Whether you’d like to call them egg rolls or spring rolls, these yummy cylinders are prepared differently all over the world.
Whether you’d like to call them egg rolls or spring rolls, these yummy cylinders are prepared differently all over the world. Part of it has to do with different culinary traditions across the many regions of Asia, and some of it has to do with the Asian diaspora beyond. Here’s a closer look at the many, many types of egg rolls around the world.
American Egg Rolls
Let’s start our world tour in our neck of the woods. American egg rolls are their own creature when compared to their Eastern cousins. There’s fried dough paired with some sweet and sour sauce, or hot mustard, or duck sauce. Inside, you’ll find cabbage, pork, and carrots. Sometimes, there will be shrimp instead for people who can’t or don’t care to consume pork. Other possible fillings include bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. While these are in a sense, spring rolls, this American variant includes wheat and eggs in the recipe for the dough, which makes it much thicker.
Vietnamese Spring Rolls
During your next outing for pho, you might start your meal with Vietnamese spring rolls. There are many different fillings, toppings, and sauces you can experiment with when you order. These fried egg rolls are called cha gio in their native tongue and are filled with pork, bean threads, mushrooms (wood ear) chunks of taro, and carrots. Instead of wheat, the wrapper is made from rice paper to go with lettuce and herbs. Now let’s leave Vietnam behind and head to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
Malaysian Popiah
If you’ve never been to Malaysia before, you might not know what to expect. But the popiah is a crepe-like creation that is served to you while warm. Inside, you will find jicama, eggs, tofu, and bean sprouts. Black bean sauce and hoisin sauce are common condiments, while you can also opt for chili sauce for a kick of sweet heat.
Filipino Lumpia
And now we end our journey in the Philippines. The lumpia rolls aren’t fried, but they are comparatively huge, closer to burritos than standard spring rolls or egg rolls. They’re highly similar to popiah, but feature stir-fried fillings such as pork, veggies, shrimp, and bamboo, and finished with garlic or peanut sauce.
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