Squirrel Egg Rolls

For Rachel and I, one of our favorite guilty pleasures is ordering cheap Chinese delivery after a long weekend or late night of processing game or dragging a deer out of the woods. We don’t do it very often, which makes it even more of a treat. The place we order from is a small, family run hole in the wall, just down the street, and they always throw in some egg rolls whether we order them or not.

These egg rolls, like many Chinese takeout egg rolls, are mostly full of cabbage. There’s not much to them, but they have a distinct texture, different from the lumpia and spring rolls we make at home. The last time we had Chinese delivery we had just spent a long night skinning and cutting up a deer Rachel had shot. We were both hungry, covered in blood and bone dust, with no leftovers in the fridge.

I was double fisting steamed dumplings and an egg roll when it hit me that it had been years since I made any egg rolls. So, after a recent successful squirrel hunt, I decided to bone out the meat and made some egg rolls that have that distinct takeout texture, but with a little more meat to it.

The key to achieving the crispy texture in an eggroll is cooking the filling before you roll it up. This evaporates much of the liquids, which would otherwise make the wrapper soggy. This also allows the vegetables in the filling to stay crispy, as it shortens the amount of time they will cook in the oil. 

I used squirrel for this recipe, but you can use any lighter game meat- rabbit, pheasant, turkey, or pork will work well. I use spring roll wrappers instead of the egg roll wrappers you find in American grocery stores, because they’re thinner and I prefer the texture, but either will work. Also, make more than you think you’ll want, these go down easy.

Squirrel Egg Roll Recipe

Servings: around 4

Prep time: 45 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb squirrel meat, deboned (~3-4 squirrels)

2 cups napa cabbage, sliced ¼” thick

1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks

½ cup green onions, diced

2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 tbsp fresh garlic, minced

2 tbsp soy sauce

~12 spring roll or egg roll wrappers

1 egg, lightly whipped with a splash of water

Method:

Debone and grind the squirrel meat through a fine plate. Season with 1 tbsp of soy and some black pepper.

Cook seasoned squirrel meat over medium high heat until cooked through and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Drain liquids and set aside.

Cook remaining ingredients over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring often. You want to wilt the cabbage and green onions, but the carrots and the thick parts of the cabbage should remain crispy. Drain liquid and set aside.

Mix cooked meat and vegetables. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. 

Place ~3-4 tablespoons of the filling on a corner of the wrapper and roll it towards the center. Fold in the sides, then brush edges of wrapper with egg wash and complete the roll. Repeat until all filling is used up.

Preheat frying oil to 350-375F. Fry for 1-2 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the exterior is golden brown. The interior is already cooked, so you’re just looking for that perfect crispy exterior. Allow to drain on a wire rack or paper towel-lined pan. Serve hot with your favorite takeout condiments.

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