Making Pork Fresh Rolls & Intro to Quaraneats

Monday's have become our grocery shopping day. When once-upon-a-month-ago every day was grocery shopping day for us, now my husband, Chris and I have limited our trips to once a week, and are seeing if we can push it even further. With a 'pack rat' mentality engrained in me since birth from my German-Lithuanian grandparents, I was born for a challenge like a global pandemic.

"What was once a nuisance and a game of 'what shelf-stable item is about to soar out onto my head?' has become a whole new game of 'what unknown treasures await behind these kitchen doors?'"

Never has an "I told you so" sounded so meek, reacting as I watch Chris's strong feelings towards our overflowing pantry cupboards change from indignant to gratified, as we settle into this strange reality that is Covid-19 social isolation. What was once a nuisance and a game of "what shelf-stable item is about to soar out onto my head?" has become a whole new game of "what unknown treasures await behind these kitchen doors?" It's the random bits and pieces, both in our pantry and buried deep within our freezer, that have been saving our meals these past few weeks. These bits and pieces of random packaged goods and what some may consider to be "waste" have been acting as vehicles to carry fresh foods to our mouths and keep us feeling satiated, as well acting as flavour enhancers, adding that much needed hit of salt, fat, acid, heat or umami. Not only that, having a filled-to-the-brim pantry has allowed us to fill our shopping bags with the fresh items like fruits, vegetables, proteins, and leafy herbs that we seem to be flying through these days!

"Last week our kitchen cupboard nuisance became our saviour"

Previously we used to groan at the packages of rice paper rolls shoved at the top of our cupboard, taking up precious room that could be used for jars of homemade tomato sauce, cartons of stock, or some other cherished shelf-stable item. Last week our kitchen cupboard nuisance became our saviour when we had a bit of soy marinated pork chops leftover from dinner that had to be turned into lunch. With a little bit of mint and scallions (which we are re-growing!) left in the fridge, as well as some carrot (a fridge staple!) and a jar of homemade pickled radishes kicking around, I was struck by the idea of finally putting those damn rice paper rolls to use and making shaved pork fresh rolls!

"It's easy to make a quick and tasty dipping sauce on the side by stirring together a bit of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and some Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp"

A quick little julienne of some carrot, a thin slice of scallion, and a chiffonade of mint later, we were in business and ready to wrap up our fresh rolls. While fresh rolls can be a little labour intensive when preparing a large batch, they are a quick, easy, and delicious option when making enough for a simple lunch for two (or four if you add a salad or some rice on the side!). It's easy to make a quick and tasty dipping sauce on the side by stirring together a bit of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and some Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp, but you can absolutely use that random jar of store-bought spicy Thai dipping sauce, that you unearthed from the pantry or the back of your fridge, in a pinch.

"with so much on my mind, plenty of time, and cooking challenges arising at every turn, there's no better time to take fingers to keyboard, and use my old ugly blog as my cathartic release"

These past few years blogging has taken a supporting role to Instagram for me, but with so much on my mind, plenty of time, and cooking challenges arising at every turn, there's no better time to take fingers to keyboard, and use my old, ugly blog as my cathartic release. I hope to make writing apart of my routine once again. I want to use this space to express myself and work through my anxieties, but also as a way of collecting and sharing the recipes, items and products, tips and tricks, and media (be it podcasts, TV shows, movies, or more!) that are inspiring me and helping me to get through this.

If there's a specific recipe, question, or idea that you have for me, please reach out and let me know in the comments below, or message me on Instagram (@gingerrosefood), where I will be sharing every step of my Quaraneats journey. We're all in this together!

Follow my Quaraneats journey on Instagram - @gingerrosefood