Simply Beale

An interchangeable recipe. Choose your protein.

Makes about 16

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce or Amino’s (if Gluten Free)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon light-brown sugar
• 6 cups vegetable oil
• 1 Napa cabbage thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 pounds or approximately 10-12 cups; it’s a lot but it cooks down)
• 4 medium carrots, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)
• 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound coarsely chopped peeled and deveined large shrimp or ground pork
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced
• 16-20 egg-roll wrappers (6 to 7 inches square); depends on how full you make them (a package has about 20)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten or water
• Dipping Sauces: Chinese Hot Mustard; Duck Sauce & Ginger Garlic Soy or Amino’s for serving

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. In an x-large skillet, heat 2 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add cabbage, carrots, garlic, and ginger; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until vegetables are tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Raise heat to high; add chopped shrimp or pork and soy mixture. Cook, tossing until shrimp is no longer pink and liquid has almost evaporated 5 to 7 minutes; mix in scallions. Transfer mixture to a plate to cool.
3. Then line an x-large bowl with a strainer. Line strainer with cheesecloth. Transfer cabbage mixture filling into a cheesecloth-lined strainer over a bowl. Let it drain. The twist up the cheesecloth and wring as much liquid out of the mixture as possible. Careful it still may be hot. Don’t skip this. I find the eggs rolls will be soggy if you don’t do it. You want them crispy. Save the excess broth into plastic containers, label, and freeze. This is great in soups or Asian stir fry’s.
4. Lay wrappers flat on a work surface and assemble egg rolls. Work with two to three at a time so they don’t dry out. I cover my assembled egg rolls with damp paper towels to keep them from drying out. I put them in a Tupperware container lined with parchment and store in the fridge until ready to fry. Or at this point freeze them.
5. In a 5-quart pot or deep fryer, heat remaining to oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees. Working in batches of 4, and returning oil to 350 degrees for each batch, fry egg rolls until golden, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes; drain on paper towels and immediately season with kosher salt while they are still hot. Don’t overcrowd the deep-fryer, as this will bring down the oil temperature. Make sure its back up to temp before the next batch. I then transfer them on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. It lets excess oil drip and prevents steam from collecting underneath, making the rolls soggy. I like to do this so I can work on other dishes before serving. Ultimately, they are the best out of the fryer and onto a plate but it’s not always the way dinner goes down.
6. Serve Dipping Sauces of your choice. I like Chinese Hot Mustard; Duck Sauce & Ginger Garlic Soy or Tamari to serve with.
7. To BAKE, not fry: If you prefer, these egg rolls can be baked. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet; place egg rolls on a sheet pan and brush with cup oil. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. If baking from frozen, bake about 15 minutes. I have never actually baked these but it is an option. Personally, I think fried is the way to go.
8. To FREEZE: Prepare egg rolls through step 4; freeze in a single layer until firm, at least 2 hours. You can transfer to a resealable plastic bag; freeze up to 3 months. I like to keep them in thin long Tupperware containers that way when I thaw them out in the fridge overnight they don’t stick to each other. But if you don’t have huge freezer storage then put in a plastic resealable bag. When you thaw them, take them out and put on lined parchment plate and separate them so they don’t stick. Cover with plastic wrap until fry time. You can fry from frozen but I find the frozen water hitting the oil makes a huge if not dangerous mess. If you want to try it, increase frying time by about 3 minutes per batch. Otherwise, take them out of the fridge, blot any excess water off them with a paper towel and go to town.

NOTES:

• You can use a Cuisinart to shred your carrots
• You can use a Cuisinart to finely chop and grate your garlic and ginger. Make sure you hand chop the peeled ginger into pieces so they chop finer.
• I double this recipe and make a huge batch for my stand-up freezer. I also use a Pallela pan as you need a really large pan or you will have to do it in separate batches.
• You can do this Gluten Free. Don’t forget to use Tamari instead of soy. When I have a gluten intolerant guest, I make a big batch using Low-Sodium Tamari. No one knows the difference in taste between the soy and tamari. Then I roll a few in Rudi’s Gluten-Free Tortillas found in the freezer section. Make sure your surface is clean of any gluten and remember that you will have to fry them in separate oil. I never use my fry pot for anything that needs to be gluten-free. You have to pour new oil into a saucepan to fry. You’re your done you can save the oil for your normal fry pot to use instead of throwing away. You can also cut any leftover tortillas into strips and fry up into snack crunchies. If you are using Rudi’s tortillas, work one at a time. Put one in the microwave for 15 seconds and then assemble the rolls and put on lined parchment. They still together best-using egg wash. Make sure your pastry brush is Gluten Free if not use your finger to seal the edges. The tortillas will break when rolling if you don’t microwave, so don’t skip this step. They also dry out really fast so just do one at a time. Once I am done doing the amount of Gluten-Free Rolls I want, I freeze those and continue to make the Shrimp Rolls with Egg Roll Wrappers with the rest of the filling.
• HOW TO ROLL AN EGG ROLL
  Filling It Up: Lay 2-3 egg-roll wrappers flat on the counter. (Keep other wrappers covered with a damp paper towel.) Place 1/3 cup mixture in center of each.
  2. Folding It Up: Using a pastry brush, the wet border with egg. Fold the point of wrapper that’s closest to you over the mixture, and tuck under the filling.
  3. Folding It In: Fold both side corners toward the center of wrapper (they won’t meet in the center). It should look like an open envelope.
  4. Finishing It Up: Tightly roll up filled pocket to close wrapper, then gently press down to seal the edges.
  Adapted from Martha Stewart.