Best East Meets West Rib Eyeporkcheese Eggrolls Recipes

PORK AND GINGER POT STICKERS

Steps:

• Sprinkle cabbage with the 1/2 tablespoon of salt and let stand for 30 minutes. Place the cabbage on a clean dishtowel or cheesecloth and squeeze out any water. The dryer the cabbage the better. In a large bowl thoroughly mix the cabbage with all of the other ingredients, except the chicken stock. Cook a tester to check the seasoning.;
• GUEST CHEF: MING'S MOM (IRIS LEE TSAI) .
• In a stainless steel bowl mix flour and salt. Slowly add hot water to flour in 1/4 cup increments. Mix with chopsticks until a ball is formed and the dough is not too hot to handle. On a floured surface, knead dough until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball. Place back in bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rest for at least 1 hour. Working on a floured surface with floured hands, roll out dough to form a long 'noodle', 1-inch in diameter. Cut 1/2-inch pieces and turn them over so the cut sides are facing up. Flatten with your palm and roll out thin using a rolling pin. The dumpling wrapper should end up about 3 inches in diameter.
• MAKING THE DUMPLINGS: Place a small mound of filling in the middle of the wrapper. (Be very careful not to touch the edges with the filling as this will impede proper sealing of the dumplings. Nothing is worse than dumplings breaking during cooking.) Fold the wrapper in half to form a half moon shape. Starting on one end fold/pinch the wrapper tightly together. Proceed with this fold/pinch method until the dumpling is completely sealed. There will be approximately 10 to 14 folds per dumpling. Rest the dumplings with the folded edges straight up.
• COOKING THE DUMPLINGS: In a hot saute pan coated well with oil, place pot stickers flat side down and cook until the bottom is browned. Have pan cover ready and add 1 cup of chicken stock, cover immediately. Be careful, the liquid will splatter! The stock will steam the pot stickers. Check them in 5 minutes as more stock may be needed. The trick here is that once the dumplings are firm and fully cooked the stock will evaporate and the bottoms will crisp-up again.
• Combine all and serve in a small bowl.
• PLATING: Serve pot stickers on a large platter lined with lettuce with a bowl of dipping sauce on the side.

AUTHENTIC CHINESE EGG ROLLS (FROM A CHINESE PERSON)

Steps:

• Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Pour in beaten eggs and cook, without stirring, until firmed. Flip the eggs over and cook for an additional 20 seconds to firm the other side. Set egg pancake aside to cool, then slice into thin strips.
• Heat the remaining vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in cabbage and carrot; cook for 2 minutes to wilt. Add bamboo, mushroom, pork, green onions, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and MSG; continue cooking until the vegetables soften, about 6 minutes. Stir in sliced egg, then spread mixture out onto a pan, and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
• To assemble the egg rolls, place a wrapper onto your work surface with one corner pointing towards you. Place about 3 tablespoons of cooled filling in a heap onto the bottom third of the wrapper. Brush a little beaten egg white onto the top two edges of the wrapper, then fold the bottom corner over the filling and roll firmly to the halfway point. Fold the left and right sides snugly over the egg roll, then continue rolling until the top corners seal the egg roll with the egg white. Repeat with remaining egg roll wrappers, covering finished egg rolls with plastic wrap to keep from drying out.
• Heat about 6-inches of oil in a wok or deep-fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Fry egg rolls 3 or 4 at a time until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

EAST MEETS WEST: RIB EYE/PORK/CHEESE EGGROLLS

Steps:

• PREP/PREPARE
• Chef's Note: I tried several variations to this recipe. I tried all pork, and then all beef, but wasn't happy with the results. Then I tried half pork and half beef, and decided it was too much on the pork side. I finally came up with a 3 to 1 ratio (3 parts beef/1 part pork).
• Chef's Note: For the beef, I finally landed on rib eye because it had the perfect combination of fat to meat, and for the pork; lean tenderloin worked out the best. I wanted the beef to supply the fat, not the pork.
• Chef's Note: I really, really, really wanted to add some bacon to this recipe, but I found that it didn't balance with the taste I was looking for. Sorry... no bacon.
• Chef's Note: One more IMPORTANT thing... pre-ground meats that are packaged by the store are a fine grind, and you want a course grind. If you don't have the ability to grind your own meats, then have your butcher do it for you, and ask for a course grind.
• Gather your ingredients.
• Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onions.
• Chef's Note: While the onions are cooking, add a bit of salt and pepper.
• Sauté until softened, but not browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Place the beef and pork into the skillet.
• Cook until all the pink is gone, about 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add the tamari, Worcestershire, and cabbage to the pan.
• Stir to combine, about 1 minute.
• Chef's Note: Do one final seasoning of the beef/pork mixture with a bit of salt and pepper, to taste.
• Transfer contents of the skillet to a colander, and allow the mixture to drain, and cool for about 30 minutes.
• Add the cooled mixture to a bowl, and then add the cheese.
• Gently toss to combine.
• THE ASSEMBLY
• Lay an eggroll wrapper on a clean surface with one point facing you.
• Add 3 tablespoons of the meat mixture to the wrapper.
• Begin rolling up, until you get halfway.
• Brush some water on the two points on the left and right.
• Fold those in toward the center.
• Wet the top point.
• Finish rolling, and place seam-side down on a clean surface.
• Chef's Note: Repeat for the other eggrolls.
• Heat about 3 inches (7.5cm) of peanut oil in a heavy-bottom pot to 350f (175c).
• Add the eggrolls without crowding the pot.
• Deep fry until the outside is golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Drain on a paper towel, and repeat for the remainder of the eggrolls.
• Chef's Tip: If you preheat your oven to 200f (95c), you can place the cooked eggrolls into the oven to keep them warm while you cook the others.
• PLATE/PRESENT
• Slice on the bias, and serve with some typical condiments (mustard, ketchup, steak sauce). Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.