Halifax Meat Paste Egg Rolls!
Egg rolls are a funny thing in Canada - they vary wildly based on region. In most places, they’re wrapped the way described here, rather than the burrito-style wrapping that is common elsewhere.
In Ottawa, they’re cylindrical and mostly meat. One end is left open, and the meat spilling out gets very brown - those “burnt end” eggrolls are hugely popular!
In Halifax, it’s all about the meat paste egg rolls. Sure, there’s a small amount of vegetable matter in there... but it’s dwarfed and enveloped by the star of the show - meat!
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Halifax Meat Paste Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- Vegetable canola, or peanut oil, for frying.
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Small Onion finely chopped
- 3/4 cup Shredded Cabbage
- 1 Celery Rib finely chopped
- Salt
- 1 lb Ground Pork
- 2 Garlic Cloves pressed or minced
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Freshly Grated Ginger
- 1/4 tsp Crushed Chilies
- 2 Green Onions chopped
- Ground Black Pepper to taste
- 10 Egg Roll Wrappers
- Plum Sauce For serving
Instructions
- Heat oil to 375 F (190 C). You can use a deep fryer, or a heavy pot. If not using a deep fryer, use a deep, heavy pot, filled to at least 4" deep.
- In a large pan, melt butter. Add onion, cabbage, and celery, sprinkle with a little salt and saute until tender.
- Add ground pork, garlic, sesame oil, ginger, and chilies, stirring occasionally until pork is browned and cooked through, and liquid has all cooked off.
- Transfer pork mixture to a food processor, along with green onions, and blitz until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste, set aside.
- Lay out an egg roll wrapper on your workspace. Using a pastry brush (or just your fingers!), brush a bit of water around the entire edge of the wrapper – about a 1" border. Measure about 1/4 cup of filling in the center of the wrapper.
- Fold one side of the wrapper across the filling, to about 2/3 of the way across the wrapper. Fold the other side of the wrapper across the first side, effectively folding the sheet into thirds, while enclosing the filing.
- Gently squeezing air out as you work, press firmly down on all edges, to seal. Repeat for remaining filling / wrappers.
- Carefully place egg rolls - seam side down - in preheated oil. Fry, turning occasionally, until crispy and golden.
- Transfer to plate lined with paper towels, blot any excess grease before carefully transferring to serving plate.
- Serve hot, with plum sauce
Notes
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With 2017 being Canada's 150th birthday, it's about time I wrote the Canadian cookbook I've been planning for YEARS.
"More than Poutine" will be a Canadian cookbook like no other - written by a Canadian living away, it includes both traditional homecooking recipes, as well as homemade versions of many of the snacks, sauces, convenience foods, and other food items that are hard to come by outside of Canada! High quality gluten-free versions of most recipes are included. |
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