How To Make Filipino Lumpia

pottery plate stacked with lumpia next to napkin on table

4.60 from 10 votes

Pork, shrimp, and vegetables are folded into a paper-thin lumpia wrapper and then fried to crisp golden perfection in this traditional recipe for Filipino Lumpia.

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Servings: -5 servings

Author: Mary Younkin

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork cooked and crumbled small
8 ounces canned water chestnuts chopped very small
4 ounces canned sliced mushrooms chopped very small
4 ounces canned shrimp chopped very small
½ cup green onions very thinly sliced
⅓ cup sweet yellow onion chopped very small
2 cloves fresh garlic minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 eggs beaten
lumpia wrappers or spring roll wrappers
2 cups refined coconut or vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except for the eggs in a bowl, and mix with your hands. (per Irene, this way it is with love!) After it's all mixed, cover it and let it sit in the fridge for an hour (or up to 24 hours) before wrapping.
Open the lumpia wrappers and cut in half to form rectangular strips or in quarters to make bite size rolls. The lumpia wrappers are larger than most eggroll or spring roll wrappers. If you are using spring roll wrappers, you can cut them in half or leave them the bigger size.
Carefully peel the wrappers apart and place about a tablespoon of filling on each one. Roll them according to your preference and then dip your finger in the beaten egg and seal the edges. Set the rolls aside until ready to cook. I found it was easiest to roll them all in an assembly line and then cook them in batches.
In a small sauce pan, heat about 2 inches of oil over medium high. Once the oil is hot, use tongs to place a few rolls in the oil at a time. Let cook for about 1½-2 minutes on each side. If the oil covers them completely, just turn as needed to make sure they are cooking evenly.
When the lumpia are lightly golden brown, remove from the oil and place on a paper towel covered plate. Serve with dipping sauces of your choice.

Notes

I played with the wrappers as I was making these and tried several different sizes, as you can see in the photos. The ones I thought tasted the most like I remembered, were the long rectangular strips left open on the end. The ends were a bit crunchy and we all liked that. My personal favorites were the smaller, almost bite size ones.

Nutrition