Egg Rolls For Breakfast?

posted September 29, 2008
  by Christine Gable, Kiddie Chow

We recently went on a garage sale binge: yes, we actually got up on several Saturday mornings at 6:30 AM to convene in the garages and yards of folks unloading their unnecessaries (aka 'junk'), poking around and hoping to find some hidden treasures. Recent goals: brother needed a bike for his current motorbike kit, sister was looking for fall fashion finds, and mom: just loves the 25- and 50-cent prices. But most of all it's about the serendipitous surprises.

As I’m sure you’re aware, getting up and heading out that early means that we’re lucky if everyone has more than a cup of juice (or coffee) in them before we depart. Sometimes the most challenging part of rising early can be the lack-of-hunger-before we’re out the door … and that usually means by stop number two or three, one (or all) of us have grumbling bellies. And that’s why I usually toss some fruit and yogurt—or some slices of cheese or a can of peanuts in an insulated bag to do the trick til we get home to get heartier sustenance.

However, on this day we happened to hit pay dirt at a multi-family sale. Right there on two portable tables was an Asian family cooking hot-off-the-fryer egg rolls. Mom was rolling them, Dad was frying over a portable gas burner, and siblings were handing out samples and keeping them fresh and ready-to-go for hungry garage-sale-folks.

And it just so happened that daughter was hungry—very hungry, and we still had a lot more sales ahead of us.

How perfectly timely.

After sister had a sample, the rolls were a definite go: She bought a wrapped egg roll for $1 and had the best garage sale day breakfast yet. Just the thought of those early morning freshly prepared rolls makes my belly rumble as I’m writing this.

When I asked the mom-chef what the delightful filling was, she said: cabbage, carrots, noodles and pork seasoning. All rolled up in square wrappers, then fried. It was but several days later that daughter and I were grocery shopping and noticed a nifty package of egg roll (also packaged as won ton) wraps. So we added them to our cart, along with cabbage, carrots and a bottle of La Choy Sweet and Sour Sauce. We were on our way.

And in the meantime I’ve learned a bit more about what we call egg rolls: Common in Asian cuisine, the egg rolls that we know in America today are usually called the Fried Egg Roll or the Fried Spring Roll. They are wrapped in a wheat or rice dough wrapper and filled with vegetables or meat, dipped in an egg wash and then deep-fried. While the terms egg roll and spring roll have come to be used interchangeably, generally an egg roll is larger with a thicker, puffier coating—a spring roll is smaller with less filing. And some recipes indicate that an egg roll is made with wheat dough, the spring roll with rice.

As for the egg roll (or won ton) wrapper, it’s a fairly straightforward wrap made with flour, egg, salt and water—often with cornstarch for dusting to minimize sticking. Since we were new to making egg rolls, it was easier to go with pre-made wrappers, but we may try our hand at them another time.

All in all, our egg roll experience was a success: I prepared the filling, daughter wrapped and fried, and we all enjoyed them. Little packages that are wrapped by hand are another great way to get kids helping in the kitchen. There’s just something about wrapping, rolling and securing a little packet of food—and they’re fun hold-in-the-hand-food to eat also. Adding mini dishes for a variety of sauces adds the finishing touch.

So whether you eat ‘em for breakfast, lunch or dinner, egg rolls are a fun way to experiment with different flavors in the kitchen … not to mention another tasty way to get kids eating veggies too.

Next week: Golden Peach Tart


Jenny's Egg Rolls Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 20 rolls
Ready in: 30-60 minutes

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 cups cabbage, shredded or chopped finely
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 carrot, shredded finely
* 3 teaspoons soy sauce
* 4 ounces cellophane noodles, soaked in water for 10 minutes and cut into 2-inch pieces
* 1 package (1-lb. size) egg roll wraps
* 6 cups vegetable oil for frying

Pour olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage, sprinkle with salt and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add shredded carrot, soy sauce and drained cellophane noodles. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir the filling together, incorporating the veggies and noodles well.

Prepare egg roll wrapping area: set out the wrappers and the pan of filling, a plate for the finished wraps, a small bowl of water, allowing some room for wrapping.

Now for the fun: Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the filling onto one of the wrappers. Place it in the middle horizontally. Then fold in the left and right sides of the wrapper, folding the bottom up and over. Finish by rolling the entire roll up onto the top flap, dabbing a bit of water onto the edge to hold it shut (like an envelope). Place the completed roll on a clean plate and repeat. Keep rolling until all filling and wrappers are used.

While wrapping: Heat oil to 375ºF in a large, heavy skillet (you’ll want at least 1-inch of oil). Place each completed roll in the hot oil carefully, frying until golden brown (about 1 to 2 minutes). Flip to the other side and fry for another minute. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Serve warm or at room temperature with your favorite dipping sauces.

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