Ground Beef Egg Rolls with Sweet & Sour Sauce

I'm not sure where my mom got the recipe for these, but she's had it for years. She used to make them for us and we always thought they were so fun and different. If you've got a hankerin' for something out of the ordinary...try these. A little bit on the Asian side with a little American thrown in for good measure. You can make them as a main dish or serve them as appetizers. The original recipe used won-ton wrappers but I cut to the chase and made the egg roll size. Good either way!

Ground Beef Egg Rolls 
with Sweet & Sour Sauce



1 pound ground beef
12 water chestnuts ~ finely diced
2 green onions ~ diced
2 eggs ~ beaten
1 teaspoon oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt
1 package egg roll wrapper
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with a little water)

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

Heat 2 - 3 cups of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Place 3 - 4 tablespoons of meat filling on an egg roll wrapper and fold to enclose filling. Brush with egg wash around the edges to seal.

Fry egg rolls for 3 - 4 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with sweet & sour sauce. Recipe follows.


Sweet & Sour Sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar
5 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon soy sauce
4 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce.

In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water and add to vinegar mixture.

Heat over medium heat until mixture thickens and boils.

Remove from heat and serve with egg rolls.

Here's what you need for the 

egg rolls. Oops. And 2 green onions.

Throw it all in a bowl.

Mix it up.

Place about 3 tablespoons of 

the meat mixture on an egg roll 

wrapper. Brush the edges with the egg wash.

Bring up the bottom portion.

Fold in the sides.

Fold down the sharp corners.

Roll 'em up, fry 'em up! Rah! Rah! Rah!

Nice and golden brown.

The stuff for the sauce!

Throw it all in a saucepan and stir 

over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

Egg rolls and sweet & sour sauce. Yummy!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Another Chinese food recipe done! I love it, IT Guy hates it and the south is not known for the Chinese cuisine. So, making it at home is my only option if I want any. So here we go! This is killer good. The sauce isn't too sweet but has a nice tang to it. The chicken dredged in cornstarch is great because the cornstarch gives the chicken just a slight crunchy coating. I loved every bite of this!

Sweet 'n Sour Chicken



For the sauce:

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup white vinegar
2/3 cup water 1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/3 cup large diced green pepper ~ optional
1/2 cup pineapple chunks ~ optional

Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan.

Mix all ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.

Stir continuously until the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

Add green bell pepper and pineapple, if using. Keep warm.

For the chicken:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1 - 2 cups vegetable oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into large bite-sized chunks. Season with salt and pepper.

Dredge chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. (I use zip top bags.)

Heat some vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until done.

Serve over rice with sauce.

Here's what you need.

Whisk together the cornstarch and the sugar.

Add the rest of the sauce ingredients.

Cook and stir until thick.

Add the pineapple and bell pepper chunks.

Cut up the chicken and coat them 

in cornstarch then dip them in the egg.

Fry 'em up!

Drain on paper towels and keep warm.

Serve sweet & sour chicken over rice!!!