I’ve been trying to make our meals a bit more interesting so everytime I go to the market I purchase an ingredient I don’t always have in the pantry. Lately it has been Asian products which lead to egg rolls, stir-fries, dumplings, and so on. Some fillings for egg rolls are pre-cooked and you could certainly give this mix a quick stir-fry, but I think it is fine to have some crunchy vegetables in the fried roll. Steve just likes to doctor his up with spicy mustard, but I like a pungent dipping sauce.
½ pound shredded cooked chicken meat
5 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut, on the bias, into thin strips
1 large carrot, peeled, trimmed, and cut into thin strips about 1¼ inches long
Handful of snow peas, trimmed and cut, on the bias, into thin strips
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon orange juice
1 package egg roll wrappers
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1½ tablespoons cold water
2 to 4 cups oil for deep-frying
Combine the chicken with the mushrooms, carrot, and snow peas in a medium mixing bowl, tossing to combine.
Stir the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and orange juice together in a small bowl. When blended, add to the chicken mixture, tossing to coat.
Working with one piece at a time, lay an egg roll wrapper out on a clean, flat work surface so that one corner is facing you. Place about 1 ½ tablespoons of the filling in the center of the wrapper, pushing it out slightly without getting near the edge.
Using your fingertip, spread a bit of the cornstarch mixture around the 3 edges not facing you. Fold the point of the edge facing you up and over the filling and then fold the 2 opposite sides in and over; then, roll up the wrapper to totally enclose the filling.
When you have made the number of egg rolls you want to fry, preheat the oil to 360°F on a candy thermometer.
Using a slotted spatula, carefully transfer the egg rolls, a few at a time, into the hot oil. Deep-fry for about 4 minutes or until golden brown.
Using tongs, transfer the egg rolls to a double layer of paper towel to drain.
Serve hot with Spicy Dipping Sauce.
Spicy Dipping Sauce
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Vietnamese fish sauce
3 scallions with some green part, trimmed and cut, crosswise, into thin circles
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
½ hot green chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced or to taste
Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, orange and lime juices, sesame oil, and fish sauce in a small mixing bowl. Stir in the scallions, garlic, and chile.
Serve with egg rolls or dumplings.
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