Egg Roll

The egg roll — a thick wheat-flour wrapper filled with cabbage, pork, and vegetables, deep-fried until golden and crispy — is a Chinese-American creation with no direct Chinese ancestor. Chinese *chūn juǎn* (spring rolls) use a thinner, crispier wrapper and different fillings; the American egg roll uses a thicker, bubbly, doughier wrapper that produces a distinctly different product. The egg roll became a standard item at every Chinese-American takeout and is one of the most widely consumed fried foods in America. It is the appetiser that precedes General Tso's, the snack that accompanies chop suey, and the portable food that is eaten cold from the refrigerator the next morning.

A large (12-15cm) cylindrical roll with a thick, bubbly, golden-brown fried wheat wrapper enclosing a filling of finely shredded cabbage, ground pork (or shrimp), shredded carrot, and sometimes bean sprouts, celery, or mushrooms. The wrapper should be crispy and blistered on the outside, slightly chewy within. The filling should be moist but not wet. Served with hot mustard (the sharp, nasal-clearing Chinese-American mustard) and sweet-and-sour sauce (or duck sauce).

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