Egg Rolls

Egg Rolls, Stamm-Style

The Chinese New Year always inspires me to cook my favorite Chinese foods. Wooton soup, beef and broccoli, Chinese spareribs and tea-steeped eggs are among these favorites, but nothing – absolutely nothing – is better or gets more raves than the egg rolls we make in the kitchen of The Cypress House.

I think the secret is last-minute preparation. If you prepare the eggs rolls in advance they have a tendency to get soggy.

Here’s an updated version of our recipe for egg rolls.

EGG ROLLS, STAMM-STYLE

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons dry sherry

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 pound fresh pork, boned and cut into small pieces ( about 3 pork chops)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped cabbage

2 cups green onions, chopped

1/2 pound chopped mushrooms

1 can bean sprouts, rinsed and drained

1 small can shrimp (opt.)

Salt or soy sauce to taste

20 egg roll wrappers

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Mix sugar, sherry, soy sauce, and cornstarch together and pour over raw pork. Set aside while preparing vegetables. Heat oil in skillet or wok. Add meat and cook until pork loses its pink color. Remove from skillet. Add celery, cabbage, and onion and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and mix thoroughly.

Add bean sprouts and mix well. Then add pork back to vegetable mix and stir. Add the shrimp if using. Check seasonings and add salt and/or soy to taste. Cook until liquid clears and thickens.

Let cool. Cut egg roll wrappers on the diagonal making 2 triangles out of each wrapper. With base of the triangle toward you, put a heaping tablespoon of filling in center of wrapper and fold bottom corners toward center until they overlap. Roll up and continue to roll until you reach top of triangle. With a little cool water seal corner securely to roll. Heat frying oil to 375 degrees and deep-fry egg rolls for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown.