FILIPINO LUMPIA

Lumpia are Filipino fried spring rolls filled with ground pork and mixed vegetables. This lumpia recipe is authentic and yields the crispiest lumpia ever. Serve them as an appetizer or finger food, with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.

Almost every country in Asia has its own interpretation of spring rolls, or egg rolls in the United States. In the Philippines, spring rolls are called lumpia.

In this lumpia recipe, Marvin, a native Filipino who blogs at Burnt Lumpia will explain different types of lumpia and share lumpiang Shanghai recipe with us.

INGREDIENTS:

1 package Lumpia wrappers (Chinese or Vietnamese spring roll wrappers meant for frying can be used) (25 sheets)

2 lbs. (1 kg) ground beef

5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 inch (2 cm) ginger, peeled and minced

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder, optional

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 oz. (170 g) cabbage, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

Using a serrated knife, cut the square lumpia wrappers in half so that you have two stacks of rectangular wrappers. Place a damp paper towel over the wrappers to keep them from drying out as you work.

Combine the pork, cabbage, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, chicken bouillon powder (if using), eggs, and ground black pepper in a large bowl. Using your hands, or a rubber spatula, mix the filling well so that the seasonings are evenly distributed.

Place one of the rectangular wrappers vertically on your work surface with the short edge facing you. Place a heaping teaspoon of the filling on the wrapper about half an inch from the edge closest to you. Grasp the bottom edge of the wrapper and roll it up and over the filling, continuing to roll until 2 inches of wrapper remain.

Dip two fingers into a bowl of water, then moisten the last 2 inches of wrapper with your fingers. Finish rolling the lumpia, then rest it on its seam. Continue rolling with the rest of the filling and lumpia wrappers.

At this point, you can freeze your rolled lumpia if you wish by placing them in freezer bags and then into your freezer.

To cook the lumpia, fill a large frying pan with about 1/2-inch of vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Gently place the lumpia into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes total (if frying frozen lumpia, it will take 1 to 2 minutes longer).

Place the fried lumpia on paper towels and serve immediately with sweet and sour sauce or chili sauce (bottled from the store is fine).