The pink stuff in egg rolls is Chinese pork. That may concern you a bit because most people think of pink meat as being raw but the pork is fully cooked. It’s pink because of how it’s cooked.
Many people believe that an egg roll isn’t an authentic Chinese egg roll unless it is filled with pink pork. That may not be totally true because egg rolls can contain any number of items like chicken or shrimp.
However, when you are talking about a truly authentic Chinese egg roll you are referring to one filled with pork, cabbage, broccoli, and perhaps carrots, Chinese noodles and fried in a wrapper. The article below contains more information about egg rolls, Chinese cooking, and how to cook Chinese pork.
Why Is It Called an Egg Roll?
Ironically, egg rolls don’t contain any eggs. There are none in the filling and no eggs are used to make the wrapper. So how did the egg roll get its name? It’s a matter of translation and time.
Another irony is the term “egg roll” doesn’t stem from the Chinese language. It comes from Rome where Latin was used. The original word is eepalrolls. While there isn’t a specific definition for eepalrolls, it’s generally accepted that it refers to the pork filling and cabbage cooked in the Chinese wrapper.
The Eggroll’s History
Eggrolls are one of the oldest types of foods on the planet. The food goes back to ancient China and many Chinese families boast about having a recipe that dates back centuries
These culinary delights found their way to the U.S. when Chinese settlers arrived in the middle of the 19th century. The American version, which varies some from traditional Chinese cuisine, is believed to be crafted in the 1930s in New York City.
They became a part of the American food tapestry when Henry Low published a recipe in his Cook at Home book, published in 1938.
What’s the Difference between an Egg Roll and a Spring Roll?
A spring roll is the lighter version of an egg roll. An egg roll contains pork while a spring roll contains only vegetables, although it is typically the same vegetables that are used in an egg roll.
Both types of rolls usually come with a duck sauce, a red to orange Chinese sauce that adds a different dimension to the flavor. Some people think this may add to the pink color but that isn’t true. Duck sauce, which is a sweet sauce, is usually served on the side for you to dip your egg roll.
To add to the Chinese culinary confusion, duck sauce has nothing to do with ducks. It’s really a type of plum sauce and can include apricots, peaches or pineapples with a mix of sugar, ginger, chili peppers and vinegar.
How to Cook Chinese Pork
It takes some effort to cook pork exactly as the Chinese do for egg rolls. Most Chinese families aren’t willing to share their secrets so a lot of experimentation is involved. The ingredient list includes a few things that can only be found in Chinese stores.
Chinese pork is made from pork shoulder. That is both economical and fairly easy to work with in cooking.
Ingredients for pink pork include the pork, soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, and Chinese five-spice. However, there is one important ingredient you must include because it is what makes Chinese pork pink. That is red food coloring.
That’s right. The pork is pink because of the red food coloring. Yet, it wouldn’t be a traditional Chinese egg roll without this added color.
Cooking pink pork takes time because you marinate it in the sauces in a sealed bag overnight. It is baked first and then finished with a searing on a grill to produce a mark, more marinade, and cook for a couple more minutes on the grill.
Then, it’s cut into smaller pieces and put into the egg rolls with the other ingredients. However, you can eat Chinese pink pork as part of an entree with other side items rather than put it in egg rolls.
Conclusion
Egg rolls are a fascinating remnant of one of the world’s oldest cultures and, while we don’t know how they came to put pink pork into it, to begin with, it is a notable must-have ingredient now.
