Magnolia's Down South Egg Rolls
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. Saut�,
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 saut� procedure.
Makes 8 egg rolls. Source: Magnolia's, Charleston,
South Carolina |