| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 50 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 2 hr |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 10 appetizer/hors d’oeuvre servings |
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 pound coarsely ground lamb meat from leg or shoulder
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil, plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced green onions
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 ounce rice wine
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
- 2 ounces rice noodles, soaked in water for 20 minutes
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, thinly sliced
- 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and julienned
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup chiffonade basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 package egg roll wrappers
- 1 egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash
- Peanut oil, for deep frying
- Sweet Chili Scallion Dipping Sauce, recipe follows
- 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
- 1/4 cup sweet chili Thai sauce *
- 1/2 lime, juiced
Instructions
- Garlic Lamb: Combine the sugar, soy, garlic, cornstarch, and orange zest in a large bowl. Add the lamb and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours.
- Heat a wok over high heat. When the wok is hot, add 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil and heat until just smoking. Add the ginger, garlic, green onions, and red pepper flakes and stir-fry until fragrant, around 30 seconds.
- Add the lamb and stir-fry until well browned, about 5 minutes. Deglaze with the rice wine and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a simmer to thicken. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Drain the rice noodles and roughly chop. Set aside. Wipe out the wok and heat over high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil and heat until just smoking. Add the mushrooms, onion, carrot, and bell pepper and stir-fry until the vegetables just begin to soften, but still have some crunch, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the heat and cool.
- Combine the cooled vegetables, cooled lamb, reserved noodles, basil, sesame oil, and soy sauce and mix well.
- Place 1 egg roll wrapper on a flat surface in front of you with 1 point facing you so the wrapper is in a diamond shape. Make sure the unused wrappers are covered with a damp cloth. Brush all of the edges with egg wash. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling about 1/3 of the way up the wrapper. Fold the point over the filling. Fold in the sides and then roll up. Press to seal. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. If you are going to hold these for a while before frying, dust with cornstarch so they don’t get soggy.
- Preheat 3 inches of peanut oil in a deep pot to 360 degrees F. Fry the egg rolls, a few at a time, until golden brown on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve whole or cut in half diagonally. If you want the halved rolls to stand up, Cut a small piece off either end with a serrated knife to make a flat surface. Serve with Sweet Chili Scallion Dipping sauce.
- Combine all the ingredients.
Reviews
Flavor and texture of lamb…this recipe is great! Annie, Fremont, CA
Takes a while to make but if you have the time it’s well worth it, everyone loves these. Even better with a few changes – double the ginger and minced garlic, add shredded cabbage into the cooked veggies, add baby spinach and one-inch segments of the green tops of spring onions in the last mixing-up step, cook mushrooms separately so they don’t get mushy (good simmered in rice wine). Can’t usually get shiitakes in our area, portobellos work very well. Definitely use the mushroom soy sauce instead of regular if you can get it, makes a lot of difference.
I totally disagree with the first reviewer. My husband and I make this all the time. It does require a little prep, but is well worth it. Sometimes we don’t even make them into spring rolls, we just eat the meat with tortillas. Even my kids love it! We don’t always use lamb either. Sometimes, beef, turkey or a combo.
These egg rolls are a delicious alternative to traditional cabbage-stuffed egg rolls. The flavors in this dish blend together wonderfully. This recipe is a keeper. It has 5-star taste, but I gave it 4 stars because it is very labor-intensive and time-consuming. If you don’t mind the time and effort required you are in for a wonderful treat!