This is Lumpiang Shanghai (Spring Rolls). Lumpiang Shanghai (otherwise known as Spring Rolls in other culinary traditions) is a mainstay of the Filipino party foods. You will often find this crispy appetizer at weddings, birthday parties, holiday gatherings, or any other social gathering you can think of. It’s not hard to see why. Once you try one, it’s hard not to eat the whole batch of them. Enjoy this recipe from all of us at Filipino Chow.
Lumpiang Shanghai (Spring Rolls)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of ground pork
- Philippine paper-thin lumpia wrappers
- 1/2 cup of green onions (scallions), chopped
- 2 teaspoons of ginger, minced
- 1 cup of onion, minced
- 1 cup of carrots, minced
- 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper powder
- cooking oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, except for the lumpia wrapper and oil, and mix thoroughly.
- Take a lumpia wrapper and place it on a flat surface with a straight edge facing towards you.
- Then take a large spoonful of the mixture and arrange it in the lumpia wrapper making a long thin row about 3/4 inch in diameter near the edge that's closest to you.
- Take the bottom edge of the wrapper and fold it towards the center over the filling.
- Now take the left and right sides of the wrapper and fold them over the first fold.
- Roll the lumpia towards the remaining edge.
- Moisten the last edge of the wrapper with a little water to seal it.
- Repeat these steps until you have used all the lumpia filling.
- Place the prepared lumpia in a sealed container and put them in the refrigerator to cure for at least 24 hours before cooking.
- When you are ready to cook the lumpia, heat the cooking oil in a wok over medium high.
- Deep fry the lumpia, turning each piece to cook all sides evenly until they turn golden brown in color.
- Remove each piece of lumpia from wok as soon as they reach the right color and place them on paper towels.
- Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
After the lumpia have cooled off, you can cut them in half before serving or serve them whole. Lumpia is best served with sweet and sour sauce, Thai sweet chili sauce, or spicy vinegar and onion dip. But there is nothing wrong with eating them alone too.