This was another leftover use of the pulled pork. We were invited to a gathering and thought of using the leftover pork in an appetizer. The intention was to make spring rolls, but they did not have spring roll wrappers at the grocery store and I was too lazy to go to the Asian store to get them so I used egg roll wrappers. The wrapper said they could also be used as spring roll wrappers. They were not the consistency that I was looking for, so I ended up adjusting the plan half way through and it worked out.
First off was to prepare the filling which involved sending peaches, carrots, cucumber, and jalapenos through the food processor.
Then adding some of the leftover pulled pork.
I guess it works out that we don’t know how to cook for just 2 people (tons of leftover pork!)
I mixed the filling together.
Fillings are not meant to be pretty. That's why they are hidden.
Then I prepped the rice stick noodles.
Keep them in the water until you use them otherwise they will all stick together.
At the same time, I warmed water to just about as hot as I could put my hand into. Then I would quickly dip the wrapper into the warm water to soften it up.
Just a real quick dip
Then to the assembly process which can be a bit tricky.
First add a small twirl of noodles.
Then a scoop of the filling. It is hard to be disciplined enough to put in the right amount of filling. Remember that less is better and easier to wrap up.
It's tempting to put so much filling in!
Then to the wrapping process. Much the same as a burrito. Over from one corner first.
Then the two outer corners over and try to pull the filling in a bit and tighten it into a roll.
Then flip it over onto the remaining flap and try to tighten it and round it. You can do this by rolling it back and forth a bit.
Next onto the peanut topping and dipping sauce.
I followed this recipe from Ellie Krieger, which was first introduced to us by Ashley. This recipe is easy to follow- I just threw everything in the blender- and it is delicious! I doubled the recipe so we’d have some leftovers. Believe me, you’ll want some leftover!
I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
YUM!
Like I said, the original plan was to have spring rolls so I was not planning on cooking these at all. However, when it came down to it the egg rolls were really wet and sticky and needed to be cooked. We baked them in the oven for a few minutes, just enough to stiffen up a bit and this worked pretty well. We also ended up with a few of these leftover and later fried them in a skillet with a little sesame oil, which created a nice crunchy outer shell. Both cooking options worked well, so it’s really up to you and what type of consistency you want. Enjoy!
One of my favorite restaurants in the whole wide world used to be California Pizza Kitchen. I just loved it- I always, always got the spinach and artichoke dip appetizer and the thai chicken pizza (on honey whole wheat crust!). When I find something I like at a restaurant, I am notorious for ordering it every single time I go back and this was no exception. As I have matured and my foodie-ness has grown in epic proportions, CPK just doesn’t have the same appeal it once did. That’s ok, it happens. However, every now and then I still get a taste for this uniquely delicious pizza and being the self-proclaimed foodies that we are, I suggested we try to make it ourselves. It turned out great and I encourage you to shake things up sometime and give this recipe a try.
Starving Kitten 