BBQ Pork Egg Rolls

Instructions

1. Egg Rolls
2. If using dried shiitake mushrooms rehydrate them now by placing in a bowl of water and allowing to soak until plump.
3. Add ground pork to a skillet and turn heat to medium high. When pork begins to sizzle, add char sui packet and mix well. Continue to cook until pork is cook through and begins to release some of the fat. Add shiitake mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes. Set mixture aside to cool.
4. Once pork and mushrooms are cool enough to handle, break up any large pieces.
5. Place peanut butter and peanut oil into a small saucepan and heat over low heat until thin and combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
6. Blanch cabbage in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, once it turns a brighter green remove from water and place in a colander and rinse with very cold water, or place into an ice bath.
7. Drain water from cabbage and place into a kitchen towel and wring cabbage dry.
8. Combine pork and mushrooms with cabbage, bean sprouts, green onions, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots.
9. Add sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper.
10. Add cooled peanut butter and peanut oil, mix until everything is evenly distributed. Taste, add more salt if necessary. Depending on the saltiness of your peanut butter, you may not need any more or you may need another 2 teaspoons. Remember, once you add salt you can’t take it out!
11. Fill each wrapper according to package directions.
12. Freeze any eggrolls you do not plan on eating the day of preparation in a single layer, not touching each other. Once they are frozen solid they can be placed into another container, or a freezer bag, until ready to use.
13. To fry, place oil no higher than ½ full in saucepan, wok, or deep fryer and heat over medium high heat until the end of a chopstick starts to bubble. Alternately you can use the end of a wooden spoon.
14. When the oil is ready, carefully place egg rolls into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan, ideally they should not be touching.
15. Flip them over a few times, you may find that they will not stay rolled over. If this happens, just use a kitchen spider or other utensil that will not melt in hot oil and weigh the egg rolls over. Remove them as soon as they are to your desired color.
16. Remove briefly to paper towels to drain, do not allow the egg rolls to touch as they cool or the sides touching will become soggy.
17. If you are using frozen spring roll skins, these will not get as dark or golden as the ones from the produce section in a grocery store.
18. If you begin to see filling leaking out or hear bubbling as loud as you did when you first dropped the egg rolls into the oil, remove them.
19. Serve with sweet and sour sauce.

Apricot Sweet and Sour Sauce

1. Mix nectar, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan. Set over medium high heat and cook until sugar melts. Rock and lump sugar will take up to 20 minutes before completely dissolving.
2. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes.
3. Bring to a boil, add cornstarch mixed with water. Cook just until mixture comes back to original color. Set aside to cool.