Make Store Bought Appetizers Look Authentic

This shop has been compensated by #TaiPeiGoodFortune and #CollectiveBias. All opinions are mine.

I don’t know if I’ve ever shared just how much I LOVE Chinese food (like I wanna work at a Chinese restaurant just so I can learn how to cook it!)…And it’s totally like the best balm for all that heavy holiday food. But it’s just not realistic to spend a bagillion dollars on restaurant take-out for a big party. So, I decided to make store bought appetizers look authentic.

There’s nothing like an appetizer platter full of veggies, wings, and other dipping-things. But to be totally awesome and unique for my New Year’s party this year, I want to nosh on a platter of my favoritest–egg and spring rolls! So, this year, I’m planning something different and totally restaurant-inspired.

What You Need to Make Store Bought Appetizers Look Authentic:

• Egg Rolls
• Spring Rolls
• Duck Sauce (totally included in the Tai Pei package–aren’t you glad I recommended it)
• Wasabi Sauce (ask a store clerk for it–I promise, they have it!)
• Juilienne Sliced Carrots (I buy them pre-chopped, because I’m lazy like that)
• Cabbage Head (most of which you’ll throw away, but it’s pretty)
• A really cool platter–because plating a dish is half the awesome! I used my huge wooden cutting board–because it rocks the look.

Pro Tips:

• Don’t try a “from scratch” recipe. Egg rolls and spring rolls are totally not something I’m willing to try making from scratch. Because I did one time, and it was really messy, really weird and tasted nothing like a real egg roll. I was super disappointed. Not only that, but making the egg rolls from scratch took forever! So, word to the wise, if you’re wanting to try making from scratch–do it when you’re not under stress and about to have a party.
• Get a good brand of Egg and Spring Rolls–like Tai Pei! I want my egg rolls and spring rolls to be very take-out-ish. To me, and I know this is hard to believe, Tai Pei egg and spring rolls taste like authentic Asian-style take-out. And because I can get multiple flavor varieties, you’d think I called-up the local buffet and ordered a dozen just for the party!
• Wasabi is REQUIRED. You might think this is totally dumb, if you don’t eat wasabi yourself. However, for those people which are attending your party that KNOW take-out, they’re going to be looking for that hideously-hot sauce to mix with some soy…Don’t skip the wasabi. It makes it SO VERY take-out-looking…

 Putting Together Your Restaurant-Inspired Appetizers:

• Start by selecting that platter I mentioned before…I have several that are very holiday-ish, so I decided against them immediately, since I was going for the whole “I just ordered take-out” theme. If you have a cool rectangle platter or crazy basket even, that might be cool. But I thought (and I was right) that my huge wooden cutting board would be awesome.
• Chop the cabbage into thin strips OR pull off several leaves. I used a big leaf because I’m really terrible at cutting the strips very consistently…and it looked cool. Remember: we’re going as much for a look as we are for flavor–mostly because our quality egg rolls and spring rolls took care of the flavor for us.
• Sprinkle a few carrots around.
• Heat-up your egg rolls and spring rolls (just a few minutes in the oven makes them super-crispy!)
• Pour your sauces into adorable little bowls (you know you have them…)
• Stack your egg rolls and spring rolls in the center and POOF! You’ve got a fantastic restaurant-inspired appetizer platter that came TOTALLY from the freezer section!

I got my Tai Pei egg rolls and spring rolls at my local Walmart. But you can find your own authentic Asian cuisine from Tai Pei by hooking-up with them on the web, Twitter, Facebook, or even Pinterest!