Rice Noodle Spring Rolls

So what’s the difference between an Egg Roll and a Spring Roll and why do people confuse Summer Rolls with Spring Rolls? Well, I think the main thing to look at is that they are all rolled in a wrapper with vegetables and they are all fried. Except for the Summer Roll, which is a Korean Roll many confuse for the Spring Roll but Spring Rolls are fried! The easiest way to remember is this: Egg Rolls are bigger, Spring Rolls are small and Summer Rolls are soft and see through. The best part is, you can put anything you want in any of them. Sure there’s a few traditions but you literally could go breakfast burrito in any one of these rolls if you really wanted to.

Rice Noodle Spring Roll Ingredients:

1 qt boiling water
2 Rice noodles
1 Nori Sheet
Cilantro, freshly chopped
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
2 tbsp Cooking Oil
8 oz Ground Pork, cooked
Salt and Pepper too taste
2 tbsp Tempura Dipping Sauce (1 part ea. Soy, Sugar, Water, White Vinegar)
1 pkg Spring Roll Wrappers
1/4 cup Water for wetting Wrappers
Oil for Frying

Boil water and Poor over Rice Noodle in a separate bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes then strain and add 1 tbsp cooking oil to prevent sticking. Cut Nori into fours then stack and cut with scissors into shoe string slices. Chop Cilantro and Garlic. Cook pork with 1 tbsp of cooking oil and add garlic half way through cooking and salt and pepper to taste. Combine the Rice Noodle with cut Nori, Cilantro, Pork and Tempura Dipping Sauce and mix thoroughly. Add 2 to 3 tbsp of the mixed Rice Noodle Ingredients to the center of 1 Spring Roll Wrapper. Starting with the back corner, fold over the top and tuck the ingredients back so they are snug. Fold the left and right sides in at 90 degree angles and roll forward half way. Wet the last corner with a finger dab of water in an envelope fashion, then complete the rolling and apply light pressure in the center of the roll to ensure it won’t come apart in the fryer. Fry at 350 degrees for approximately 3 minutes. Let them cool on Paper towels before serving with Sweet and Sour or Orange Chili Sauce.

How to Make Chili Oil

The Best Chili Oil

Chili Oil is made about once a month, in a large Chinese Restaurant I use to work for, and this literally is the way it’s done. It’s very straight forward and easy to make. Of course the Restaurant required more volume so I’ve Dumbed this recipe down quite a bit just to give you what you need for your kitchen. You can use this oil to spice up many of you’re favorite recipes and it can be added through out the cooking process or served as condiment for individuals to add to their specific tastes.

Chili Oil Ingredients:

1 cup Red Chili’s
2 cups Canola Oil

To make Chili Oil, combine Oil add Red Chili’s in a pan and Heat Oil to 180 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 5 minutes, then kill the heat and let it rest 2 to 3 hours before straining. Other ingredients can be added, if you want more flavor than just the heat. Garlic and Ginger are great examples but the possibilities are endless.

Poor the oil into your favorite receptacle or mason jar for safe storage. On a side Note, this can irritate your eyes when it’s cooking, so it’s not a bad idea to cook this outside if you have an outside burner on a barbecue or something. And if you want more potency, crush the red chili’s up and cook with the lid off until there is a Red hue to the Chili Oil.

Dan Dan Noodle

How do you like your Dan Dan Noodle?

The Dan Dan Noodle is originally a Scechwan recipe, which in my opinion translates, “Hot and Spicy”! But the heat can literally be thrown out all together if you’re not really into that much of a kick. This recipe is a perfect example of how I “dumb it down” for my girls. Mostly because the flavor still exists, I just extract the spice so that their little mouths won’t set on fire. But if you want it in there for your self, feel free to throw in some chili flakes or some chili oil to pep it up a bit and you’ll love it. Aso, you need to decide if you want to use Ground Pork or Chicken. In this recipe I’m using Pork but it can very easily be substituted and it won’t change the recipe at all what so ever. In fact, I personally prefer Ground Chicken.

Now, that we’ve covered the basics, all you have to decide now is whether you want the Dan Dan Noodle on a plate or in a bowl as a soup. Just like deciding if you want it spicy or not, it’s just a simple additive of chicken stock if you want it to be a soup. Nothing to it, it’s that simple. On a side note, you can add some peanuts to this dish as well because it gives it a little crunch. I only mention it because you’re going to find that ingredient in other versions of this recipe if you’re doing some investigative research on the Dan Dan Noodle. I think here in America, P.F. Chang’s is ultimately responsible for bringing this dish to light. Other restaurants in the corporate chain like Typhoon’s and the like have added it to their menu as well because it’s a great gourmet Noodle dish.

Dan Dan Noodle Ingredients:

8 oz Noodle
8 oz ground Pork or Chicken
1 chopped Green Onion
2 tbsp chopped Red Bell Pepper
1/2 tsp minced Ginger
2 tbsp Black Bean Garlic Sauce
1 tsp Hoisin Sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup Chicken Stock
1/2 tsp Chili Flakes or Chili Oil (optional)
1 tsp Corn Starch (deluded with 2 tbsp water)

Garnish with Grated Cold Cucumber and Bean Sprouts
If you’re preparing a Dan Dan Noodle soup, just add 1 cup Chicken stock over the top.