I must admit, I’m really picky about egg rolls. But if you’d grown up in a traditional Vietnamese family and your mom happened to be the queen of homemade egg rolls, you would be too. Of course, I wasn’t able to appreciate having authentic egg rolls as a staple in my diet until much later in life.

Back then, there were many a lunch period when I would long for the PB & J sandwiches my friends pulled from their lunch boxes, only to resign myself to the leftover egg rolls my mom packed instead. And many a holiday potluck when I wished she would show up to school with a tray of frosted cupcakes, like the other moms, instead of more…you guessed it…egg rolls.

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Vegan Egg Roll Recipe

Alice Mesa

While egg rolls are hard to resist on their own, pair them with the right condiment and they are downright addictive. Typically made with fish sauce, my vegan version of a condiment for egg rolls relies on soy sauce. For the most epic of egg roll experiences, eat them with a spread of lettuce greens and fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, and mints.

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Cuisine Vietnamese

Servings Servings

Equipment

Skillet
Large Stockpot
Steamer Tray
Wire Colander
Mixing bowl
Small bowl
Wire Rack

Ingredients

Mushroom Filling Ingredients

1 tbsp Sesame Oil
1/2 cup Diced Onion
4 ounces Cremini Mushroom or White Mushroom chopped small
1 clove Small Garlic minced
1/8 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Vegan Oyster Sauce available at most Asian grocery stores
2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Mirin Sweet Sake for cooking

Mung Bean Filling Ingredients

1 cup Mung Beans soaked overnight in a solution of 2 ½ cups water and ½ tablespoon salt, then drained
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

Dipping Condiment Ingredients

1 cup Water
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Lime Juice
1 pc Small Garlic minced
1 1/4 teaspoons Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon White Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Sambal Oelek Ground Chili Paste available at most Asian grocery stores

Assembling And Cooking The Egg Rolls Ingredients

Vegan Egg Roll Wrappers thawed to room temperature (Available at most Asian grocery stores, usually frozen. Thaw at room temperature about an hour)
Canola oil

Instructions

Mushroom Filling Instructions

Add the sesame oil to a non-stick skillet.
Place over medium-low heat until oil shimmers.
Add onion.
Cook while stirring frequently until onion just starts to become translucent, about 2 min.
Add mushrooms, garlic, and pepper.
Cook while stirring frequently for an additional 2 min.
Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, and mirin.
Cook while stirring frequently until most of the liquid evaporates, about 2 min.
Remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature and set aside.

Mung Bean Filling Instructions

Fill a large stockpot with water up to an inch high.
Place a steamer tray inside.
Transfer mung bean to a fine-mesh wire colander or to a steamer basket lined with cheesecloth.
Place the colander or steamer basket containing the mung bean on top of the steamer tray inside the stockpot.
Place stockpot over high heat until the water comes to a boil.
Place lid over the stockpot.
Reduce heat to low. Steam on low heat until beans are easily mashed with a fork, about 35 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Remove colander or steamer basket from stockpot. Transfer beans to a mixing bowl.
Add salt and pepper.
Using a fork, stir to mix and mash the beans.
Let beans cool to room temperature. Set aside.
Freeze any extra.
Dipping Condiment Instructions
Add all ingredients to a small mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
Store unused portion in a closed container in the refrigerator.

Assembling And Cooking The Egg Rolls Instructions

Peel off one egg roll wrapper and place on a flat surface so that the corners are oriented north, south, east, and west.
Imagining an east-west line running across the center of the wrapper, place 1 heaping tablespoon of mung bean filling just below this centerline, in the middle of east and west.
Spread the filling out to about 4 inches across.
Place 1 tablespoon of mushroom mixture on top of the beans.
Spread the mushroom mixture evenly across the beans.
Fold the east corner 2/3 of the way toward the west corner.
Fold the west corner 2/3 of the way toward the east corner.
Take the south corner and fold it up ½ of the way toward the north corner. The crease of this fold should run right along the edge of the line of filling.
Roll the portion with the filling up toward the north corner.
Roll until you get a tube-shaped egg roll.
Set aside.
Repeat steps 1 – 6.
Add enough oil to a heavy-bottomed skillet so that oil depth is about ½ inch deep.
A cast-iron Dutch oven works well, too. Place over medium-high heat until oil shimmers.
Working carefully, transfer egg rolls to the oil, making sure to place them flap-side down to keep the rolls from opening up.
Add as many egg rolls as the skillet can hold without crowding. You want some wiggle room to be able to get in there and turn them over.
Let egg rolls cook until the bottom side is deep golden brown, about one minute.
Using tongs, rotate them to allow the top sides to cook until deep golden brown, about one minute.
Once all sides of egg rolls are golden brown, remove from skillet and place on a wire rack lined with paper towels. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
Enjoy either plain or with a spread of lettuce greens and herbs.

Notes

It wasn’t until my mom passed away that I realized how good I’d had it. Her egg rolls really were the best. They were a harmonious balance of pork and vegetables, flawlessly seasoned, each one neatly wrapped and fried to golden perfection. I told myself that I’d try making them one of these days, following the recipe she’d scribbled down on a notepad. The years went by and I never did. And then I became vegan.

So what’s a girl to do when the egg rolls of her childhood still haunt her dreams but she doesn’t eat meat anymore? She comes up with her own recipe. Having known both meaty egg rolls and meatless ones, I can tell you that my version made with plant-based ingredients is every bit as drool-worthy.

And I’m not just saying that because I’m vegan. Even without the meat, these egg rolls are full of flavor. My secret ingredient? Mushrooms. Mushrooms have an amazing level of savoriness and I depend on them with my vegan life. To round out the mushroom “meat” without detracting from its flavor, I use cooked, mashed mung bean.

Keyword Recipe, Side Dish, Vegan Egg Roll

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