Egg Roll in a Bowl @LucyBurdette @OnceUponaChef

LUCY BURDETTE: I spotted this recipe on one of my go-to cooking blogs, Once Upon a Chef. Many years ago I made actual egg rolls, stuffing the wrappers with prepared vegetables and meat and frying them. They were delicious, but was quite a production, one that I haven't repeated. I seem to remember we cooked an entire Chinese dinner that night, and the egg rolls were only one small bit of it. 

This recipe is much, much easier than making egg rolls, but it tastes just like an egg roll. You can adjust ingredients according to your taste. I used ground turkey rather than pork and added more color with carrots and peppers.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

• 1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 pound ground turkey

• 1/2 cabbage, shredded 

• Red pepper, sliced lengthwise

• 1-2 carrots, cut into match sticks

• 2-3 tbsp soy sauce

• 3 tablespoons sweet and sour sauce, plus more for serving 

• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

• ⅓ cup unsalted cashews, chopped

• Ribboned basil for garnish

• Rice, for serving 

• Snow peas, if available

Prepare the vegetables by slicing scallions, chopping ginger and garlic, shredding cabbage, slicing red pepper, and cutting the carrots into matchsticks. 

Stir fry the scallions, garlic, and ginger in a little oil, then add the turkey and brown that.

Then add the vegetables up until cabbage. 

Stir fry this for a few minutes and when everything is getting soft, add the sweet and sour sauce, the sesame oil, and the soy sauce. Layer the shredded cabbage on top and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer until everything is soft. 

Serve on white rice with basil for garnish and extra soy sauce and sweet and sour sauce on the side. You’ll be pleasantly surprised about how much this tastes like an egg roll!

 Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series. A DISH TO DIE FOR is on bookshelves right now. A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS will be published August 8, 2023. 

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