Chicken and Vegetable Spring Rolls/Fried Rice

It was a Chinese Take-out night without the take out part!  Chinese food is my all time favorite.  A few years ago I took a class at our community college to learn a few basics.  Taking the class gave me the confidence to think I am the next Iron Chef....not really, but it did take the mystery out of it.  It would have been so easy to call for take out and justify the cost.  But I had everything on hand and I would have felt wasteful.

I missed my calling in life.  I should have been a sous chef.  I love all the prep work.  The organization and the chopping and measuring.  I find it relaxing to create the pallet to begin.  So lets begin:

Chicken and Vegetable Spring Rolls 
printable recipe

3 oz. cellophane noodles
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 cooked chicken breasts chopped small
1 c. shredded carrot
1 c. shredded cabbage
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. chopped scallions
12 spring roll wrappers
Lettuce leaves

Soak cellophane noodles in hot water for 10 minutes until tender.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add garlic and ginger, cook 1 minute.   

Add chicken, carrot, and cabbage.  Cook 10 minutes until vegetables start to wilt. 

 Stir in noodles and scallions; toss to combine.

Dip spring roll in water.  Lay on a flat surface.  Put a scoop down the center of the wrapper. 

  

Fold two sides over filling and roll up.  

 

 Line a colander with lettuce leaves and place the rolls on the lettuce.  Place the colander on a pot of boiling water and steam for 8-10 minutes.

Fried Rice

printable recipe

2 c. cooked rice

3 T. vegetable oil

2 eggs, beaten

2 cloves garlic chopped

Fresh grated ginger, about an inch

1/2 c. shredded carrots

1 red pepper diced

1/4 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. frozen peas

1/3 c. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

sesame oil

Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat.  Add the oil to the pan.  Add the egg to the oil and break into bits as it scrambles.  

When eggs are cooked add the garlic and ginger.  

Add carrots, pepper, onions to the pan and stir fry for 2 minutes.

Add rice and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes.  

Add peas and soy sauce, stir another minute.  

Add a crushed red pepper and a small drizzle of sesame to serve.

I made a great Honey Soy Dipping Sauce that had soy, sesame oil, honey, crushed red pepper and toasted sesame seeds that finished the whole dish off.  Barring a few techniques like the trick in not tearing the wrapper for the spring roll when serving, this was pretty darn close to the real deal.  Minimal cost, lots of taste and no msg!