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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)
Ingredients
- 1 package Lumpia wrappers (Chinese or Vietnamese spring roll wrappers meant for frying can be used (25 sheets))
- 2 lbs. (1kg) ground pork
- 5 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- 1 inch (2.5cm) 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. (175g) cabbage, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Using 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.
- Combine 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.
- Place 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.
- Dip two fingers into a bowl of water, then moisten the last 2 inches (5cm) 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.
- At this point, you can freeze your rolled lumpia if you wish by placing them in freezer bags and then into your freezer.
- To cook the lumpia, fill a large frying pan with about 1/2-inch (1cm) 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).
- Place the fried lumpia on paper towels and serve immediately with sweet and sour sauce or chili sauce (bottled from the store is fine).
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Where do u get the wrappers I’m having a hard time finding any as I’m in arizona and not quite sure what to buy since it doesn’t say lumipa wrapper on it
Just buy spring roll wrappers, they are available in Asian food stores in the frozen section.
This recipe looks great, what brand of lumpia wrappers do you recommend?
Any brand is fine, there is no preference.
This recipe looks so good! What brand of lumpia wrappers do you recommend?
It doesn’t matter.
After years of searching for the best lumpia wrappers (I’m 72 years old), I’ve found Wei Chuan Spring Roll Shells. Look for them in the frozen section of Asian grocery stores.
Can I cook them in a Air Fryer? If yes, at what temperature and for how long?
Yes but I am not sure since I don’t use air fryer.
Hey Rachel,
Yes I use my air fryer.. I use the french fry setting (if you have one) like 400° around 10 minutes, but what them…enjoy
Do you have a recipe for the sweet and sour sauce?
I do, but I don’t have it on the site.
I usually use sweet & sour (duck) sauce and add red pepper flakes for a little heat!
Go to store,.Asian section…pick one…life’s tooooo short to make your own
So the ends of the lumpia are left open? Will the filling come out when frying?
No it won’t.
Do you have a recipe for the sweet and sour sauce?
Can you precook (fry) the lumpia, freeze it for later use?
How do you serve it crispy after thawing? Do you fry it
again?
Yes fry again before serving.
Can wonton wrappers be used? Also is there a recipe to make your own wrappers?
I don’t have wrapper recipe. You can use wonton wrappers but it’s not lumpia, it’s fried wontons.
Do I cook the ground pork first? Or just mix raw?
Raw.
Wanting to try this but do they have to be rolled small? I know the process of rolling them can be time consuming (I remember as a kid watching my mom do it) and I would like to know if I need to prepare myself to start it and finish lol
. I got lumpia wrappers and they are pretty big. Was thinking of rolling them about the size of an egg roll… if I’m able too how much longer do I cook them? I tried googling it but I got nothing. ?
Just follow the recipe and cut the wrapper into halves. Lumpia is not egg roll, do not make it into egg roll size.