

Almost every country in Asia has its own interpretation of spring rolls, or egg rolls in the United States. In the Philippines, spring rolls are called lumpia.
In this lumpia recipe, Marvin, a native Filipino who blogs at Burnt Lumpia will explain different types of lumpia and share lumpiang Shanghai recipe with us.

What Is a Lumpia?
Many people wonder what does lumpia mean? Lumpia is a Filipino word and it comes from the Chinese spring roll, with veggies (like cabbage and carrots), meats (usually pork), and/or seafood (sometimes shrimp) as the filling.

Different Types of Lumpia
There are many types of lumpia, here are some of the most popular ones:
- Lumpiang Sariwa refers to “fresh” lumpia with veggies and meat as the filling. You use a thin homemade crepe, instead of spring roll wrappers to wrap them.
- Lumpiang Hubad (naked lumpia) is made without a wrapper.
- Lumpiang Prito is Filipino fried spring roll with meat and a variety of vegetables as the filling.

How to Make Lumpia?
Below is the recipe for Lumpiang Shanghai with vegetables and ground pork as the filling. For serving, you dip them into Chinese sweet and sour sauce.
Lumpiang Shanghai are also thinner and smaller than its other fried counterparts. Lumpiang Shanghai are very easy to make as you just roll them up. They are perfect finger foods for parties!

Difference between Lumpia and Egg Rolls
Lumpia is the Filipino version of fried spring rolls. Egg rolls are American version of Chinese spring rolls. Both share the same origin but they taste and look different, with egg rolls being bigger and “fatter” in shape.

Can You Freeze Lumpia?
Yes, you can make lumpia ahead of time and freeze them in the refrigerator. In case you are wondering how long does frozen lumpia last? The answer is a long time. You can freeze them for months in the freezer without going bad.
Just make sure that you thaw them to room temperature before deep-frying.

How Many Calories per Serving?
Each roll is only 65 calories.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a classic Filipino meal, I recommend the following recipes.
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Lumpia (Filipino Spring Rolls)
Lumpia are Filipino fried spring rolls filled with ground pork and mixed vegetables. This lumpia recipe is authentic and yields the crispiest lumpia ever. Serve them as an appetizer or finger food, with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 package Lumpia wrappers Chinese or Vietnamese spring roll wrappers meant for frying can be used (25 sheets)
- 2 lbs. ground pork
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder optional
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 oz. cabbage, thinly sliced
Directions
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1Using a serrated knife, cut the square lumpia wrappers in half so that you have two stacks of rectangular wrappers. Place a damp paper towel over the wrappers to keep them from drying out as you work.
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2Combine the pork, cabbage, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, chicken bouillon powder (if using), eggs, and ground black pepper in a large bowl. Using your hands, or a rubber spatula, mix the filling well so that the seasonings are evenly distributed.
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3Place one of the rectangular wrappers vertically on your work surface with the short edge facing you. Place a heaping 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, continuing to roll until 2 inches of wrapper remain.
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4Dip 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.
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5At this point, you can freeze your rolled lumpia if you wish by placing them in freezer bags and then into your freezer.
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6To cook the lumpia, fill a large frying pan with about 1/2-inch of vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Gently place the lumpia into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes total (if frying frozen lumpia, it will take 1 to 2 minutes longer).
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7Place the fried lumpia on paper towels and serve immediately with sweet and sour sauce or chili sauce (bottled from the store is fine).
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Watch the cooking video on this page for step-by-step guide.
Recipe Contributor: Marvin at Burnt Lumpia.
You can also add finely minced raw shrimp to the pork mixture if you'd like. Also, instead of ground pork, you can use ground beef or ground turkey.
You can use Chinese or Vietnamese spring roll wrappers (for deep-frying) if you can't find lumpia wrappers.
Deborah
Lumpia is one my absolute favorite Philippine Foods !
There is a brown sweet dipping sauce that our favorite Favorite Philippine restaurant uses that I’ve never seen in other restaurants.
We love it !!!
But can’t find a recipe for it. It has a molasses brown sugar taste.
Do you know this recipe?
Rasa Malaysia
Sorry I don’t know.
Sherrine
Hosin sauce made from plums.
Debbie
Thanks, I love Hoisin Sauce and use for Fresh Spring Rolls and Vermicelli Bowl.
But that’s not it.
Thol Ramos
It’s the all purpose sauce. Brown and sweet