Egg Rolls

I thought I would have to search for years for a fabulous Egg Roll recipe - I didn't. This is Mr. Pederson's recipe. It tastes just like the egg rolls you'll find at a Chinese restaurant: crispy, yet succulent. They look so good on the plate that you have to remind yourself not to bite in until they cool. I've burned my mouth more than once on their hot, fresh goodness. Oh, baby, yummy, yummy, YUMMY!

BTW - I usually double this recipe. HOWEVER, do not fry then freeze - doesn't work.

5 TBSP Oil (Wok or stir-fry oil works great)
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped (peel, slice wafer thin, then chop)
1 green onion, chopped fine.
1/2 pound pork shoulder roast or fillet, shredded or minced (ground pork works too)
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp + 1 TBSP corn starch
1TBSP Sherry
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup bamboo shoots (canned "planks" cut thin lengthwise)
1/4 cup celery. julienne
1/2 lb fresh bean sprouts
20 egg roll wrappers
2 cups canola oil for deep frying

1) Shred (raw) pork, mix with 1 tsp oil, and 1 tsp corn starch

2) Heat 2 TBSP oil in wok (or frying pan) to 275 degrees. Stir fry ginger and green onion one minute, or until aromatic. (Note: stir fry means to cook while moving.) Add pork mixture from step 1, stir fry at 350 degrees one minute, or until color changes. Add 1 TBSP soy sauce, sherry, sugar and cook one more minute. REMOVE FROM WOK.

3) Heat 2 TBSP oil in wok at 375 degrees (nearly smoking.) Stir-fry cabbage, bamboo, and celery for one minute. REMOVE FROM WOK.

4) Heat 1 TBSP oil to 375 degrees. Stir fry bean sprouts for one minute. REMOVE FROM WOK.

5) Combine the results from steps 1-4 into wok. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 TBSP soy sauce. Stir fry at 375 degrees or until thoroughly heated. Remove to a colander. Drain all liquid and allow mixture to cool.

6) After cooled, add 2 heaping TBSP to each wrapper. Roll lengthwise into "envelope" roughly 4 inches long and 1 inch wide. Dissolve 1 TBSP corn starch in 2 TBSP water. Seal with mixture. *

7) Heat 2 cups oil to 400 degrees (use the wok) deep fry a few at a time for 4 minutes or until golden brown, flipping every 30 seconds. ALLOW OIL TO HEAT BACK UP BETWEEN BATCHES.

To create egg rolls:

Place Egg Roll Wrapper in front of you in a diamond shape.
Place mix on the bottom half of the wrapper.
Pull bottom corner up over mixture.
Fold in right and left corner, roll the whole thing upwards.
Use cornstarch mixture (or just plain water) to act as glue.

Cream Cheese Wontons

I LOVE cream cheese wontons. I think I like the homemade version even better than the ones I've eaten at Chinese buffets. There's more cream cheese, less wonton.
I got the original recipe from http://www.Cooks.com - I've modified it a little.

8 oz cream cheese
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Wontons wrappers (or egg roll wrappers cut in fourths)

Blend first four ingredients together. I like using the whisk attachment on my stand mixer.
Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls onto wonton wrappers. It seems easier to work when the cream cheese is cold.

Now, to seal the wonton wrappers...
Moisten two adjacent edges of the wonton wrappers.
Fold the wonton wrapper in half, bringing the two moist edges to the two dry edges, creating a triangle. Now, twist/fold two of the corners. The point of this is to bring the thinest part of the wrapper in, so when you fry then, they fry more evenly.

That's my method of wrapping... but, as I once read, if your wontons look like a drunk money made them, no one will complain... they'll still taste good.

Fry the wontons in hot oil until they're crispy and golden brown - about 60 to 90 seconds.

Then, wait a little bit before devouring, they are hot ya know!

And, if you run out of wonton wrappers, the cream cheese filling makes a mighty nice bagel smear.