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.
Recipe gently adapted from and with thanks to my friend Irene and her mother.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Servings: 4-5 servings
Calories: 312kcal
Ingredients
1poundground porkcooked and crumbled
18 ouncecan water chestnutschopped
14 ouncescan sliced mushroomschopped
14 ouncecan large shrimpchopped
1/2cupgreen onionschopped
1/3cupsweet yellow onionchopped
2clovesfresh garlicpressed
1/2tspkosher salt
1/2tspsugar
1/4tsppepper
1tspsoy sauce
2eggs beaten
lumpia wrappers or spring roll wrappers
2cupsoil for fryingI used refined coconut oil, flavorless and unscented
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 a minute on one side and then turn to cook the other. If the oil covers them completely, just turn as needed to make sure they are cooking evenly. When they are lightly golden brown, remove from the oil and place on a paper towel covered plate. Serve with dipping sauces of your choice. Enjoy!
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.