Bacon and Shrimp Egg Rolls with Duck Sauce

Bacon-Shrimp Egg Rolls & Duck Sauce

(I serve these with a side of General Tso's chicken.)

20 egg roll wrappers

20 large raw shrimp, thawed, cleaned, and butterflied lengthwise for length

4 slices bacon, cut into bits

1/4 cup julienned carrot

(2 bags) finely sliced cabbage

6 green onions, sliced (of course no tops)

2 medium cloves garlic, same amount of fresh ginger, garlic-pressed (or minced)

2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1 Tbsp mirin (more if rice vinegar isn't seasoned)

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp+ sriracha

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

This happens fast, so get it all ready first.

Fry bacon bits in large non-reactive skillet that has a lid for it. Remove cooked bacon bits from pan, reserving grease. Toss in carrots, then mound of cabbage, aromatics on top, then pour on seasonings, top with lid, and cut the heat. Stir 2 min after adding cabbage, and take off heat in no more than 4 min, with cabbage just translucent in the thin parts.

Roll 'em up: lay wrap in a diamond shape, lay a shrimp horizontally, corner to corner. Use tongs to squeeze a bit of the liquid from the filling as you fill the roll with about 3 Tbsp of cabbage, arranged same as shrimp. Now fold the two short corners over the filling, and rolling one long corner over the filling, tucking just a bit to seal as you fold the filling over onto the remaining long corner, like a burrito. Moisten the last corner with a bit of sauce or water and set aside on a wire rack or parchment paper, 1 in apart. Work quickly, and while you roll up the last few, heat 4 cups of oil in a 4qt pan to 350f. Fry them quickly to a golden brown, allowing the oil to come back to 350 between batches of 4 or 5. Watch and actively turn them gently with tongs to make sure they don't fry on one side only. Oil temp too low= overcooked shrimp. Drain on wire racks, and eat right away (or should I say, "Don't burn yourself!"), serve with sauce.

Duck Saaauce

(It seems like a lot when you make it, but not a lot when you eat it)

Whir in a little food processor:

1 c apricot-pineapple preserves

1/4 tsp sriracha

4 tsp seasoned rice vinegar, OR

1 Tbsp rice vinegar+1 tsp sweet mirin