Lumpia are fried spring rolls in the Philippines loaded with ground pork and mixed vegetables. You’ll get the crispiest lumpia ever if you follow this recipe. Serve them with a sweet-and-sour dipping sauce as an appetizer or finger food.

Spring rolls, often known as egg rolls in the United States, are popular street food in many Asian countries. Lumpia is the local term for spring rolls.

A native Filipino blogger at Burnt Lumpia, Marvin, shares his lumpiang Shanghai recipe with us, as well as an explanation of the many forms of lumpia.

WHAT IS A LUMPIA?

Lumpia is a term that has piqued the interest of many. Lumpia is a Filipino word derived from the Chinese spring roll, filled with vegetables, meats, and/or seafood (typically pig).

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LUMPIA

Lumpia comes in a wide variety of forms, the following of which are among the most popular:

• Lumpiang Sariwa is a “fresh” lumpia with meat and vegetables as the stuffing. Instead of using spring roll wrappers, you wrap them in a thin handmade crepe.
• Non-wrapped lumpia is called Lumpiang Hubad (naked lumpia).
• Filipino spring rolls with meat and veggies are called Lumpiang Prito.

HOW TO MAKE LUMPIA?

Lumpiang Shanghai with veggies and ground pork as the filler can be found in the following recipe. Before serving, drizzle them with a sweet and sour sauce from China.

As with its other fried siblings, Lumpiang Shanghai is also thinner and smaller than the average. Creating Lumpiang Shanghai is a cinch because all you have to do is roll it up. They’d be great as party fare, especially as finger foods.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LUMPIA AND EGG ROLLS

Lumpia, or fried spring rolls, are popular street food in the Philippines. In the United States, egg rolls are a type of spring roll. Egg rolls are more prominent and “fatter” in shape, even though they share the exact origins.

CAN YOU FREEZE LUMPIA?

Absolutely! In fact, you can create lumpia ahead of time and freeze them. Is there a way to tell how long frozen lumpia will keep? Quite a while, to put it mildly. For months, they won’t go wrong in the freezer. Simply thaw them out at room temperature before deep-frying them.

What is the average number of calories in one serving?

• Each serving of this recipe contains only 65 calories.

With this recipe, what are its complementary dishes?

Filipino cuisine is best served with the following recipes.

• FILIPINO CHICKEN SKEWERS
• CHICKEN ADOBO
• PANCIT (FILIPINO FRIED RICE NOODLES)
• CROCK-POT (SLOW COOKER) CHICKEN ADOBO

INGREDIENTS

• 6 oz. (170 g) cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 lbs. (1 kg) ground pork
• 1 inch (2 cm) ginger, peeled and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder, optional
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 package Lumpia wrappers (Chinese or Vietnamese spring roll wrappers meant for frying can be used) (25 sheets)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make two stacks of rectangular lumpia wrappers by slicing the square wrappers in half using a serrated knife. Keep the wrappers from drying out by placing a damp paper towel on top of them.
2. Serve with rice and a side of steamed broccoli or brussels sprouts for a complete meal or side dish. Stir the ingredients well with a rubber spatula or your hands to ensure even distribution.
3. You can place one of the rectangular wrappers upright on your work table, with the short end facing you, so that you can see it. About half an inch away from the edge closest to you, place a heaping teaspoon of filling on top of the wrapper and fold it over on itself. Roll the wrapper up and over the filling, starting at the bottom edge and continuing to roll until there are 2 inches of wrapper left.
4. To moisten the final two inches of the wrapper, moisten two fingers in a bowl of water. Rest the lumpia on its seam when you’ve finished rolling it. Roll the remaining lumpia wrappers and filling until all are used up.
5. The rolled lumpia can be frozen by putting them in freezer bags and then putting them in the freezer.
6. Fill a big frying pan with about half an inch of vegetable oil and cook the lumpia. The oil should be heated at medium-high heat. Place the lumpia gently into the hot oil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown on all sides (if frying frozen lumpia, it will take 1 to 2 minutes longer).
7. Immediately remove the fried lumpia from the oil by placing them on paper towels and serving with a sweet and sour or chili sauce (bottled from the store is fine).

NOTES

• In addition to the pork mixture, you can add finely minced raw shrimp if you choose. For those who don’t have ground pig on hand, you can use ground beef or ground turkey.
• If you can’t find lumpia wrappers, you can substitute Chinese or Vietnamese spring roll wrappers (for deep-frying).