Unrolled Egg Roll Bites

Topped with a simple, two-ingredient sauce, these “unrolled” egg roll bites are best served at room temperature.

Mar 23, 2022

One of the interesting things about cooking over the past couple years is learning to improvise when it comes to ingredients that sometimes go missing from grocery store shelves.

Recently, soy sauce was on my shopping list. It’s a wonderful all-purpose seasoning and condiment, but it comes with a hefty dose of sodium. One tablespoon of soy sauce has about 1,000 milligrams of sodium. For healthy adults, the recommended daily sodium intake is less than 2,300 milligrams.

I typically buy the reduced-sodium version, which contains 30 to 40 percent less sodium than regular soy sauce. The sodium content of reduced-sodium or “lite” soy sauce is still rather high, about 550 milligrams per tablespoon.

Fortunately, as it turns out, my grocery store was out of reduced-sodium soy sauce. After scouring the shelves for alternative options, I noticed something called gyoza (ghee-o-za) sauce. The ingredients were interesting – soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, scallions, garlic, ginger puree, and crushed red pepper. Then, I checked the sodium content and was pleasantly surprised to see 190 milligrams per tablespoon. For a soy sauce-based seasoning, that’s incredibly low.

Gyoza sauce is a dipping condiment often served with Japanese dumplings called gyoza. Similar to potstickers, gyoza consists of a mixture of ground meat, usually pork, and vegetables wrapped in a thin dough. If you haven’t had gyoza sauce before, the best flavor description is a slightly sweet soy sauce with a hint of heat.

To your health,

Darlene

UNROLLED EGG ROLL BITES

Yield: 12 servings

Serving Size: 2 each

Prep: 15 minutes

Ready: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons canola oil
4 cups classic coleslaw vegetable mix (shredded green cabbage and carrots)
1 1/2 cups diced celery
1 1/2 cups diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons gyoza sauce, divided
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons grated gingerroot
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Vegetable oil cooking spray
24 wonton wrappers (3 1/2-inch square wrap)
3 tablespoons apricot or peach jam
1/4 cup sliced green onions

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and add coleslaw mix (shredded green cabbage and carrots), celery, onion, and garlic. Sauté until the moisture released from the vegetables evaporates; about 5 to 8 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons gyoza sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, gingerroot, and black pepper. Add sauce to skillet with vegetables and stir to combine. Continue to sauté until liquid has evaporated; about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
Coat mini-muffin tins with cooking spray and line each one with a wonton wrapper. Place 1 tablespoon of cabbage filling into each wonton wrapper. Coat tops of filled wontons with cooking spray. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until wonton edges turn golden brown; about 10 minutes.
While wontons are baking, place remaining 2 tablespoons gyoza sauce and apricot jam in a small saucepan. Over low heat, stir until combined. Remove from heat and set aside.
When ready to serve, place egg roll bites on a serving platter, top each bite with a 1/2 teaspoon of gyoza-apricot sauce and sprinkle with sliced green onions.

Cook’s Note: For convenience, you can use bagged coleslaw mix. If it’s not available at your store, use 3 cups shredded green cabbage and 1 cup shredded carrot as a replacement.

Nutrition Information per Serving (2 egg roll bites)

91 Calories, 2 g Total fat, 0 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 148 mg Sodium, 16 g Total carbohydrate, 1 g Dietary fiber, 5 g Total sugars, 2 g Added sugars, 2 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 21 mg (2%) Calcium, 1 mg (6%) Iron, 91 mg (2%) Potassium