Vegetable Egg Rolls

Vegetable Egg Rolls

I know you guys are going to start thinking that I'm creating an Asian food blog pretty soon but, as I have lamented before, the lack of good Asian food in Chicago has led me to find or develop recipes of my own to make at home. I'm assuming I'm not the only one who has this problem, yes?

This is one of the easiest ways to get your take-out fix and with some Oriental hot mustard and duck sauce you really can't go wrong. I have learned a few tricks in making these over these years that hopefully will make these a success every time you make them:

1. After you saute the vegetables, put everything into a colander and drain off as much liquid as you can and let cool completely. This will prevent your uncooked wrappers from getting soggy before frying.

2. Don't get the oil too hot or your egg rolls will explode all over your frying pan. 325 degrees seems to work well for me.

3. You can use the square won ton wrappers to make small egg rolls for a party. I make these up ahead of time and freeze them. They can go right into the oil that way. I haven't tried this with the large egg rolls yet so I can't say for sure that they would work as well from frozen.

Recipe: Dani's Vegetable Egg Rolls
Ingredients:
2 T. sesame oil
2 T. vegetable oil 1
T. ginger, minced
1 T. garlic, minced
2 green onions, sliced thin
1/2 large head napa cabbage, shredded
1 cup carrot, shredded
1 cup snow peas, sliced thin (you could use frozen peas in a pinch)
1 cup mung bean sprouts
small can water chestnuts, chopped
sprinkle of sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar
salt and pepper
Egg Roll wrappers


Directions:
In a large frying pan, heat the oils over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and saute for a minute. Add the rest of the veggies and cook until crisp-tender. Mix the cornstarch with the soy and add to pan with the vinegar and sugar to taste. Bring mixture up to a simmer cook 1 minute. Turn off heat. Pour everything into a strainer or colander and drain really well and cool completely.

Now roll up your egg rolls keeping your wrappers and your rolls covered with a lightly damp cloth so they don't dry out. At this point you can keep them in the fridge until your ready or you can freeze them for another day. I usually roll them and put on a layer of wax paper or parchment so they don't stick to the plate.

When you're ready, heat about 2" of peanut oil or vegetable oil in a large frying pan to 325 degrees. Carefully add your rolls and fry until golden brown on all sides. Drain on paper towel and you're good to go. Enjoy!