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As a food blogger, there’s nothing I love more than a culinary challenge! Recently, I was invited to participate in a recipe contest for JSL Foods. I was sent Wonton & Egg Roll Wrappers and asked to use culinary creativity to come up with my own recipe. So, I gave it a lot of thought…so many options! I wanted it to be original, something I hadn’t seen, made or tried before. A real good old fashioned challenge, Game On! Upon much deliberation, I decided to make Pork Banh Mi Egg Rolls. All of the amazing flavor-packed ingredients of a Banh Mi Sandwich wrapped in an Egg Roll Wrapper and quickly fried to crispy perfection. A quick update, I just found out I won 1st Place in the contest for this recipe, so exciting!
Pork Tenderloin is a great cut of meat, especially when you have time to marinate it overnight. It doesn’t have a ton of flavor on it’s own because it is so lean. However, if you have time to marinate, it will absorb amazing flavor and transform your meal into something extraordinary. I love the flavors of Banh Mi Sandwiches, traditionally it is Vietnamese cuisine, mixed with French influence when served most commonly on a baguette. So, I thought, why not try to incorporate all of the same flavors and pack them into an Egg Roll wrapper? I marinated the pork in an array of flavors overnight which included ingredients like Chinese 5-Spice, Lemongrass, Soy, Fish Sauce, Garlic, Ginger & Lime juice.
I dried the pork tenderloin completely, which is essential for a good sear. Then, I seared it on all sides and finished it in the oven. Once I let it rest, I diced the pork and made an assembly line with the other ingredients. While the pork was cooking, I prepared the pickled vegetables, chopped the cilantro and sliced the Jalapeño. I wanted to make a dipping sauce for the Banh Mi Egg Rolls that would compliment the punch of flavor but not overpower any of the ingredients. I’m so happy with the result of this dish! It was spicy, sweet, tangy and packed with so much flavor! This was a super fun challenge! These wraps are so versatile and enable you to be creative in the kitchen and I love that they are made will all-natural ingredients!
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Course
Appetizer
Cuisine
Asian
Servings
12 servings
Ingredients
1.5 lb. Pork Tenderloin
1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy
1/4 cup Rice Vinegar will need more for the pickling and dipping sauces
1-1/2 Tbsp. Minced Lemongrass
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. Chinese 5-Spice
1 Tbsp. Fresh Ginger grated
2 Garlic Cloves minced
1/2 Lime juiced
1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
1/2 cup Rice Vinegar For Pickling Liquid
1 Tbsp. Kosher Salt For Pickling Liquid
1 Tbsp. Sugar For Pickling Liquid
1/2 cup Warm Water For Pickling Liquid
1/8 tsp. Red Chili Flakes For Pickling Liquid
1 cup Daikon julienned
1 cup Carrots julienned
2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar For the dipping sauce
1/2 Tbsp. Agave Or Honey, for the dipping sauce
1/8 tsp. Red Chili Flakes For the dipping sauce
12 Twin Dragon Egg Roll Wrappers
2 Tbsp. Fresh Cilantro
1 Jalepeno thinly sliced, seeds/ribs removed
1 cup Vegetable Oil
Instructions
Place the pork tenderloin in a large ziplock bag. In a large mixing bowl, combine the following 10 ingredients and add to the pork in the ziplock bag. Seal and place in the fridge to marinate overnight.
The next day, remove from the marinade and pat the pork completely dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade, preheat the oven to 375F.
Heat a cast iron pan over medium high heat and sear, about 2 minutes each side. Place in the oven until it reaches 140F, approx. 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the pickling liquid for the vegetables. In a bowl, combine Rice Vinegar, kosher salt, sugar, pinch of red pepper flakes with warm water until dissolved.
Julienne the carrots and daikon and place in the pickling liquid and then into the fridge for at least 30 mins. until ready to use. You can also pickle the jalapeño, if you desire.
Next make the dipping sauce. In a small dipping bowl, combine the Rice Vinegar, Agave (or Honey) and a pinch of red pepper flakes, reserve for serving.
Once the pork rests for about 15 minutes, dice it. Prepare to assemble the wraps. Heat the oven to 400F. Bring the pickled vegetables out of the fridge and drain on a paper towel.
Heat about 1 cup of vegetable oil in a deep sauté pan to 350F.
Place an Egg Roll wrap, pointed in a diamond shape toward you. Get a small bowl of water, dip your finger and wet along each edge.
Put about 2 Tbs. of Pork into the center of the wrap. Top with some of the pickled daikon, carrot, fresh cilantro and jalapeño. Fold the bottom corner up over the mixture, fold the sides in and continue folding until sealed. Continue to make as many as you would like.
Fry each egg roll until golden brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a rack lined baking sheet. Finish in the oven for 2 minutes on the middle rack. Cut in half, on a bias and serve with dipping sauce.
Notes
If you don't like it too spicy, omit the Jalapeño or you can add it to the other pickled vegetables to tone down the spice.
**You can purchase JSL Foods Twin Dragon products at: Albertsons, Shaw’s, Von’s, Stater Bros, Lucky’s, Food Maxx, Fred Meyer, QFC, Cub Foods, Rainbow Foods, Safeway, Associated Stores, Price Rite, Shop Rite, Winco, Price Chopper and Gelson’s