Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls — The Spring Rolls That Started It All

Tet. Year of the Ox. February 12, 2021. Ma's house. The altar lit. The banh tet sliced. The family gathered. But this Tet has something the last five didn't: the vaccine is ten days away. Ma's appointment is February 8th — four days before Tet. She'll have her first dose by the time we sit at this table. The countdown is real. The needle is coming. The protection is coming. The Tet feast was the full production: banh tet (our family-made rolls), spring rolls (Ma's, obviously), thit kho, dua hanh, che dessert. Red envelopes. Incense. The photographs on the frame scrolling. Huy on the altar. This year, Tyler brought Ashley. Emma brought her knife roll (she helped with the cooking). Lily brought her camera (real camera, not phone — the gift is paying dividends). And Ma wore the new ao dai. The deep red silk with golden phoenixes. She walked out of her bedroom wearing it and the room went quiet. She looked beautiful. Not seventy-three-years-old beautiful — just beautiful. The ao dai fit perfectly. The phoenixes caught the light. She stood straight, the way she always stands, and she looked at us looking at her and she said, "It's too much," the same thing she said when I gave it to her, and nobody believed her then and nobody believes her now. Lily took photos. Dozens of photos. Ma in the ao dai by the altar. Ma in the ao dai at the table. Ma in the ao dai with each grandchild. Ma in the ao dai alone, looking out the window, with the light falling on her face in a way that made Lily say, "Don't move, Ba Noi. Don't move." The photo is the best Lily has ever taken. Ma at the window. The ao dai glowing. The light catching the phoenixes. Her face in profile — seventy-three years of survival, written in every line. I saw the photo and I said, "That's the one." Lily said, "For what?" I said, "For the restaurant. For the wall." Ma's photo. On the wall of the restaurant. Next to the sign. The woman who started it all, in her ao dai, looking out the window at a world she crossed an ocean to reach. Chuc mung nam moi. The Ox brings strength. We need it. The restaurant opens in three months. The vaccine comes in ten days. The fire keeps burning. Giddy up.

Ma’s spring rolls are always the first thing gone — before the thit kho, before the che, before anyone has even filled their bowl. Every Tet I watch them disappear in minutes and think I should have doubled the batch. This year, with the ao dai still glowing in my mind and that feeling that things are finally turning, I wanted to carry the spirit of that table into something I could make in my own kitchen — something with that same crispy, pull-apart joy that makes people reach across each other without apologizing. Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls aren’t Ma’s recipe, but they’ve got her energy: golden outside, impossible to stop eating, gone before you know it.

Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 12 egg rolls

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 1/3 cup buffalo hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
• 12 egg roll wrappers
• 1 egg, beaten (for sealing)
• Vegetable oil, for frying (about 4 cups)
• Ranch or blue cheese dressing, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, cream cheese, cheddar, blue cheese, green onions, and celery. Mix until evenly combined. Taste and adjust buffalo sauce to your heat preference.
2. Assemble the egg rolls. Lay an egg roll wrapper flat on a clean surface in a diamond orientation. Place about 3 tablespoons of filling in the center. Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, fold in the two side corners, then roll tightly upward. Brush the top corner with beaten egg and press to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
3. Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot to a depth of about 2 inches. Heat over medium-high until the oil reaches 350°F. Use a thermometer for accuracy — oil that’s too cool makes greasy rolls.
4. Fry in batches. Carefully lower 3—4 egg rolls into the hot oil at a time. Fry for 3—4 minutes, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown and crispy on all sides. Do not crowd the pot.
5. Drain and rest. Remove egg rolls with a slotted spoon and transfer to a wire rack or paper-towel-lined plate. Let rest for 2 minutes before serving so the filling sets slightly.
6. Serve. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately with ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 13g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 15g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 480mg