Pork Spring Rolls – Baked not Fried – Cooking at Clark Towers

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mom’s out there who have baked brownies or cupcakes at the last minute for a class bake sale their kids forgot to tell the about. For all the mom’s who make dinners that their kids won’t eat for one reason or another. For all the mom’s who spend many hours in the kitchen and around the table sharing food and stories. I raise a glass to you all! Mom is a tough job but I am proud to do it!

Even though my kids are young adults now, if they are home we all sit down at the table for dinner together. One of the many proud Mom traditions I started when they were born. Our meals have definitely evolved over the years and have become not only a meal to fill the void, it has become a journey of food and ingredient discovery.

My daughter just came back from a weeks long trip to Iceland. She brought back native hot dogs and mustard for us to try; she said she never had a better hot dog. After making one of her favorites last week, it seems that there is more to a hot dog than ketchup, mustard and relish. This one had potato salad, fried onions, Icelandic mustard; which is kind of a sweet mustard, and some BBQ sauce layered in a hoagie bun. It truly was delicious and piqued my interest in hot dogs, which I didn’t think was possible.

I have also been intrigued by egg rolls, spring rolls and dumplings. A few weeks ago I made egg rolls that I shared with you; last week I pulled some spring roll wrappers out of the freezer and while I love the fried version, I found a baked recipe I thought looked promising and a little better for us. See still being a Mom and wanting better for my family.

Bake Pork Spring Rolls

1 pound ground pork
½ head finely shredded cabbage
½ cup finely shredded carrot
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
3 teaspoons fresh grated ginger root
2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon chile sauce

2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon water
12 – 7 inch square spring roll wrappers
4 teaspoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425’ F

In a medium saucepan over medium heat brown the pork, remove from heat and drain.

In a medium bowl, mix together pork, cabbage, carrot, green onion, cilantro, sesame oil, oyster sauce, ginger, garlic and chile sauce. Make sure to taste the mixture and adjust seasonings if needed.

Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl

Place a large tablespoon of the pork mixture in the center of the spring roll. Roll wrappers around the mixture, folding edges inward to close. Moisten fingers in the cornstarch water mixture, and brush wrapper seams to seal.

Arrange spring rolls in a single layer on a medium baking sheet. Brush with vegetable oil. Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, until hot and lightly browned. For crispier spring rolls, turn 10 minutes.