Pork Egg Rolls

Egg rolls are sooooo good, and actually quite easy and fun to make. So lets get rolling. Get it? Rolling?

You need a pound of pork. You can either dice some up real small or get ground pork. We used a pack of mild sausage. It's already ground, has a little extra flavor, and is relatively inexpensive. You also need a carrot (or a bag of pre-shredded carrots), a medium sized cabbage, a small can of sliced bamboo shoots, 2 eggs, 2 green onions, soy sauce, rice vinegar (but you can use regular white vinegar if you don't have rice vinegar), and egg roll wrappers or spring roll wrappers. *Many recipes call for MSG to be added, but I didn't include it because it can make some people (like me) feel ill. Feel free to add it if you wish.

Rinse the cabbage as much as possible. Cut it in half from the top. Carefully cut out the hard part at the bottom of each section. Then cut it in the thinnest slices possible from top to bottom. Cut a couple of times across the slices to make the pieces smaller. Then wash the cabbage again, to make sure it's all clean.

Cut up the 2 green onions and the can of bamboo shoots. (Please remove the shoots from the can before attempting to chop.) You can chop with a knife or use a handy dandy food chopper. Those are great for taking out your frustration. Angry with your sister? Chop a veggie. Peal the carrot and julienne or shred about half of it. We took the easy way out and bought a bag of pre-cut carrots. Just use about 2 handfuls of shreds. There should still be plenty left for nibbling.

If you didn't get ground pork, dice your pork up really small. Throw your pork into a wok, or any large pan you want and cook it. Mix and chop it up while its cooking to keep it in small pieces. Drain it.

Leave the pork in the drainer and wipe out the wok, unless you are lucky enough to have more than one. Pour a little oil in the bottom of the wok and toss in all your veggies. Add a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce, a teaspoon of the rice vinegar, a couple of dashes of salt and pepper, and one teaspoon of sugar. Sauté it all for about 5 or 6 minutes, or until the veggies start getting soft. Then throw the pork back in and mix it all up real good for a minute.

Spread the mixture on a baking pan and put it in the refrigerator to cool for about an hour. Yes, it's tasty just like this, but hold off. It's better when it's all finished.

While the filling is cooling, it's a great time to get the fryer out and heating up, make your kids clean up the huge mess you just made, get your wrappers out, and beat some egg whites. Please wait until you crack the eggs before beating them. Carefully crack 2 eggs, being sure to keep the yolk from breaking or getting in the bowl. We used this awesome egg separator, but if you don't have one, just use the shell to try to hold the yolk out. Then, just start beating. The egg whites, not your sister. Go ahead and grab some spoons, some wax paper to work on, and a pastry brush too.

Take out the filling and place an egg roll wrapper on your wax paper with a point at the top. Brush some egg white on the top two edges. This will seal the egg roll when you're finished. Scoop about 3 tablespoons of the filling onto the lower part of the wrapper. Fold up the bottom corner of the roll. Then, fold over the two sides, making sure no part is left open on the sides. Finally roll the whole thing up tightly, making sure the top corner seals well. Place finished rolls on a pan or a tray and cover them so they don't dry out.

Drop 3 or 4 egg rolls into the fryer at a time. Make sure to move them around a bit and flip them over. They're done when they are golden brown. Carefully remove them and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the grease. Cook as many fresh rolls as you can eat and freeze the rest for later.

Grab some sweet an sour sauce if you'd like, or eat em just the way they are. Enjoy the tasty deliciousness. And that is how we roll.