Baked Vegetarian Egg Rolls

Perfect Pairing:  Simple Dipping Sauce

Recently I had a taste for egg rolls.  If you know me you know that means I am going to try to make them myself rather than get them from a restaurant like most normal people.  In this instance I wanted to make a healthier version, and I knew that was not coming from my local Chinese take-out place.  While the baked version is not exactly like the fried variety, they are still really tasty and crispy.  I went with an all vegetarian filling of mushrooms, cabbage, and canned stir fry vegetables.  My original plan was to use water chestnuts but at the store I saw a can of stir fry veggies (water chestnuts, bamboo, mini corn, etc.) and used that instead.  If you can't find that combo water chestnuts would be perfect.  Everything is seasoned with soy and hoisin sauce, which is like an Asian barbeque sauce. 

It is probably not a shocker to hear that I am not the best person to give egg roll wrapping lessons.  Well, I am going to do it anyway.

Wonton wrappers dry out easily, so I cover them with a damp paper towel while I work.

Place the wrapper with the point away from you and add your filling towards the bottom.

 Bring up the bottom corner

Tuck in the sides.   This is especially important if you are frying egg rolls because you don’t want the oil to soak the insides.

 Secure with a dab of water

 Line them up like soldiers

I made this really simple dipping sauce for serving.  I followed the recipe exactly, except I replaced the red pepper flakes with chili garlic sauce.

Baked Vegetarian Egg RollsLindsay at Perfecting the PairingPrintable Recipe 

Ingredients:

·         1 tsp olive oil

·         2 tsp sesame oil

·         1 Tb chopped fresh ginger

·         3 garlic cloves, chopped

·         1 shallot, chopped

·         8 oz sliced mushrooms

·         3 cups shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix

·         1 cup canned stir fry vegetables or water chestnuts, drained, rinsed and chopped

·         2 Tb soy sauce

·         4 Tb hoisin sauce

·         2 tsp chili garlic sauce or sriracha

·         12 wonton wrappers

·         1 Tb olive oil

Directions:

Heat the olive and sesame oil over medium low heat.  Add the ginger, garlic, and shallot, sauté for about two minutes.  Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for an additional two minutes until the mushrooms start to soften.  Add the cabbage or cole slaw mix, stir to combine.  Cook until the cabbage starts to wilt down.  Add the stir fry vegetables, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and chili garlic sauce, stir well.  Saute until the cabbage is cooked through.   Taste for seasoning and adjust with soy sauce and chili garlic sauce. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Lay out the wonton wrappers and cover with a damp paper towel.  Place the wrapper with one of the points facing away from you.  Place about three tablespoons of the cabbage mixture towards the bottom of the wrapper.  Rest the bottom corner of the wrapper over the filling, tuck in the corners and roll to close.  Secure the top corner with a dab of water on your finger.  Place the rolls seam side down on the baking sheet.  Continue until you have used all the filling.  Brush the top of the rolls with a thin layer of olive oil.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning over once, until brown and crispy. 

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