Many of you already know that my family is in LA and we go there often to visit. My kids all love the trip despite a 5 1/2 hour long flight each way. When asked why they like California so much, their first comment is always “because Po Po (maternal grandmother) makes us yummy food”. They are certainly not wrong on that front, my mother is a great cook, and this is one of her receipes that my 2nd son loves. In fact, he had 6 egg rolls in one sitting!

Ingredients:

1 head of napa cabbage (about 3lbs), thinly sliced
1/2 lb pork, julienned
1 can bamboo shoot, julienned (optional)
1 package of square egg roll wrapper (I personally prefer Wei Chuan brand)
3 tbsp canola oil, divided
1½ tbsp to 2 tbsp flour
Salt to taste

Directions:

In a large wok, or sauté pan, heat about 1 ½ tbsp oil until hot, then sauté the julienned pork until cooked. Remove. Add the remaining oil, and sauté the cabbage. Once the cabbage is wilted, mix in the cooked pork. Add salt to taste.

At this point, use 2 to 3 tbsp of the liquid from the wok/pan and mix with the flour to create a slurry. Pour in the slurry back to the wok/pan to thicken the mixture. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours until cold.

Take out 1 egg roll wrapper on the table, position it like a diamond. Place about 1½ to 2 tbsp of the mixture in the center, in a rectangular shape. Fold the wrapper from the bottom first, then left, then right, and finally roll the whole thing upward.

To fry the egg roll, you’ll need enough oil to cover at least ½ inch from the bottom of the wok/pan. Once the oil is hot, slowly place the egg roll in the hot oil, turning once if the top is not covered in oil, and remove the egg roll when the whole thing turns golden. Drain on paper towel lined towel, and enjoy while hot.

In my family, we serve ours with Zheng Jiang vinegar (similar in taste to balsalmic vinegar) and plain congee. Yum!

Note: use a small sewing needle, pierce the egg rolls a few times so that the steam can escape while the egg roll is being fried. This way, it’ll prevent the egg roll from exploding in the pan.