Fried Turkey & Cabbage Wontons

Most traditional recipes call for ground pork but I happen to have ground turkey at home plus this is a leaner/ healthier alternative... without sacrificing taste!

Ingredients:

1/2 small cabbage (about 8 oz)

1/2 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger, grated

3 scallions, chopped

1/2 lb ground turkey

1/4 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 Tb soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

Directions:

1) Toss cabbage w/ 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Let it stand for 15 minutes (this draws the moisure out) & squeeze out any access liquid

2) Combine turkey, garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, salt, sesame oil w/ cabbage until well mixed

3) Place a bit of the mixture in the middle of a wonton wrapper & fold according to the directions below & seal w/ egg mixture

4) Deep fry until golden brown & cooked. Serve w/ soy dipping sauce (below)

Folding Wonton Dumplings:

- Place the wonton on a flat surface in a diamond position

- Add a small spoonful of the mixture to the center of the wonton (be careful not to over stuff)

- Brush the edges w/ egg

- Fold the wonton in half so that the bottom corner of the wonton fold over the top corner to form a triangle & seal

- Fold the right and left corners together and seal w/ egg


Soy dipping sauce:

soy sauce, rice vinegar, salt-- combine ingredients to taste

Shrimp Spring Rolls

The measurements for this recipe are estimates so feel free to play around with it. If you want to make this a vegetarian dish, simply omit the shrimp. Makes 12-15 rolls.

Ingredients:
· 3 oz Vermicelli Noodles
· 2 Tb Oil (Vegetable, Peanut or Canola)
· 1/3 lb Shrimp- peeled &deveined
· 2 inch Ginger Root- finely chopped
· 3 cloves Garlic- finely chopped
· 2 Scallions- chopped
· 2 Carrots- shredded
· 2 Bean Sprouts
· 5 oz Spinach
· Small bunch Cilantro
· Spring Roll Wrappers
· 2 Tb Soy Sauce
· 1 Egg
· Oil, for frying

Preparing Ingredients:
Soak the vermicelli noodles according to the directions on the package and once complete, cut them into smaller pieces. Finely chop the ginger, slice the scallions, shred the carrots and coarsely chop the spinach, cilantro and shrimp. I recommend having all of the ingredients ready before you heat up your wok because everything will cook very quickly.

Cooking the Mixture:
In a hot wok, add oil, ginger, garlic, and scallions. Let this cook until the flavors release. Next, add carrots, bean sprouts, spinach, cilantro, soy sauce and noodles. Mix this together well so that your get an even bite of all the in the filling. Let this cook for a few minutes and once its finished, set the mixture aside and let it cool. Beat the egg in a small bowl and set aside.

Wrapping the Spring Rolls:
Peel the wrappers apart and cover with a damp towel to keep them from drying. Lay one of the shells in front of you with one corner towards you (like the shape of a diamond) and the other corners facing your right, left, and up.

Once the mixture is cooled, add a spoonful of the filling to the bottom-center of the spring roll wrapper. (If the mixture is not cooled properly, it could burn through your wrapper). Roll the mixture in the wrapper tightly but be careful not to rip the wrapper. Once halfway up, fold each of the two sides to the center and continue rolling up. When you get about one inch from the top of the wrapper, rub a bit of the egg wash on the wrapper to seal the spring roll.

Cookin’ It up:
Heat your frying device (deep fryer, wok with a few inches of oil, etc). Once all of the spring rolls are assembled and your oil is hot, slowly place the spring rolls in the oil and cook until golden brown. Degrease the spring rolls by placing them on paper towel. Serve plain or with a dipping sauce. I like to use a sweet chili sauce.