Sunday, May 31, 2009

Chicken Egg-Rolls: A paradox in food form

Chicken Egg-Rolls 
This is a good way to use up leftover chicken, soup chicken, or even fresh chicken. 

Slice finely- 
1/2 small head cabbage (I used purple) 
4-5 green onions 
2 carrots 

Shred the chicken, removing fat and skin and such, and add to the vegetables. 
Season meat/veggie mix with ginger, garlic, pepper, hot chile flakes or sauce, sesame oil, or sesame chili oil, and a bit of soy sauce. Add an egg and stir to combine. 

Egg roll wrappers are widely available- I used the kosher Nasoya ones. 
Peel off one wrapper and place on a large plate. Moisten the outside edges of the square. Place a small mound of the filling a bit down from the top of the square, leaving space on the sides. Fold the sides in over the filling, then roll the top down to create a neat package. The bottom should seal on its own, being slightly damp, but if it doesn't, seal it with a bit more water. Place seam-side down on a foiled and oiled cookie sheet. Repeat until filling or wrappers are gone, usually it won't come out exactly even, but the wrappers, unlike the filling, will keep for the rest of the week, so make smaller amounts of filling if in doubt.
Take a small ramekin and dribble a tablespoon of oil in it. With your fingers, moisten the tops of the rolls with a light glaze of oil. You shouldn't have to use more than a teaspoon or two altogether. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350F until crispy and browning at the edges.  Serve with apricot sauce- 

Apricot Sauce: 
Take some generous spoonfuls of apricot preserve. Mix in some garlic, hot chile paste, ginger, and rice wine vinegar. So much better than any "duck sauce" that its a travesty that people buy it.