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Down South Egg Rolls
Source: Magnolia's, Charleston, South Carolina
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups julienned yellow onion
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin
strips,
removing all fat
1 cup small strips of Tasso
2 packed cups cooked, chopped collard greens, well drained
8 egg roll wrappers
2 teaspoons cold water
2 tablespoons cornstarch for sealing
1 cup cornstarch for dusting
12 cups peanut oil or canola oil for frying (two 48-ounce
containers)
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan over
medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, chicken and Tasso.
Sauté, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chicken is fully
cooked.
Squeeze all juice from the collard greens and add them to the
frying pan.
Cook for 1 or 2 minutes to heat the collards and meld all of
the flavors.
Pour into a colander and drain. Spread the mixture out onto
a pan and let cool. Then squeeze out as much moisture as you
can. You can easily do this by squeezing the mixture in a
clean tea towel, in batches if necessary.
The drier, the better.
Lay the egg roll wrappers on a clean, dry surface dusted
lightly with cornstarch, setting them up in a diamond pattern.
Portion 3/4 cup of filling on the centers of each of the
8 wrappers. Place the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a small
bowl and slowly add the cold water, stirring until you have a
smooth paste which is free of lumps.
Lightly brush the edges of each egg roll wrapper with the
mixture of cornstarch and water. Fold the bottom quarter of
the diamond up toward the top. Fold the two sides inward to
form an envelope. Bring the top corner over toward you.
Gently press the edges to seal the rolls.
Lightly dust the egg rolls with cornstarch to keep them dry.
Put the peanut or canola oil in a deep fryer or a deep frying
pan. If you are using something smaller, use only enough oil
to fill the fryer about three quarters of the way up the sides.
Gradually heat the oil to 340 degrees F by starting to heat it
on medium heat and slowly increasing the heat to medium-high.
Never put oil in any frying container and turn the heat on to
high.
Put only 4 egg rolls in the hot oil at the time. Too many egg
rolls in the oil will bring down the temperature of the oil.
Try to keep the temperature as close to 340 degrees F as
possible.
Fry, turning frequently, until the egg rolls are golden brown
and crispy. Initially you should try to keep the egg rolls
submerged. As they brown, they will float to the top. If the
oil is too hot, the egg roll skins will brown before the
egg rolls become warm throughout.
Remove the egg rolls from the oil and place on paper towels to
absorb any excess oil.
Serve at once with Red Pepper Sauce, Spicy Mustard and Peach
Chutney. For 8 egg rolls, you will need 1-1/2 cups of each
accompaniment.
NOTE:
To use chicken thighs, which are less expensive, buy boneless
and skinless thighs. Thigh meat will take longer to cook than
breast meat. Expect to add another 1O minutes to the sauté
procedure.
Makes 8 egg rolls.
ENJOY!!!
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