I’m a Jewish caucasian grandmother who isn’t a very good cook. I shy away from any recipe that requires more than two steps or two bowls. However, because I am my Jewish mother’s daughter, when push comes to shove I am able to produce some of the traditional Jewish dishes necessary to commemorate special holidays. Passover meat balls are my extreme specialty, brisket comes next, and matzo balls (from a mix) is my number three contribution to family dinners. In fact, my festive meatballs are most often referred to as Bubby’s Meatballs. I’m never sure, if in my grandchildren's minds, this reference is a good or bad thing. I’m afraid to ask.
Of my four grandchildren, two are Chinese girls born in China. They’ve been eating my Jewish food since they were babies. Yet, lately something about that has been bothering me. To pay tribute to their Asian heritage I’ve always incorporated Chinese design into my home and my wardrobe. Shouldn’t I also be adding some Chinese dishes for these two grandkiddies I adore?
This week my daughter, Leslie alerted me to a recipe for egg rolls that her family loves and are so easy that (according to her) 'EVEN ‘ I should be able to make them. They feature lots of veggies, they take approximately 15 minutes to prepare, 15 minutes to bake (not fry), and you get approximately 20 delicious servings.
Ingredients
2 tbsp. oil
16 oz. bag of coleslaw mix
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 cup bean sprouts
1 tbsp. white wine
2 tbsp. oyster sauce
2 tbsp. soy sauce
8.5 oz. can tiny shrimp
1 tbsp. cornstarch
20 egg roll wrappers
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Heat oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Add coleslaw, green onions, bean sprouts, wine, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and shrimp. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until cabbage is wilted. Mix cornstarch with 1 tbsp. cold water and add. Stir for about 1 minute, until sauce is thickened.
Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place 1/4 cup of the mixture on the middle of an eggroll wrapper, turned like a diamond.
Fold the bottom corner up, over the filling. Fold in the two sides, then roll upwards. Put a dab of water on the corner to help it stick. Place on the pan seam down.
Repeat until you run out of the mixture, about 20 rolls. Eggrolls can be close, but not touching. Spray the tops with cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with sweet & sour sauce, spicy mustard or plum sauce.
For this attempt I substituted chopped chicken for the shrimp because that’s what I had in the fridge. These egg rolls are really good. I will definitely try them again.
P.S. They also make great snacks and probably work well cold for school lunches, too.
The source of this recipe (via my daughter, Leslie) is recipes.sparkspeople.com. I thank them both for helping me to be a better Canadian Caucasian Chinese Grandmother (well sort of ….:)
RELATED: Will My Adopted Chinese Granddaughter Remember Me? 
Printer-friendly version