Chinese Egg Rolls

Ingredients

• •2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• •1 tablespoon soy sauce
• •2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
• •2 teaspoons sugar
• •½ teaspoon salt
• •4 cups peanut oil
• •2 teaspoons fresh ginger
• •2 teaspoons garlic
• •1½ bunches scallions
• •2 ribs celery
• •2 medium carrots
• •8 large shiitake mushrooms
• •1 lb medium shrimp
• •¼ lb Chinese roast pork
• •1 package egg roll wrappers
• •1 large egg
• •Asian sweet chile sauce and Chinese mustard
• •1 piece deep-fat thermometer

Cooking Instructions

1. 1.

   Stir together oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and salt in a small bowl until sugar and salt are dissolved.

   2 min

2. 2.

   Heat a dry 12-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then add 2 tablespoons peanut oil, swirling skillet to coat. Stir-fry ginger, garlic, and scallions until scallions are wilted, about 1 minute. Add celery, carrots, and mushrooms and stir-fry until vegetables are softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Push vegetables toward edge of skillet, then add shrimp to center and stir-fry until shrimp are just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add pork and oyster sauce mixture and stir together all ingredients in skillet until combined. Season with salt and transfer to a large shallow bowl. Cool, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

   45 min

3. 3.

   Gently peel apart wrappers to separate if necessary (wrappers may not be perfectly square).

   5 min

4. 4.

   Put 1 wrapper on a work surface, arranging wrapper with a corner nearest you and keeping remaining wrappers covered with plastic wrap. Stir filling, then spread a scant 1/4 cup filling horizontally across center of wrapper to form a 4-inch log. Fold bottom corner over filling, then fold in side corners. Brush top corner with egg and roll up wrapper tightly to enclose filling, sealing roll closed with top corner. Transfer roll, seam side down, to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Make more egg rolls in same manner, transferring to baking sheet as formed (you may have some filling left over).

   30 min

5. 5.

   Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 250°F. Line a large colander with paper towels. Heat 1 inch peanut oil in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy pot until it registers 350°F on thermometer, then fry 4 or 5 egg rolls (don't crowd pot), turning with a slotted spoon, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to colander and drain rolls upright 2 to 3 minutes, then keep warm on a rack set on a large baking sheet in oven. Fry remaining egg rolls in batches, transferring to colander and then to rack in oven.

   25 min