Practicing knife skills begets egg rolls

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen last weekend, practicing my knife skills for a Wednesday exam. I julienned carrots and diced onions, piling up bags in my refrigerator. I used my mom's egg roll recipe, and I sat at the table and rolled each one.

I had bought ground turkey at the farmers' market from DiPaola Farm, and decided to put that in the filling.

Making the egg rolls took a long time because I cut most of the vegetables myself. I wanted to get used to the feel of my knife on the cutting board. 

My husband and I lived on two dozen egg rolls for the next few days.

Egg rolls
(You don't have to painstakingly julienne the vegetables or chiffonade the green tops of bok choy like I did. Just shred or chop them.)

Yield: 2 dozen, depending on how many egg roll wrappers you have
 

Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey or pork
1 medium onion, diced
cumin to taste
1/3 of cucumber, shredded
1/2 zucchini, shredded
1 Korean sweet potato or other potato, shredded
1 carrot, shredded
1 bok choy or half a Napa cabbage, julienne
1 bunch mung bean noodles
1 package egg roll wrappers
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Soy sauce

Shred the Korean potato. Microwave the shredded potato in the microwave for one minute to soften it. Set aside.

Shred the zucchini in another bowl. Season with salt. Then microwave the zucchini for a minute. Repeat with the cucumber. Repeat with the carrots.

Soak bean thread noodles in warm water. Set aside.

Pour vegetable or peanut oil in a Dutch oven or cast-iron pot until it is about 3 inches high or the depth you desire. Heat oil until it reaches 375 degrees F. If you don't have a thermometer, drop a tiny piece of an egg roll wrapper in the oil and see if it sizzles.

Meanwhile, pull off each bok choy stalk so you can wash off all the dirt. Chop bok choy or cut into strips. Chop up the green tops. (You’ll need a couple handfuls for the filling. Save the rest for another dish.) Season with salt. Microwave for a minute or two.

 Saute the diced onions in a pan. Add the ground pork or turkey. Season with salt, cumin and pepper. Cook until browned. Set aside.

Cut bean thread into lengths as long as your forefinger. Mix potato, zucchini, cucumber, cabbage, carrots, ground meat and bean threads in a large bowl.

Beat an egg and add 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl and set aside.

Take an egg roll wrapper and place it in front of you on a plate, so it looks like a diamond. Spoon two tablespoons of the mixture in the bottom corner. Fold over the corner. Take your hand and pull the filling towards you to tighten the bundle.

Turn the bundle over again. Then fold the flaps of the wrapper inward. Fold the egg roll one more time. Brush egg wash over the last corner. Then roll the egg roll over to seal it.

Repeat until you have as many egg rolls as you want. Save any leftover filling in the refrigerator. Dip egg rolls in soy sauce.

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