Egg Rolls

Source: Sandra Leonard,  The Gluten Free Baker Newsletter

Ingredients for Wrapping and Frying:

2 cups warm water

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 package 8-inch round gluten free rice paper wrappers

1/4 to 2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Preparing the Wrappers:

In a shallow, flat bottomed dish, (make sure the rice paper wrapper will fit in it when laid down flat) pan or tray, add the water, sugar and cider vinegar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. This will be the rice paper wrapper bath. Have 2 colanders on hand if possible. You may wish to place them on a tray or in the sink to catch any drips. Carefully submerge one sheet of the rice paper wrapper in the water mixture, just until rice paper wrapper is entirely moistened. It does not need to soak, just to be entirely moistened. Gently remove the rice paper wrapper and prop it up on the inside of a colander to drain and soften. The rice paper wrappers don't soften immediately but in a minute or so they will soften into a pliable texture. Try to allow it to drape over the outside edge of the colander. You may have to give the rice paper wrapper a bit of help as it softens to be sure it drapes over the outside edge. I recommend using colanders as most have a good slope to the sides and the rice paper wrapper will drape to the outside as they soften. Try to keep the softened rice paper wrappers from touching each other as they will stick together. I found that 2 rice paper wrappers per colander seem to work well.

Wrapping: Place a softened sheet of rice paper wrapper on a flat work surface. Place 1 - 2 Tablespoons of the filling approximately 1- 1 1/2 -inch/s from the lower edge. Fold the bottom edge of the rice paper wrapper over the filling,molding the filling a little with your fingers to form a cylinder. Gently roll one full turn so that the filling is secure. Now fold each side edge in towards the center, folding one side edge at a time. Finish by rolling to include the top, it will form a neat cylinder. Don't roll too tight as the filling needs to have a little room to expand during cooking because it is an uncooked filling. This also prevents the rice paper wrapper from breaking open during cooking. Place each roll on a wire cake cooling rack (having the egg roll go across the wires), seam side down (this will help to seal the seam). Continue dipping the rice paper wrappers to soften and rolling until the filling mixture is all used. The rolling process is very easy and gets even easier after you have done a few. If rolling the whole batch, keep the uncooked rolls draped with a barely damp paper towel for up to one hour before cooking. Make sure to keep seam side down so the roll won't come undone. The rolls will become dry if not covered.

Frying the Rolls: To fry the rolls in a large, non-stick frying pan, heat the oil on medium-high (365 - 360 degrees) until hot but not smoking. A small amount of oil can be used, just enough to cover the bottom 1/2-inch. If frying the rolls using this method, three egg rolls can be placed in the frying pan with a little space between each roll. Place the rolls seam side down. Use tongs or long chopsticks, turn the rolls occasionally until they are light golden brown all over. This method requires a bit more turning of the egg rolls to brown on all sides. There will be some spattering if the filling used is not a cooked filling. A deep fryer may also be used to fry the rolls.To drain the egg rolls after frying. Prepare a colander or a bowl by lining the bottom with a pad of paper towels and a layer or two of paper towels all along the sides. As the egg rolls become browned, remove from oil and drain them by standing them up on one end inside the paper lined colander/bowl.

Soft Rolls, Vietnamese style (not fried): Soften a rice paper wrapper, 1 per soft roll. Place your choice of cooked filling in the center and roll as above instructions. The Vietnamese soft rolls are generally filled with some softened rice stick noodles, a few pieces of finely julienned vegetables (carrot, green onions, snow pea pods, hot pepper) and maybe a thin slice of cooked chicken, pork or shrimp. The shrimp is usually halved lengthwise. The filling isn't bulky so it won't tear the wrapper. Serve room temperature or warm with dipping sauce/s.

EGG ROLL FILLING - COOKED

The Baker has gotten many requests for gluten-free egg rolls. The following recipes use the same gluten-free rice paper wrapper. Several basic fillings have been included to get you started. Don't be afraid to experiment. To those of you that haven't had a good egg roll for awhile a real treat is in store. This is a quick and easy egg roll filling that I have adapted from my friend Mary J. to be gluten-free. It is a cooked filling. I feel sure that it will soon be a favorite with you also. Fresh ground chicken or turkey may also be used to replace the pork in this recipe.

Yield: 12 - 14 egg rolls, average size

1 lb. pork, fresh, ground, extra lean *

1 Chinese cabbage, small, minced

5 Chinese mushrooms, dried, minced **

4 green onions, whole, minced

1 yellow onion, small, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons gluten-free soy sauce

1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt

1/2 - 1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 - 1 cup bean sprouts, fresh

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Allow the dried mushrooms to soak in warm/hot water to reconstitute for 20- 30 minutes. After they have reconstituted, remove the woody stem and squeeze mushroom cap to remove any excess moisture. Finely mince the mushrooms. In a hot, dry wok or large skillet, stir fry the minced Chinese cabbage. Keep stir frying for about 2-4 minutes until the cabbage is limp and most of the moisture is gone from the cabbage. Set aside.In a non-stick skillet, brown the meat well. Drain any drippings from meat.Add the cooked meat to the cabbage in the wok/skillet. Add the minced mushrooms, green and yellow onions, soy sauce, salt and sugar, toss well. Add the bean sprouts, toss all well. Allow to cook for several minutes. Remove the wok/skillet from the heat and add the cornstarch and stir well to coat all the ingredients. Allow the mixture to cool before wrapping.

* Ground chicken or turkey may be used in the place of the pork in this recipe.

** Can be found in many international sections of large supermarkets or in Asian stores.