~ Carmen

Five years ago I married a handsome, Filipino guy. I call him Island Boy. Others call him Joe. Besides having a husband who treats me like a princess, I also married an excellent cook. People who know Filipino food always ask if Joe can make lumpia. Lumpia is a spring roll of Chinese origin found in the Philippines and other parts of Asia.  Joe has bit of a lumpia following around these parts of Memphis. He always gets requests to bring them whenever we have a party or church potluck to go to. We’ve even sold them at silent auctions. When I was raising funds for a mission trip, I took orders for Joe’s lumpia. We ended up selling 400 rolls and made $800!

Joe went to the Philippines when he was a toddler but hasn’t been back. Read more about his childhood as a first generation American in A Mother’s Legacy.  Until we can check the Philippines off of our bucket list, we’ll have to make due with cooking Filipino food at home.

A little forewarning, the prep work, cooking and construction of lumpia is painstaking. Joe normally makes up a batch of 100 at a time and then freezes them five to a bag. Five seems to be a perfect appetizer amount for the two of us. It’s so easy to throw a couple of bags in the deep fryer when we have unexpected company!  See our pancit and adobo chicken recipes for a complete Filipino meal!

Print Recipe

Filipino Lumpia

Course

Filipino, Main Dish

Servings

rolls

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 c cabbage shredded
• 2 c carrots thinly sliced
• 1/2 c green onions diced
• 1 c onions diced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil for sautéing vegetables
• 1 beaten egg for egg wash
• 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 2 pkgs lumpia-pastry wrappers 25 count
• 1 tbsp ginger ground

Course Filipino, Main Dish Servings rolls Ingredients 1 lb ground pork 3 cloves garlic minced 2 c cabbage shredded 2 c carrots thinly sliced 1/2 c green onions diced 1 c onions diced 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp salt 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp vegetable oil for sautéing vegetables 1 beaten egg for egg wash 4 cups vegetable oil for frying 2 pkgs lumpia-pastry wrappers 25 count 1 tbsp ginger ground

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over med-high heat.
2. Sautée garlic and onions for 1 minute. Add pork and brown skillet until no longer pink, then remove pork and drain.
3. Cook each of the following (separately) in the skillet until slightly soft, carrots, green onions and cabbage.
4. Combine all of the cooked ingredients into heat proof bowl, mixing well.
5. Add black pepper, salt and soy sauce. Add red pepper to heat level desired. The heat will intensify with time. For best results, let mixture set in refrigerator overnight. (we rarely have patience to do this, but the mix does taste richer the second day)

   
6. Place 2-3 heaping tbsp of mixture on lumpia wrapper at bottom.

   
7. Fold from bottom over and fold left and right sides over.

   
8. Continue rolling.

   
9. Continue rolling the lumpia, keeping as tight as possible.

   
10. Use the egg wash to "seal" the wrapper closed. Brushing the outside of the wrapper with the egg wash will give it more of a golden color, but is not required. Set aside on plate.
11. Heat vegetable oil in skillet or deep fryer for 5 minutes.
12. Fry 4-5 lumpia rolls at a time until cooked through (about 3 minutes).
13. Set on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
14. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Use a food processor to speed up the dicing and slicing of vegetables.

Rolls do not have to be defrosted before frying.

For a gluten free version, use rice paper wrappers and do not fry.  Use gluten free soy sauce.

 

So are you familiar with Filipino food?  Let use know what you think about our lumpia recipe by commenting below.  Keep up with our adventures by following us on social media and subscribing to our weekly newsletter.

~ Carmen