Chicken Eggrolls
Eggrolls have always been one of my favorites. When I was in broke in Bozeman in the mid eighties we ate lots of Chinese food. Rice, veggies, and cheap meat never tasted so good. Even night after night. When we felt like splurging I'd make eggrolls. I've always told people I make the best eggrolls (as opposed to springrolls) in the world. No one's argued after they try them, so maybe I do. Or maybe they're just being nice. Anyway.....
I give these more of a Thai accent then the eggrolls you're used to, which typically taste like left over vegetables. I also put lots of Thai chilies in these, but only if I'm making them for myself. Most people won't eat them if I use the amount of chilies I show in the picture. Omit the chilies unless you know what you're doing.
Serves 1 person, or two people who don't want to feel stuffed. Also - This is just a recipe. It won't make you a good cook. If you aren't a good cook, then this will be good practice
For the sauce:
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For sauteing:
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- Start by getting all of the ingredients laid out and ready to go. Try to make the items rather small as this will make it easier to get things rolled up without piercing the wrappers. Lemongrass (at least the stuff I get) can be very fiberous, so try and peel off the outer layers and chop it finely. You can add some other veggies to the mix. Water chestnuts and bamboo shoots are nice. But try to keep the ratio of meat to vegetables. Otherwise they'll end up tasting like salad, and no one wants that.
- The next step is to cook the parts of the filling that would be icky unless they got some extra sauteing. Heat the sesame oil and add the chicken, cooking until it's about half done, then add the other saute ingredients. Press the garlic, don't just toss in the cloves whole. That would be silly. While that's sauteing, mix the sauce ingredients together and have at hand. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through. Add the sauce and stir constantly until the sauce thickens all through.
- Scrap the mixture into a bowl and add the bean sprouts, cabbage, and scallions. Mix thoroughly and set aside. Mix 1 tsp corn starch in some water in a small bowl and set that aside also. Open up the wrappers and lay one on a plate in preparation for filling. Spoon a couple table spoons of the filling near the corner of the wrapper. Bring the corner up and tuck it a little under the mix. Wet your finger with the corn starch - water mix and wet the opposite edges of the wrapper so that everything will seal. Bring the corners into the middle. Not to tight. Not to loose. Wet the edges again and roll the filled part forward till the whole thing is rolled up. Cool.
- Heat the old for deep frying to 365. You can do this in a sauce pan, but I don't recommend that. You'll start the stove on fire, especially if you drink lots of beer while you cook. This does not impress anyone. Especially when you point and laugh like a mad man. Trust me on this one. Use an electric fry pot instead. After the oil is hot enough, add the eggrolls two or three at a time. Fry them until they aren't quit as dark as you think they should be. They'll darken a bit after they leave the oil. Let them cool on paper towels. Keep in mind that they'll be full of super heated steam for about 10 minutes after you cook them. You can serve them with sweet and sour dipping sauce or mustard, but I usually just eat them plain. Any comments? Let me know and I'll include them below.
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