Lumpia

Every East Asian country has its version of the fried spring roll, but none are as easy to recognize as lumpia, the version that hails from the Philippines. Lumpia is typically made from a combo of pork, vegetables, and aromatics, wrapped in a paper-thin shell, and deep-fried until shatteringly crisp. For my ultimate version, I went with a blend of shrimp and ground pork spiked with garlic, ginger, and scallions. Make enough to go alongside a bowl of pancit and freeze the rest, or fry them all and make enough to feed a crowd. Don’t forget your favorite brand of sweet chili sauce for dipping!

How To Make Lumpia

INGREDIENTS

• Carrot: The carrot is going to add some sweetness to the finished lumpia. I'm shredding it in the food processor to change the texture but keep the flavor, which is exactly what I want here.
• Aromatics: I’m going for a classic aromatic mixture of yellow onion, ginger, garlic, and scallions here. These are going to help build a base flavor for the lumpia that the other ingredients will build on. The ginger adds a little bit of sweetness, while all add a bit of a punchy bite.
• Napa Cabbage: Napa cabbage is slightly sweeter than green cabbage. Its crisp texture and light flavor make it a star in dishes with strong flavors already present.
• Water Chestnuts: Though the name may suggest otherwise, water chestnuts are actually a root vegetable that just looks similar to a chestnut. They have a light, slightly tart flavor similar to an apple, and a crisp bite like an Asian pear or jicama. They’re a lovely addition here and provide a welcome crunch.
• Mung Bean Sprouts: You are probably used to seeing mung bean sprouts most often as a garnish for pho and other soups. They have a mild nutty, earthy flavor.
• Scallions: Scallions round out the vegetable pulse here. They have a flavor similar to onions, but milder, and also a bit more of a fresh green flavor than you would associate with onions.
• Shrimp: The first of the meats I am using in my lumpia mixture is shrimp. Just like with the vegetables, we are pulsing the shrimp until ground. Shrimp has a sweet, lightly briny flavor and is great at absorbing the flavors of the sauces it is in. Freshness is important with all ingredients, but especially with shrimp and other seafood, try your best to get the freshest, best quality meat you can find.
• Ground Pork: For my money, I think pork is the most flavorful of the big three meats—chicken, beef, and pork—with a sweet, savory, sometimes almost umami flavor. Mixed here with shrimp, the combination is nothing short of magical.
• Shaoxing Wine: A type of rice cooking wine, Shaoxing wine is one of the most important ingredients in many Chinese and southeast Asian dishes. It has a complex sweet, salty flavor that you might not necessarily focus on in many dishes, but you absolutely know when it is missing. While you can substitute it out here or sherry wine, I really do think it is a difference maker.
• Soy Sauce: Soy sauce adds a punch of salty, umami flavor that is needed in this dish. With several sweet flavors already present, a little bit of saltiness balances everything out.
• Sesame Oil: With a toasted nutty taste, sesame oil gives dishes a little extra oomph. Like Shaoxing and soy sauce, there are a wide variety of options to choose from at your local Asian market, so choose your favorite or ask some questions to find your new favorite. Quality matters!
• MSG: Forget any tall tales you’ve heard about MSG; it is simply fantastic. Umami flavor in its purest form, MSG is a great way to cut down on the amount of salt in your cooking while enhancing all of the flavors of the dish. These days, you should be able to find it in your favorite grocery store, but if not, it is readily available at your nearest Asian market.
• White Pepper: While I have white pepper listed as optional, and it is, I would certainly recommend including it here. It has a milder, more earthy flavor than black pepper, but still has a bit of a kick.
• Spring Roll Wrappers: You can’t make lumpia without wrappers. I’ve got some tips for selecting the best wrappers for the jobs, so check out my guide in the Recipe Tips section below.
• Peanut Oil: I prefer peanut oil here, but if you have allergies, or just prefer not to use it for any other reason, really any neutral oil will work here. However, if you want to get as close to authentic flavor as possible, stick to peanut oil.
• Egg: I’m making an egg wash here to help seal the lumpia while frying. The egg and water mixture is going to give a little bit more hold than just water would.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

To start our lumpia, we first need to build the filling. Start off by pushing your coarsely chopped carrot in a food processor for about 10 seconds, until the texture is almost like confetti. We want it very finely chopped. Then add in the rest of the vegetable mixture—onion, cabbage, water chestnuts, mung bean sprouts, and scallions, and pulse about 10 times until the mixture is very finely chopped. Transfer this pulsed vegetable mixture to a fine-mesh sieve and press out that excess water. We want some liquid in the filling, but not too much. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

In the same food processor (don’t wipe it out!) add in your shrimp and pulse until ground. This should take about 7 to 10 pulses. Transfer your ground shrimp to the bowl with the vegetable mixture, then add in the ground pork, garlic, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, ginger, salt, sesame oil, MSG, and white pepper. Mix the mixture together until completely combined.

Take a stack of 14 spring roll wrappers and slice them in half from one corner to the other, creating 28 triangles. Cover the wrappers with a damp cloth or paper towel to keep them moist.

Add the peanut oil, or other neutral oil, to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°. Your results will be more accurate if you have a thermometer, but if you don’t you can test to see if the oil is ready by adding in a piece of excess spring roll wrapper and checking to see if the oil immediately bubbles around it. If it does, your oil is ready. Then, in a small bowl, beat together your egg and 2 tablespoons of water.

Arrange one wrapper so the longest edge is perpendicular to the edge of your work surface, then spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of the wrapper, don’t be afraid to shape it into a log with your fingers. Fold the bottom point of the triangle up over the filling and roll about halfway up the triangle.

Then brush the top edge of the triangle with the beaten egg mixture, fold the side point of the triangle to seal one end of the roll, and finish rolling the lumpia the rest of the way until you reach the end of the wrapper. Gentle press the seam of the roll to help seal the lumpia and set the roll aside. Your roll should have one end sealed and the other open. Repeat this process with the remaining filling and wrappers. If these instructions seem at all intimidating, don’t worry, it is really very easy, and I show you exactly how to roll the lumpia in the video above. Check it out!

Once your lumpia are all rolled and the oil is ready, fry the lumpia in batches, turning about halfway through, until they are crispy and golden brown. Each lumpia should take about 4 minutes in total. Transfer the finished rolls to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil and let cool.

Arrange the finished and slightly cooled lumpia on a platter and serve alongside a chili dipping sauce.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• The one thing you need to make the best lumpia is the right wrapper. Finding the right wrapper is a must for spring rolls, and simply swapping in an egg roll wrapper will not give you the smooth and crisp outer layer you’re looking for. The easiest way to tell if the package you picked up is best for egg rolls or spring rolls is to look at the ingredients. Both will contain flour, water, and oil, but egg roll wrappers will also contain vinegar, which causes the wrapper to puff and bubble up when it’s fried. They may also contain extra wheat gluten to help achieve the chewy texture of egg rolls once you get past the crunch. For proper spring rolls, the exterior should be smooth and uniform without bubbles, so you’ll need wrappers with flour, water, and oil. Wei-Chuan is the brand I used in testing, but Menlo or Spring Home are great options as well.

What To Serve With Lumpia

Lumpia is a great way to start off a meal. Serve it alongside other classic Filipino dishes like pancit, sinigang, or a simple pork adobo, and finish the meal off with another Filipino classic in the ube filled halo-halo. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Storage

The filling can be made 1 day ahead of time, and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Any leftover can also be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, keeping for up to 4 days.

Similarly, Lumpia (without frying) can be made 1 month ahead. Arrange in a single layer on a parchment-lined plate or sheet tray. Freeze 1 hour, then transfer to an airtight container and keep frozen.