Poutine Egg Rolls are when the Great White North meets the Exotic Far East in this variation on classic Canadian Quebecois poutine.
Poutine Egg Rolls
by Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
I am really excited about this dish. It contains some of my favorite things: potatoes, cheese, and Canadian flavor wrapped up tight in a dim sum wrapper. Last summer I was doing a LOT of Canadian Quebecois recipes, and I can tell you I was in amazement at the type of things they cook. The French Canadians take food very seriously and aren’t afraid of being different. From Sugar Shacks to Poutine, they have their own unique spin, draped in Acadian culture. Take a peek at some of the recipes I prepared:
Toasts Perdu au Oeufs Canadien
Pommes Persillade – Home Fries with Fresh Herbs
and as well, the classic poutine:
even one with a twist that I prepared even earlier:
Since I’ve already done several “sort of typical” poutines in the loaded-fries style, I wanted to go someplace different with it. And how much further can I get from Ohio and Quebec than the Chinese flavors of the far east? I did want to keep the spirit of the poutine intact, so I made sure it included fried potatoes, fresh cheese curds and gravy.
China has a sensational brown gravy they use in most stir-fries. With a few flavor enhancements, the usual brown gravy of Montreal can be transformed into a Chinese egg roll dipping sauce. And what better delivery system for that Mess-o-Poutine than a crispy wrapper that lets you hold it in your hand? Fabulous.
And as excited as I was about the concept of this recipe, I can’t tell you how excited I am about the results. It has far exceeded my expectations, and if I owned a pub or sports bar, I’d have these on the menu post haste. They will be the bomb at any football party. And if you want to cook them in advance, you can do that, then freeze them (the sauce freezes well too) and to reheat, bake them up at 350ºF., for 35-40 minutes until hot (time will depend on how solidly frozen they are- cut one open to see if it’s hot yet).
And while I know some people like to bake their egg rolls, I will warn you that most egg rolls bake unevenly, being a bit limp and splotchy in color. The frozen ones from the store were previously fried. And if you want to bake these, brush them with oil to help, but as you can tell, brushing oil is negating some of the lo-cal benefits of baking.So why not fry? Egg rolls are not a diet food. And baked ones are never quite the same. (Do what you have to- it’s your egg roll) So I can’t be apologetic about the frying, even if I wish they were totally calorie free. As an appetizer portion, it is still eaten in moderation.
~Sue
Poutine Egg Rolls
Servings:
- 6 as a dim sum main dish ~or~ 20 small appetizers (for parties)
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Idaho® potatoes
- 5 ounces fresh cheddar cheese curds, finely chopped
- 1 (1 pound) package egg roll wrappers
- peanut oil, as needed (for frying)
- salt and pepper (optional and to taste)
Dipping Sauce:
- 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha or other brand of spicy chili sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Method:
- Cook potatoes for ten minutes in boiling salted water; drain and cool.
- When cool, chop potatoes in a fine dice (no need to peel unless you want to).
- Stir together the dipping sauce and bring to a boil in a small saucepan over moderate heat; boil one minute, stirring, until thickened.
- Heat oil one inch deep in a large nonstick skillet; fry diced potatoes until golden; season with salt and black pepper if desired.
- Mix chopped cheese curds with potatoes in a bowl.
- Place one ounce of filling in the center of an egg roll wrapper; fold sides towards center and roll up, wetting the edges of the wrapper with water so it seals. Do this for all.
- Heat oil one inch deep in a large nonstick skillet (I used the same one I used for the potatoes) and fry egg rolls on all sides until golden, then drain.
- Serve egg rolls with dipping sauce.
From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com