Here's how Sheboygan's Union Asian Market makes up to 1,500 egg rolls each day — the latest in our ‘How It’s Made’ series.

Alex Garner, Sheboygan Press
·4 min read

This story is part of a new Streetwise series on “How It’s Made” in Sheboygan. The series will help give a behind-the-scenes look at how businesses and crafters across Sheboygan County make the goods you may use or consume every day. Want to know how something is made? Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332, agarner@gannett.com or on Twitter at @alexx_garner and we'll find out for you.

More How It's Made: Read the first in the series here.

SHEBOYGAN - In the early morning bustle of the kitchen, Yeng Yang, co-owner of Union Asian Market, points out the different foods the team is making fresh for the day: Chicago-styled duck, purple sticky rice, red curry noodle, Hmong sausages, spring rolls and egg rolls.

Food is very family and community oriented in the Hmong community, he said.

“We have all these events, and everybody chips in, they help, and food is a big part of it,” Yeng said. “Everybody comes and, of course, food and alcohol is a universal language for love and communication.”

Union Asian Market’s Yeng Yang says that his store’s unique offerings is a draw to the firm unto itself in Sheboygan.
Union Asian Market’s Yeng Yang says that his store’s unique offerings is a draw to the firm unto itself in Sheboygan.

Among its hot dish offerings, Union Asian Market, 2022 S. 17th St., is well known for its fresh egg rolls.

They make an average of 500 egg rolls a day, but that number can rise to 1,500 if there are carryout orders, Yeng said.

To make so many egg rolls, May Yer Xiong and Pa Yang start early in the morning, first mixing together pork, glass noodles, carrots, cabbage, onions and green onions.

Xiong comes in before Yang, so she wraps the mix into the first batch of egg roll wrappers, rolling with a precision to ensure each egg roll has the same amount of filling. After that, the egg rolls are placed 40 to a tray and fried in oil.

The time it takes to make egg rolls varies, as the team makes batches continuously throughout the day, but Yeng said one batch could take about two hours to make.

To speed up the process, they tried using machines for mixing and wrapping, but they couldn’t get the same consistency as doing it by hand, he said.

Union Asian Market’s May Yer Xiong, of Sheboygan, hand mixes ingredients for Hmong egg rolls in Sheboygan. The firm found that hand made egg rolls turn out a consistent quality product.
Union Asian Market’s May Yer Xiong, of Sheboygan, hand mixes ingredients for Hmong egg rolls in Sheboygan. The firm found that hand made egg rolls turn out a consistent quality product.

Xiong first learned to make egg rolls when she came to the United States as a Vietnam War refugee in 1986. Though first taught by relatives, Xiong perfected the process herself, she said through Yeng’s interpretation because her first language is Hmong.

She has worked at Union Asian Market, formerly Union Oriental Market, for 14 years. Xiong said she started making egg rolls on her first day, but she had previous experience making them for community, fundraising and family events in Sheboygan.

Union Asian Market’s May Yer Xiong, of Sheboygan, rolls up Hmong Egg Rolls in Sheboygan.
Union Asian Market’s May Yer Xiong, of Sheboygan, rolls up Hmong Egg Rolls in Sheboygan.

Xiong said in the Hmong community, food is about giving back, making sure everybody has some. At family events, she said they don’t typically have an RSVP list or make food for only a certain amount of people; they always make more so people can bring some home to eat.

Union Asian Market's egg rolls are popular in the Sheboygan area, but Yeng said people have also come from places like Oshkosh, Milwaukee, Chicago and even Iowa to try their egg rolls.

Union Asian Market’s May Yer Xiong, of Sheboygan, places the inside mixture of an Hmong egg roll in Sheboygan.
Union Asian Market’s May Yer Xiong, of Sheboygan, places the inside mixture of an Hmong egg roll in Sheboygan.

Egg rolls have several iterations, like Chinese egg rolls and Filipino lumpia, but Yeng said Union Asian Market follows a Hmong recipe that excludes some ingredients that can reduce its lasting time and that people may be allergic to, like eggs.

In addition to making recipes more inclusive for more people to enjoy, Union Asian Market has expanded its product base to include more Asian ethnicities, so people don’t have to travel out of Sheboygan to get specific items, which is something Yeng and his sister, Kia, implemented when they took over ownership of the store in January.

Union Asian Market’s Vanna Lor, of Sheboygan, pulls out Hmong egg rolls from the oil in Sheboygan. The market makes some 500 of the egg rolls daily.
Union Asian Market’s Vanna Lor, of Sheboygan, pulls out Hmong egg rolls from the oil in Sheboygan. The market makes some 500 of the egg rolls daily.

“We have a lot of people that used to shop at Walmart or Piggly Wiggly, and then they're like, ‘You know, I never found this product here at other stores, so I'll just come and shop here,’” Yeng said. “So, we've actually converted people from the main franchises to just come shop here.”

From many types of ramen and rice to a variety of Asian candies and ice cream, Yeng said Union Asian Market wants to provide products for the community that can’t be found anywhere else in the area.

A parabolic mirror at Union Asian Market show the variety of goods at the firm in Sheboygan.
A parabolic mirror at Union Asian Market show the variety of goods at the firm in Sheboygan.

The store also sells ingredients needed to make hot Asian dishes, like Mekong sausages and pho, a Vietnamese soup with broth, rice noodles, herbs and meat.

“We want to ensure that they (customers) can find all the recipes they need,” Yeng said, adding that can help create connections through the universal language of food.

Looking to the future, Yeng said they want to continue serving the Sheboygan community’s needs, as the store has for more than 40 years. To do so, Yeng and Kia are working to implement more technology in the store, track their online presence to gauge their customer base and continue diversifying their products and recipes.

The exterior of Union Asian Market as seen early in the morning Oct. 19 in Sheboygan
The exterior of Union Asian Market as seen early in the morning Oct. 19 in Sheboygan

More:New Sheboygan restaurant brings a 'modern twist' to sushi. Plus, another Minit Mart is sold.

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Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @alexx_garner

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Egg rolls in Sheboygan: How they're made at Union Asian Market