Lumpia, pronounced as “LOOM-pee-ah”, is the Filipino term for spring roll–a rolled appetizer popular in many Southeast Asian countries, particularly the Philippines. The dish is very versatile as you can use any fillings you can imagine. To make lumpia, a thin wrapper is filled with vegetables, meat, or a combination of both and served fresh or fried with sweet sour sauce or ketchup. Lumpia shanghai is the meat-filled version using ground pork but sometimes ground beef, chicken, or turkey can be used as substitutes.
I’m actually surprised I haven’t shared this recipe yet in one of my posts. I was going through my recipe archives this week and I realized I only have the canned tuna lumpia posted. So forgive me if I missed it. How could a Filipino recipe blog omit a classic recipe as popular and most requested as lumpia? I know, right? Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. So for today’s recipe, here’s an easy lumpia shanghai recipe that’s a classic Filipino appetizer and a favorite at any parties or gatherings.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Yields: 30 pieces
Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground pork
½ medium onion
4 cloves garlic
1 large egg
1 medium carrot
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
1 pack lumpia wrapper (30 pieces)
1 tablespoon flour dissolved in 1 tbsp water
2 cups canola oil for frying
Tools You’ll Need:
Knife
Cutting board
Food chopper
Skillet or frying pan
Kitchen tong
Paper towels
Plate
Procedure:
PREPPING LUMPIA SHANGHAI FILLING
1. Peel garlic and onion. Cut onion into chunks.
2. Place peeled garlic and onion into a food chopper. Chop until you get the desired texture.
3. Throw into a large mixing bowl with the ground pork.
4. Peel carrots, dice and place in chopper until fine.
5. Add chopped carrots into bowl with the garlic, onions and meat.
6. Add the egg, salt, sugar, and ground black pepper.
7. Mix the ingredients until well-combined. Set aside.
8. Prepare flour paste for sealing lumpia by mixing 1 tablespoon flour with 1 tablespoon water. Set aside.
9. Separate individual lumpia wrappers and cover with kitchen towel to prevent them from drying.
WRAPPING LUMPIA SHANGHAI
10. Place one lumpia wrapper on a clean flat surface with bottom corner towards you. Scoop a tablespoon of the filling and drop onto the bottom corner of the wrapper, about an inch from the edge.
11. With clean fingers, spread filling towards the sides while forming into a thin log.
12. Roll the bottom corner up.
13. Continue rolling towards the top, until you reach halfway of the wrapper.
14. Fold both sides like an envelope.
15. Continue wrapping upwards until you have about 1 ½ inches space left. Dip your fingers into the flour paste and wet the top corner of the wrapper. Roll to seal.
17. Place finished lumpia on a plate ready for frying.
18. Repeat steps 10-17 until you have enough to fry, or until you used up all the meat mixture and wrapper.
19. Heat oil on a skillet and deep fry lumpia shanghai until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
20. Place on paper towels to drain excess oil.
21. Serve warm with favorite dipping sauce or sweet sour sauce.
Tip: Freeze unused lumpia shanghai in an airtight container until ready to fry. They’re good in the freezer for up to six months.
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