Being born in 1955 (before January 24 of that year), I managed to come into existence in the Year of the Horse. Supposedly, it was once considered a lousy sign for a female, mainly because The Horse is a symbol of forward momentum, courage, movement, motivation, freedom, and drive to achieve. Thankfully, I was born then and not before, though my ’horsey’ drives have been largely squelched through most of my life anyway. I see it as it could’ve been worse.
From what I understand, the Year of the Horse follows the shedding of the snake’s skin, enabling life energy to burst forth with the wild fury of a horse. Things should happen rapidly and with energy. To say the least, it will be interesting to witness.
On the horizon, I see my life changing whether I like it or not. With my husband being recently diagnosed with cancer, I’m going to need all the courage I can muster, and my hopes are that I’m up to the task. Perhaps my original horsey nature will be freed at last.
Meanwhile, I’m busy creating menus and food for a liquid diet, though here’s a recipe that deviates from that plan and celebrates the Lunar New Year.
This is easy—especially good for a weeknight, since it cooks up so quickly.
”Egg Roll in a Bowl”
This is essentially a deconstructed egg roll recipe. Apparently, the idea has been around for a while, as there are many recipes for it, so I took the parts I liked best and made it my own. It seems it can be made from any meat, but I think the best egg rolls are made with pork, so that’s what I chose.
Most of the recipes also suggest using a bag of ready-chopped coleslaw, and you can certainly do that, but using a mandoline makes easy work of slicing up cabbage and carrots.
I wanted a little bit of crunch, so I found some wonton wrappers and cut them into strips. I sprayed them with cooking spray and put them in the air fryer for about 2 minutes, then checked on them. One more minute in there at ’roast’, a sprinkle of salt, and they came out perfect! There’s no exact recipe for this—you just have to experiment.
If you can’t find wonton wrappers, you might be able to purchase ready-made wonton chips in the salad section of your local supermarket.
Egg Roll in a Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3-4 cups of cole slaw mix, -or- grate your own cabbage and carrots
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- A sprinkling of sesame seeds
- Cilantro for garnish (optional)
In a small bowl, combine the soy and oyster sauces and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
Add the pork and season with salt and a pinch of white pepper. Cook the pork, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it’s cooked through. If there is a lot of fat, drain it off. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for about a minute. Next, add the soy and oyster sauce mixture, stir in the cabbage and carrot, and cook until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.
Add the rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Garnish with the scallions, sesame seeds, and wonton chips, and serve.
Serves 3-4.
