Monday, March 25, 2013

Egg Rolls

How you chop the vegetables makes all the difference in Asian cuisine.  Here we're slicing the pea-pods for Egg Rolls.


Chef’s Note:  We’ve tried making our own egg roll skins, and it’s do-able, but we didn’t think they were any better than the commercial ones available in the grocery store.  Spring roll skins are different.  They are much better home-made, and easy to make.  We’ll blog about those later.  For now, it’s egg roll skins that you want. These egg rolls are best made in a large wok (not electric), but you can use a deep 12" skillet, too.

Ingredients
1 package egg roll skins
1 cup edible pea-pods, stems removed, cut into long strips
5 cups cabbage cut into long, thin strips (half the head, remove the core, then slice)
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
4 oz. fresh bean sprouts
¼ lb. lean pork, cut into matchstick-sized pieces (tiny strips!)
3 tbl. soy sauce (1 for marinade, 2 for cooking)
pinch of 5-spice powder
pinch of garlic powder
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sherry
1 tbl. olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
1 tbl. cornstarch
2 tbl. water
The finished product.  YUM!  Served here with spicy mustard sauce.


Directions
·        Place the pork slices in a bowl and add 1 tbl. soy sauce, the 5-spice powder, garlic powder, sesame oil and sherry.
·        Let meat marinate for about 30 minutes
·        In a large wok, heat olive oil over medium heat until hot
·        Add pork (with marinade) and minced garlic to the oil, stirring constantly until just cooked (not brown)
·        Add the cabbage, carrots, and  pea-pods and mix well
·        Increase heat to medium-high and cook about 5 minutes, stirring constantly
·        Add 2 tbl. soy sauce and the bean sprouts
·        Remove from heat and stir for about 2 minutes
·        Add 1 tbl. cornstarch, stir in well, and let cool
Egg Roll skins, the cooked filling, and the cornstarch mix for sealing the edges.

·        In a small bowl, mix 1 tbl. cornstarch and 2 tbl. water (this is to seal the edges of the egg roll skins)
·        Lay out one egg roll skin and using your fingers, brush all edges with the cornstarch mixture
·        Spoon pork & vegetable mixture into center of egg roll skin (good size spoonful)
·        Begin rolling skin from corner to corner, folding edges in half way through.
·        Lay seam side down on a baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to fry
·        In a wok or deep 12” skillet, add ¾” of canola oil, and heat over medium until hot
·        using tongs, fry each egg roll about 3-4 minutes per side, turning once, until browned on both sides
·        Remove with tongs and drain on paper towel on baking sheet
·        Keep egg rolls warm in 250° oven until ready to serve
·        Serve with Spicy Mustard Sauce (below) or Sweet & Sour Sauce (coming soon!)


Spicy Mustard Sauce
2 tbl. spicy brown mustard
8 drops hot sauce (Tabasco-style)
½ tbl. soy sauce
1 tbl. prepared horseradish
Mix all ingredients together and chill until ready to use.

2 comments:

  1. These are especially yummy as a pregnancy craving! They also freeze well. Tom pre-made several for us to freeze and cook up easy when we came home from the hospital after having our son. - Favorite daughter-in-law

    ReplyDelete

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