A wonderful way for families to learn about other cultures is by celebrating significant holidays from around the world with food. Throughout the Chinese New Year celebration, different dishes are prepared with symbolic significance in mind: noodles for longevity, oranges for wealth, whole chicken for family togetherness and whole fish for prosperity. Another fun fact about noodles is that they are not to be cut because this is considered bad luck and represents a shortened life.
Today, I have an easy egg roll recipe, which symbolizes wealth because they look like gold bullion bars. Whether or not eating them makes you wealthier, they are fun to to prepare as a family. Although I’m not Chinese, my siblings and I used to make egg rolls with my mom when we were young. I look back at those times with much fondness. We would mix the ingredients together and assemble the rolls, then mom would fry them to a crispy golden brown. Making them was fun, but eating them was even better.
If you plan on celebrating Chinese New Year, don’t forget red envelopes, another common tradition during Chinese New Year. The gift of crisp bills are inserted into red envelopes and given to children. The red color symbolizes good luck and is believed to ward off evil spirits. The giving of red envelopes or cash is also a common tradition during New Year festivities in many other Asian cultures.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Chinese New Year, here are some links that may be of interest to you.
- PBS KIDS – Sagwa: Countdown to the New Year
- PBS KIDS – ZOOM: Moon Cakes Recipe
- Chinese New Year by Wikipedia
- Food Symbolism During Chinese New Year Celebrations
- Chinese Zodiac – 2011, Year of the Rabbit
Happy Chinese New Year!
Recipe: Egg Roll Recipe
Serve these crispy egg rolls for the Chinese New Year or any time of the year!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups napa cabbage or regular cabbage, minced or shredded
- 1 carrot, peeled and minced or shredded
- salt and pepper
- 1 package egg roll wrappers
- 3-4 cups peanut oil frying
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add pork, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, corn starch, garlic and ginger. Mix with a spatula until well combined.
- Heat a wok or frying pan on medium high. Add vegetable oil. Cook the pork mixture until meat is no longer pink.
- Add shredded cabbage and carrots and cook for 2 minutes longer. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Place one egg roll wrapper on a clean surface rotating it as a diamond shape. Spoon 1/3 cup of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper from left to right. Grab the bottom corner and fold it over the mixture tucking it in. Then, fold the sides in and proceed to roll the egg roll until there is no more wrapper. Dab the top corner of the egg roll wrapper with water so it adheres to the roll. Continue to make as many rolls as there is filling.
- Heat peanut oil on medium high. When oil is ready, fry each egg roll until they are golden brown. Remove from oil to a plate lined with a paper towel. Serve immediately.
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