Mushroom Egg Rolls

Damn, were these delicious. I had this urge to work with rice paper on a day my daughter was visiting from college. I like coming up with vegetarian recipes for us both. These scrumptious egg rolls are filled with a mixture of shiitake mushrooms, some dried ginger and garlic powder, teriyaki sauce, and carrots and scallions for color and texture. You can play around with fresh ginger and minced fresh garlic, but I swear there is no need; these are delicious using the quick hacks. There a a few steps to making this but it’s not complicated, just allow yourself a good half hour at least to avoid that stressful kitchen rush. When frying, ensure that the smaller sides get a bit crisp so that the rice paper doesn’t stick to your teeth (I’m speaking from experience). Once you get the hang of this, you can play around with various filling and combo ideas. I legit felt like a professional chef.


Ingredients for 8 egg rolls:
12 oz sliced shiitake mushrooms
3 tbsp teriyaki sauce
3 tbsp Mirin rice wine
1/3 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 tsp each garlic powder and dried ginger
1 large egg white
Salt, pepper
Rice paper wrappers
Oil for frying, I used avocado
A food processor

To make:
In a large sauté pan heated with olive or avocado oil, cook the mushrooms. Deglaze throughout with the Mirin to keep the mushrooms from sticking and burning, and to infuse with flavor. As they begin to soften, add the garlic powder, ginger, and salt and pepper to taste. Let cook a bit more, then add the teriyaki sauce. Stir and cook until the mushrooms are soft and tender and the liquid is mostly evaporated. Remove pan from heat to cool stirring occasionally, ten minutes. Mushrooms contain water so it’s important to let them release that moisture.
When cooled, place the mushrooms in a food processor and pulse a few times (8?) until you have a cohesive, textured mixture of chopped mushrooms. Check all your seasonings and add slightly if necessary. The mixture should be flavored but definitely not overpowered. Add the scallions, grated carrots, and the egg white. Fold to combine and set aside next to your rice paper work area.
Prep the rice paper wrappers according to package directions (softening each individually in a pan of warm water for about 12 seconds). On a damp kitchen towel, after each wrapper is gently patted dry, place a Tbsp of the vegetable mixture in the middle. Fold up the bottom, then the sides, then the top down. It will look like a little package. I suggest placing the delicate prepared egg rolls on parchment paper for easy transfer. After all the wrappers are filled and ready to cook, heat a large non stick pan with several tbsp to 1/4 cup oil (I like avocado or safflower, these handle heat really well). Fry 3 at a time to give them room to breathe and not stick to one another, until each side is lightly browned, maybe 3 minutes on each side. Remember to slightly turn them on the sides, too, so that there’s a crunch all around with no sticky parts.
Serve with some extra carrots and/or scallions for garnish and soy sauce on the side for dipping. I enjoyed the leftovers the next day at room temp for lunch. These also make really nice plated appetizers.