Beef, pork, chorizo, turkey would be just as happy to snuggle down into one of these wrappers in concert with the veggies and spices, so use your imaginations and let this recipe be a jumping-off point. I have wrapped Arab-spiced fillings, turkey with a Thanksgiving inspiration and of course many Asian-inspired fillings which feel very much at home blanketed in their indigenous eggroll wrapper. Interestingly enough, I have never filled them with eggs! Hmmm - a new one to try!
You can try the option of baking them, by brushing the filled wrappers generously with oil and baking at 400-425 degrees until golden, but they never achieve quite the same silky crunch they acquire from frying. It depends on what you want to achieve. As long as I'm making them, I go for the gold of the fried crunch!
Southwest Egg Rolls
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chopped green chiles
1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn niblets, thawed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
dash of dried red pepper flakes
juice of 1 lime
3/4 cup chopped green onions, with green ends
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar or Mexican cheese blend
1 package 6 x 6 inch egg roll wrappers, or
16 small flour tortillas, thin variety
oil for frying
-In a large skillet, saute onions, red pepper and
garlic in 2 tablespoons oil until very soft. Add
chiles, chicken, beans and corn and warm
through.
-Sprinkle cornstarch over mixture and stir until
cornstarch is absorbed. Pour in chicken stock and
cook over medium-high heat until stock thickens.
Add red-pepper flakes, green onions and squeeze
lime juice over. Mix about 2 minutes over
medium-high heat. Season to taste with salt and
pepper.
-Remove from heat and allow to cool about 15
minutes. Stir in cheese. Set aside or chill until
ready to use.
-Lay egg roll wrappers on a clean work surface, 2
or 3 at a time, in front of you with the square
wrapper turned so a point faces you (creating a
diamond shape). If using tortillas, it doesn't
matter as they are round.
-Place about 2 tablespoons of filling on bottom
third of wrapper and spread out to about 3-4
inches. Working from the bottom point, closest to
you, wrap the bottom end up over the filling
tucking it snugly against the filling. Turn in the
two outer points, then roll completely to the top
as snugly as you can. Wet the top point with
water and press against the wrapped filling to
help hold that point in place. (See pictures
below.)
-Heat about 1 inch of oil in skillet or wok to 350
degrees on thermometer over medium-high heat.
Place eggrolls in the oil, seamside down and fry
until golden brown on one side then turn with
tongs and fry on the other side until golden.
Remove to paper-towel-lined plate and let cool
about 10 minutes before serving.
-Lay rolls on bed of shredded lettuce and garnish
with slivered green onions and thinly sliced red
pepper strips. Serve with sour cream, salsa,
guacamole and pico de gallo on the side. Makes
16-20 rolls.
Saute vegetables and add chicken,
stock and spices.
filling on bottom 3rd of wrapper.
Fold bottom point over filling,
tucking it in snugly.
Fold 2 side points inward, over filling.
Wet top point and continue to
roll to top.
Serve eggrolls with sour cream, guacamole and salsa.
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
**Technically, these are not eggrolls unless you use eggroll wrappers,
however, they are also good wrapped in thin flour tortillas and tend
to be sturdier. I am a fan of both - the eggroll wrapper has a flakier,
crispy texture while the tortilla is more traditional for a Tex-Mex
bready texture. But the melding of two cuisines is part of what
makes them unique. Try them both ways and see what you prefer!
**If your filling mixture becomes too wet, just drain it in a colander
for a few minutes before filling wrappers. Wrappers will tend to
break open if the mixture is too wet. The tortillas don't mind as
much.
**I like to place my cooked rolls on a bit of a slant on the paper-
towel-lined platter, so some of the oil can drain off. You can place
the handle of a wooden spoon on the platter to lay them against.
**These can be made ahead and kept chilled for an hour or so before
frying. They may also be frozen for future use - freeze well-wrapped
before cooking them. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 - 15
minutes before frying. To reheat cooked rolls, place the rolls on a
tray and bake for 10 minutes at 325 degress to re-crisp them.
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