It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere Friday: Mini Shrimp Rolls with Homemade Plum Sauce

Between now and the New Year I'm dedicating my Fridays to the cocktail hour. I'm going to explore appetizers, little plates, tapas, and all manner of late in the day snacks, nibbles, finger food, and the occasional libation to wash it all down with. I'm excited, this is my favorite way to eat, whether I'm throwing a holiday party or just hanging out with the nightly news.

There's a lot to get to in this post, so let's get right to it. These little shrimp rolls are made with the same wonton wrappers that I used to make the Cream Cheese Wontons.  The tiny package holds a ton of wrappers, so it's good to have a few tricks up your sleeve for using them up.

The filling is a finely chopped blend of shrimp, spring onion, water chestnut, ginger, cilantro, and a hit of lemon juice.  How can you go wrong with those ingredients?

Spoon a teeny bit on each wonton wrapper,..

 
bring the bottom corner up around the filling...

 fold in both sides, like an envelope...

roll it almost to the top...

 moisten the top point with a wet finger and finish wrapping it up.

 You'll have a plate full of neatly wrapped little shrimp rolls in no time.  My recipe was slightly adapted from this one. 

Mini Shrimp Rolls
makes 2 dozen  
1/4 lb cooked shrimp
fresh grated ginger
water chestnuts
spring onion
cilantro
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

•  In the bowl of a small food processor put all the above ingredients and pulse till finely minced.  Do it by hand if you have the patience.

square wonton wrappers
vegetable oil for frying

• Set out a wonton wrapper on point.  Place 1 tsp of the filling on the wrapper.  Bring up the bottom corner over the filling, then fold in the sides, and continue rolling.  Moisten the top corner with a wet finger and finish the wrap.  Set aside on a plate while you wrap all the rolls.
• Heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet until hot.  You will see the oil quiver on the surface and hear a sizzle when you place the rolls in the hot oil.  
• Fry the rolls, in batches, for about 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown, turning once halfway through.  Drain on paper towels.
• If you are making these ahead, you can reheat in a 350 degree oven for several minutes.

Of course you can always throw together a soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil dip that will be wonderful with these.  But I have a weakness for Plum Sauce.  I found my recipe here. 

Plum Sauce
1 cup plum jam  (see recipe below)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 Tbsp chili sauce
1-2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

• Heat all the above in a small saucepan, starting with 1 Tbsp of the vinegar. Bring the sauce to a boil, then turn off the heat.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, you want a nice sweet and sour tang.   Let it cool, then bottle it and refrigerate till needed.

That amazing thick, sweet tart Chinese Plum Sauce starts with plum jam.  Most recipes for homemade plum sauce start with ready made jam.  Not this one.  Right now there are plenty of plums at the farmer's market, and making up a quick batch of jam couldn't be easier.  You don't need any fancy equipment,especially if you just make a small batch.  I used about 6 or 7 plums and 2 cups of sugar which made a couple of cups of jam.  One cup went into the plum sauce, and I've been spooning the rest on English muffins all week.  My plums were so ripe I was able to separate them from their pits with my hands!



Quick and Easy Plum Jam
yields about 2 cups
7 plums, (about 1 lb 5 oz) peeled and chopped
2 cups sugar
juice of 1 lemon

• Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Simmer the jam, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until thickened and glossy.  Stir occasionally.
• Keep a small plate in the freezer while the jam cooks.  To test when the jam is done, take the plate out and spoon a drop of the hot liquid onto it.  Let it sit for a minute and then push it with a spoon to see whether the jam has 'gelled'.  If so, it's ready, if not, keep boiling.
• Pour the finished jam into a container and let cool.  Refrigerate.

Cheers!


ps---The view from Great Island's Chicken Gyoza are featured on the Huffington Post today, check it out here.
And those yummy Bourbon Meatballs are part of CoolMaterial.com's weekend agenda.