egg rolls

This should conclude my present egg roll fixation for awhile because all the egg roll wrappers are used up. But there are still plenty of spring roll wrappers and there is still an open pound tin of Hatch chiles only half used. 

A filling is prepared of regular mild breakfast sausage lightened with tofu that is processed to a paste, and of vegetables par-cooked to give them a head start and to encourage them to release excess water before being rolled. The filling is rolled into wrappers, sealed, and deep-fried until golden brown.

The same pan is used separately to fully cook the sausage, par-cook dense vegetables, and wilt the cabbage. 

This little processor that came as an attachment to the higher-powered immersion blender sure is handy. More handy than I expected. (I burned out two previous lower-power blenders by the same manufacturer. This one is noticeably heavier.) At first I blew it off as nuisance because I already have three other similar processors including another mini that is freaking LOUD compared to this one.

My intention was to mix the processed tofu with the sausage to lighten it. That's a little Asian trick. Silky tofu is better for this, but firm tofu is all I has so I added a few tablespoons of olive oil. The sausage still seemed too lumpy so I put it all back into the processor and whirled away until smooth. 

I love it when a plan comes together. The sausage/tofu mixture is combined with the vegetable/cabbage mixture and enhanced with a mysterious unexpected spice. Guess what it is. 

Guess, I said. 

You'll never guess. It's not any of my usual favorite things. Answer below displayed in white text. Select all to see. 

Nutmeg. Ha ha ha. Didn't see that coming, now did you?

So there's that.

The sauce is the same sauce as for the spring rolls in the previous post except this time rice vinegar substitutes for lime and there is a hefty shot of sake rice wine. 

Amounts are approximations:

1/4 cup Three Crabs fish sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup sake, rice wine  

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons refined sugar

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic

1/4 teaspoon hot chile flakes

Notice the sugar and vinegar. That is to impart sweet/sour. It could just as easily be brown sugar or mirin or honey or Lyle's golden syrup, or maple syrup, or corn syrup, or the like mixed with lime or lemon, or grapefruit juice, or any vinegar or anything puckery and sour like that. See? Live creatively and invent your own thing. The point is to create sweet and sour contrast within the sauce somehow, and then contrast that with yet other attributes.