt pulls out a lot of water from the cabbage.)
- Place the meat in a large bowl; set aside.
- In a small cup or bowl, whisk together the barbecue sauce or meat sauce ingredients with the soy sauce. Add this mixture to the meat and toss to coat. Refrigerate until needed.
- Add 1-1/2 teaspoons oil to a large skillet. Preheat over medium heat. Saute the carrots and, if using, yellow onion for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Squeeze out any excess water from the cabbage. (I place it in a clean tea towel and pat gently.) Add to the skillet and saute for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add the meat to the skillet, and if using, the scallions, and sugar. Continue to sauté and stir until vegetables soften, 5 - 6 minutes.
- Spread the mixture out onto a baking sheet. Refrigerate to cool, at least 45 minutes preferably several hours. (The mixture will absorb the juices if you leave it rest long enough.) If not using immediately, cover once cool and keep refrigerated. Use within 2-3 days.
- Add the rice flour to a large bowl; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat together egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Whisk in the milk and sparkling water or gluten free beer. Pour into the rice flour. Whisk thoroughly; set aside to thicken. If it does not thicken on its own, add additional flour. If you add too much add additional beer or water.
- Remove the filling from the refrigerator and gently stir in the egg whites.
- Fill a rimmed baking sheet with 2 cups of room temperature water. Place it to the left of you. Lay out a damp tea towel in front of you. (Do not use paper towels or the soaked rice paper will stick to them.) To the right, place the filling, and to the far right, place a baking sheet for the completed egg rolls.
- Soak one rice paper for about 25 seconds in the water and transfer to the dampened tea towel. If using square rice papers, place it so that it appears as a diamond shape. Re-wet the towel as needed.
- Close to the bottom of the end nearest to you, add about 3-1/2 tablespoons of filling to make 19 - 20 egg rolls. (A spring-action scoop works well for this step as does a 1/4 cup dry measuring cup.) Roll the rice paper towards the middle and stop. Fold in the left and right sides. Then roll it all the way to the top edge. Transfer to the empty baking sheet and repeat until the filling is all used up.
- Refrigerate the egg rolls, uncovered until the rice papers become firm, about 2 hours. (If you're in a hurry, blow dry them turning them over frequently. It only takes about 10 minutes for them to dry up and become stiffer. Don't fry them if they bend easily. They will not crisp up as well.)
- Preheat a deep-fryer, Dutch oven*, or deep pot*, filled with at least 3 inches of oil to 375°F. If you do not have a thermometer, use the medium-high heat setting on your stovetop.
- Working in small batches, using metal tongs, dip one egg roll at a time into the batter. Turn it around as you lower it into the oil so that not all of the batter drips off. Release the egg roll into the oil. Gently drop as many as can comfortably fit into the oil, turning occasionally. I usually fry three at a time in my Dutch oven or large deep fryer. Fry until crisp and golden brown, 2 - 7 minutes. Remove fried egg rolls using metal tongs. Be sure the oil comes back up to 375°F before frying the next batch.
- Drain egg rolls on paper towels, and serve warm with your favorite sauce in mini prep bowls for each individual. (I use sweet & sour sauce or barbecue sauce.)
Tips
*A deep-fryer works best, as it takes much effort to maintain a steady oil temperature on the stovetop. However, it can be done. Just note that when you add the egg rolls to the oil the temperature drops significantly, especially if the egg rolls just came out of the refrigerator.
To Make Ahead: Place unbattered egg rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced apart, and freeze. Transfer to resealable freezer bags. To defrost, lay them out at room temperature, separately, so they do not stick to each other.
When deep frying, the more salt you use in the batter, the less oil the egg rolls will absorb during frying.
Do not place more egg rolls in a deep-fryer or skillet than can float to the top without touching each other. Overcrowding reduces crispness and absorbs more oil due to the lower temperature.
Alternative Peanut Dipping Sauce: I haven't tried this sauce yet, but the ingredients consist of creamy peanut butter, hot water, honey, sriracha, and garlic. I'll add the amounts when I get around to making this sauce. If you're adventurous, use your own judgment.
The purpose of the egg white in the filling is to hold the filling together. You can omit it if you prefer but expect the a small amount of filling to fall into the dipping sauce.