Tags
bell peppers, cabbage, Carrots, chow mein noodles, Garlic, ginger, Ground pork, hoisin sauce, Mushrooms, rice wine vinegar, Scallions, sesame oil, snow peas, soy sauce, tortilla strips, water chestnuts
Do you know anyone who doesn’t love egg rolls? If you do, immediately remove those culinary Philistines from your Christmas list. This bowl of goodness may just make a convert out of them. I really think you’re going to love these. This is “bowl food”. No deep-frying, but with all the flavor of an egg roll. This is a “flexible” recipe; add what you want to. Whatever you like in an egg roll is game. The ingredients change for me, depending on what I’m feeling like. Tonight it was this mixture. I didn’t have any ginger, but normally I would add some julienned fresh ginger root. I’ve also used leftover roast chicken and roast pork. I’ve also scrambled eggs with the mixture…see. I truly is whatever you want it to be! And, it’s quick and easy. 
Make certain to have everything chopped before you start, have your mis en place! 
Stir the sauce ingredients together. Remember to restir before you add them to the mixture near the end of cooking. 
I don’t worry too much about completely cooking the ground pork ( you can see bits of pink there). Don’t worry, it will finish cooking with the veggies. I stir in the mushrooms and cook them just briefly.
I add the veggies and give them a stir just until combined. 
Then, pour the sauce over the whole mess. 
I add the scallions at the very end, as I like them to be just heated through. I love this chile paste with garlic, which you can buy at any decent Asian market. It is just too tasty. I’ve been adding it to everything and I don’t find it too spicy, but as we know, that’s a relative thing.
By all means, feel free to cool this mixture and toss it into some egg roll wrappers, if you want to go that route. The Goddess adores eggs rolls, but she truly prefers hers, deconstructed!
Egg Rolls—Deconstructed
- 1/2 cup lower-sodium soy sauce
- 2-4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 3-4 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
- 2-3 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
- 1 pound lean ground pork (The Fresh Market has great ground pork)
- 1 (16-ounce) bag coleslaw mix (see NOTE)
- 1/2 cup julienned snow peas
- 1/2 cup julienned mushrooms
- 1/3 cup julienned water chestnuts
- 1/3 cup julienned bell peppers
- 1 tablespoons chili-garlic paste (optional)
- 3 scallions, julienned
- Chow mein noodles or tortilla strips (you can buy them in bags)
- Fresh cilantro or Thai basil leaves, torn
Combine the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin, rice vinegar, arrowroot and sesame oil. Set aside.
In a large skillet, brown the pork over medium-high heat; add the mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the shredded coleslaw, water chestnuts, peppers and snow peas. Stir to combine.
Restir the sauce; pour the sauce mixture over the meat/veggies. Stir the mixture to combine. Continue to cook for about 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook; the cabbage should just begin to wilt, but should still be crunchy. Stir in the scallions and chili paste, if using.
Spoon the mixture into bowls; top with some chow mein noodles or tortilla strips and cilantro, if desired.
NOTE: You may shred cabbage and carrots yourself rather than purchase the bagged cole slaw; you’ll need about 6 cups. Change the vegetables to your liking. To keep this vegetarian, you can omit the pork, and add tofu or use simply leave as is. If gluten is an issue, omit the noodles or tortilla strips (they’re flour tortilla strips) and serve over rice, if you wish. Do make certain you’re using gluten-free soy sauce and hoisin.
Egg Rolls—Deconstructed Recipe©Marcia Lahens 2016. All rights reserved.
You can add all sorts of different veggies. I’ve use broccoli, baby corn, and I really like bean sprouts stirred in at the last minute. By the way, adding the chow mein noodles to a salad adds a lovely crunch and they serve the same purpose here. Enjoy!
Goddess Cooks 