Chef Recipe: Papa's Egg Rolls from Sakaya Kitchen Chef/Owner Richard Hales

Photo by Simon Hare

These egg rolls will surely make you scream for Papa.

​If you foolishly haven't picked up this week's issue of Miami New Times in print to see the gorgeous, full-color Taste 2010 supplement, grab it. Inside you'll find recipes like this one, Papa's Egg Rolls from Richard Hales, the chef/owner of the new Sakaya Kitchen in Midtown.

Thought you may assume this is Hales' daddy's recipe, you'd be wrong-ola. "Papa" is the nickname he gave his Filipino grandmother. [Though after tasting one, you may be inclined to coo, "Oooh, daddy!"]

These crispy, packed cigars of Korean deliciousness are far, far better than any over-fried, cabbage-stuffed egg rolls you've shoved down after ordering from China Dragon Yummy Yum Panda Takeout or whatever crappy joint you found a coupon for. At Sakaya Kitchen, Hales preps the pork, one of many unique ingredients, alone for nearly 40 hours, curing and roasting it to perfection.

And even the rolling is taken quite seriously: Hales' employs an "Egg Roll Sensei" who is so skilled that even the chef says he can't compare. But give it a go, anyhow. By the time you've slammed a few sake shots, you'll be rolling like a champ.

Photo by Simon Hare

The finished product awaits an Asahi.

Papa's Egg Rolls

Serves 4

2 cups shredded pork
1 cup onion, diced
2 cups celery, diced
3 cups green beans, French cut (frozen works fine)
1 cup bean sprouts
2 Tbsp garlic
1 cup raw shrimp, diced
egg roll wrappers
2 Tbsp brown rice vinegar (organic preferred)
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
pinch dried red chili

Dipping sauce
1 cup light soy sauce
1 Tbsp raw honey
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups brown rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Put oil in the pan and brown the pork. Then sauté onion, celery, and green beans until they are al dente (not translucent). Add in garlic, shrimp, vinegar, pepper, and chili. Allow to cool. Mix in bean sprouts.

Place one egg roll wrapper on a flat surface and spoon approximately 2 tablespoons of filling just south of the center point. Follow package instructions for wrapping and seal with slightly moistened fingers. Deep fry the roll, allow to dry on a paper towel, and serve with dipping sauce.