Egg Roll In A Bowl (Recipe)

Do you ever get tired of cooking things that aren’t really appreciated?

I know I do.

I mean, you spend hours tending a simmering sauce or ages chopping ingredients.

Then when your new creation hits the table you hear, “Do I have to eat this!?”

Or perhaps at your house it’s the more polite grown-up version, “This is nice, but you don’t have to make it for me again.”

Sigh.

And my kids are actually really good eaters.

In no small part because we mostly eat our own meat and locally grown produce that is actually flavorful and tastes delicious to start with.

That REALLY helps.

But they’re still kids, who tend to surprise me in many ways, and often dinner becomes an agonizingly slow nightmare.

That’s why I just have to share this recipe with you today for Egg Roll In A Bowl.

Because the first time I made it, it earned me the highest praise…

“Mom, can you make this again?!”

Pure bliss. 

Feel the love, bask in the warm rays of praise from happy eaters, and watch the plates empty at warp speed.

Needless to say, Egg Roll In A Bowl is now a staple at our house.

If simple adoration is not enough to make you want to try it, there’s more to love.

For one, this recipe comes together super-fast, especially if you’re an efficient vegetable chopper and don’t get interrupted 700 times while slicing the cabbage.

Because I usually do get interrupted at least 700 times, by hungry children, I won’t give you a cook time estimate. But it’s quick, and becomes quicker after you do it once and get the rhythm down.

Another reason to make this recipe part of your regular rotation is that this is also a one-skillet, one-bowl meal.

So almost no cleanup time, yippee!

Further reason to love Egg Roll In A Bowl is that most of the ingredients are available locally nearly year round.

Last week when I made this, it was with One Straw ground pork, Midori Farm cabbage and Red Dog carrots. All local in March - when pretty much nothing is growing. We have such amazing local produce farmers, seriously.

It was pretty cute that night, too. The Farmhands needed a job so I sent them out to the garden to harvest chives to use in place of the green onions.

All three Farmhands trouped out to the garden in the rain. Eli and Vera harvested the chives, brought them in, chopped them and put them in a bowl and on the table all by themselves. Farmhand Grace helped by not getting lost in the dark and getting her own rubber boots off when they came back in.

The kids were so proud to contribute, and an already-favorite meal became extra special when they got to sprinkle on the chives they harvested and processed all on their own.

And finally, this one-bowl meal is low carb yet completely satisfying and packed with nutrition. Since you know that One Straw pork is always ethical, safe and clean you can eat with confidence.

So what’s not to love?

This really has become a family favorite, not least for the farmer momma who loves the flavor and the simplicity.

Just for this recipe, we now make sure to keep on hand bottles of hoisin sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil. And that’s saying more than it seems, because I’m not usually one to keep ingredients on hand unless I use them all the time. 

Here’s a few tips I’ve compiled after making this many times.

• Prepare all the vegetables before you begin. It cooks up so quickly, you won’t have time to chop once you start.
• Slice the cabbage as thin as you can. Not only does this make it easier to stir in and cook faster, but it creates a much nicer finished product.
• This bowl of tasty goodness packs tons of flavor right out of the skillet, but we like to serve it with a drizzle of Sriracha sauce which compliments the flavors well and adds a bit of extra kick. Farmhand Vera likes three drops of Sriracha, Farmhand Eli is up to 10 drops, and Farmhand Grace says “Spicey!” but still wants one drop :)
• The cabbage can look like too much to fit in the skillet. I suggest adding about half the cabbage and stirring it in. It begins to wilt right away, leaving space to add the rest of the cabbage.
• We prefer the cabbage just past crisp-tender and not soggy, so don't overcook it in the last step.

Egg Roll In A Bowl

Ingredients

1 T olive oil

1 lb ground pork

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 onion, diced (approx. 8oz)

1 T sesame oil

1 T rice vinegar

1/4 tsp garlic powder or 2 tsp chopped fresh

½ tsp ground ginger

1 egg, whisked

3 T tamari soy sauce

1 T hoisin sauce

1 small cabbage (approx. 1 lb), finely sliced

½ C carrots, grated or matchstick size

2 green onions

Sriracha Sauce for the table, optional

Directions

Prepare vegetables: dice onions, finely slice cabbage as for cole slaw, grate carrots on large grater or slice finely to matchstick size, finely slice green onions.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. It needs to hold all the ingredients so pick a big one.

Add oil to pan and swirl.

Add ground pork to pan. Break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula as it cooks. Season lightly with the salt and pepper.

When the meat is mostly cooked through, add the diced onions, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger.

Continue cooking until onions are tender, approx. 5 minutes.

Whisk the egg in a small bowl.

With the skillet still on the heat, make a well in the center of the skillet by pushing the meat and onions out towards the edges.

Pour the whisked egg into the center of the skillet and stir quickly to scramble. Don’t worry if it sticks a little because it will deglaze in the next steps.

It will only take about one minute for the egg to set. Then stir the eggs through the cooked meat and onions, where they will finish cooking.

Add the soy sauce and hoisin sauce and stir to combine.

Add the carrots and half the cabbage to the skillet and stir everything together. Then add the rest of the cabbage and combine.

Continue cooking just until the cabbage begins to wilt. Only about 5 minutes, or until it’s as crunchy or tender as you like.

Top with sliced green onions to serve.

Put a bottle of Sriracha Sauce on the table for those who like a bit more kick.

Click here to order Ground Pork