Lumpia
A Filipino-style spring roll featuring meat and vegetables filling packed in a crisp wrapping and paired with a sweet and sour dipping sauce
Ingredients
- 1 package Lumpia wrappers (or 25 sheets of Chinese or Vietnamese spring roll wrappers meant for frying)
- 2 lbs. ground pork (1 kg)
- 5 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- 1 inch ginger (peeled and minced then sliced 2cm)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder (optional)
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 6 oz. cabbage (170 g, thinly sliced)
Instructions
- Cut the square lumpia wrappers in half using a serrated knife until you have two stacks of rectangular wrappers.
- While you are cutting the wrappers, make sure to place a damp paper towel over them to prevent them from drying out.
- Add the pork, cabbage, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, chicken bouillon powder (if using), eggs, and ground black pepper into a large bowl and combine them using your hands or rubber spatula. Make sure to mix well to evenly distribute the seasonings.
- Place one of the rectangular wrappers vertically on your work surface with the short edge facing you. Add a large 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. Continue 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.
- Once the lumpia is rolled, you can store them in the freezer if you want to cook them at another time.
- If you want to cook the lumpia, you first need to fill a large frying pan with about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil and heat it over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is heated, carefully add the lumpia and fry them until they are golden brown on all sides. This should take around 3-5 minutes. It may take a minute or so longer if you chose to freeze the lumpia.
- Drain the excess oil from the lumpia by placing them on a plate of paper towels. Once the excess oil is removed, transfer the lumpia to a clean plate and serve it with sweet and sour sauce or chili sauce.
Notes
- An alternative for lumpia rolls is Chinese or Vietnamese spring roll wrappers meant for deep-frying
- To add more flavor to the filling, you can add finely minced raw shrimp to the pork mixture.
- Aside from pork, you can use ground beef or ground turkey.