I usually bake foods rather than fry them. However, every now and then as a special treat, I pull out the deep fryer. Fried food shouldn’t be too greasy if it is fried properly. The temperature of the oil should be high (347-374 degrees depending on the thickness of the food) and the food should not be immersed too long.

Fried Egg Rolls
3/4 lbs. sausage
2 c. shredded cabbage
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1/2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
12 egg roll wrappers

Fry sausage in a skillet on medium-high heat, breaking it into crumbles. When the sausage is cooked, drain off excess fat. Add cabbage, onion, carrots, celery, ginger and garlic to the skillet with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are soft. Stir in peas and cilantro, cooking a few minutes more.

Heat the deep fryer. We set ours at 365-370 degrees. Assemble the egg rolls by placing about 1/3-1/2 c. of the mixture on a wrapper. Fold the top of the wrapper over the mixture, fold each side toward the center and roll toward the bottom of the wrapper. Seal the final edge with a little water.

I continued to make egg rolls while my husband fried. Working in batches of two rolls at a time, he fried each egg roll until golden brown. Since the filling mixture was already cooked, he focused only on getting the outside crispy. It is important to allow the oil to come back up to temperature between batches.

Some of the filling mixture was left, so I served that over fresh greens. I made a peanut sauce for dipping the egg rolls.

Peanut Dipping Sauce
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/3 c. smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. hot sauce
1/4-1/2 c. hot water

Combine all ingredients except the water in a food processor. Then with the processor on, add water slowly until the sauce reaches a dipping consistency. The sauce is also good served with noodles or rice.

While the deep fryer was available and the oil was hot, we fried several wheat tortillas. My husband shaped them into bowls using small wire strainers. Once cooled, I stored them for later use in a taco salad dinner. Just reheat in a 375-degree oven for 4-5 minutes.

We filled our taco shells with reheated leftover chili, shredded greens, shredded cheese, black olives, chopped green onions, salsa and yogurt or sour cream. It was a quick and tasty weeknight dinner.