I’ve mentioned before how my son is half Filipino. My ex-husband and I agreed to not have him go back and forth during the pandemic, as hard as that has been on him and my ex. My ex still comes up and hangs out outside with him, but it’s obviously not the same.
Besides quality time with his dad, the thing my son really misses is Filipino parties with a tableful of Filipino food. It’s funny because he says my ex doesn’t like Filipino food… I don’t remember that! But, I love that my son loves it. And frankly, I love a lot of Filipino food! Maybe not the fish heads or pig’s blood soups 😬. I am willing to try most things but haven’t crossed the hurdle on those yet. Those or balut. I think of myself as pretty open minded and adventurous, but I just haven’t gotten there yet!
Anywho, I transgress. So, the whole point of that is that my son misses Filipino food. I’ve tried to make it up to him over the months. This summer, I made Filipino barbecue with pancit, and this fall, I made bistek. And granted, I definitely got brownie points for making Filipino food better than his Lola and Lolo (Filipino grandma and grandpa). But even though they may have exceeded them, it doesn’t replace the social gatherings with his Filipino family… this pandemic has gotten old for all of us.
The latest request has been lumpia. And just like all the other “recipes” his Lola has provided, the recipe, texted to my son, was vague AF. With a little research, I found that many bloggers use spring roll wrappers instead of lumpia wrappers. However, I did find lumpia wrappers on Amazon (linked in the ingredient list), so I decided to stick with the more authentic wrappers.
The difference you’ll notice is how they fried up. The lumpia wrappers kind of bubbled in the oil, leaving a rougher texture in the final product, versus spring wrappers that leave a nice smooth finish. So, mine are a little uglier than other posts! BUT, my son says these are as good, if not better than his Lola’s, which he says is saying a lot because her lumpias are what she excels at the most when it comes to cooking.
So, Lola’s recipe, per her text: “carrots, celery, cabbage, green beans, potato (all julienne cut), onion, garlic, oil. Just stir fry half way. Let cool, then wrap in lumpia wrapper. Fry till golden brown. Serve with vinegar with garlic, salt and pepper.” Okay, so, celery and green beans just didn’t jive with me. Now, I got that they add additional nutritional value to the lumpia but, as I said, they just didn’t sit right with me. The potato sounded a bit different, but I was able to get behind that.
So, I ended up with carrots, cabbage, potato, onions, and garlic. Rather than just seasoning them with salt and pepper, I seasoned the vegetables with soy sauce and sesame oil, and wow did that flavor come through! Instead of just vinegar, garlic, and salt and pepper for the dipping sauce, I mixed together sweet chili sauce with rice vinegar. Such a simple mixture, but really, really good!
These are very easy to make; I just found them a tad time consuming. But, totally worth it! Let me know what you think!
Enjoy!
How to Fold Lumpia
Authentic Filipino Pork Lumpia
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: About 18 lumpia 1x
- Category: Asian, Appetizers, Snacks
Ingredients
Lumpia
1 lb ground pork
1” ginger, minced
6 garlic, minced
1 cup red or green cabbage, julienned
1 cup potato, julienned
½ onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, finely grated
¼ cup soy sauce
2 TBs sesame oil
1 egg
2 TBs olive oil
salt and pepper
~2 cups castor oil for frying
Dipping Sauce
2 TBs sweet chili sauce
1 TB rice vinegar
Instructions
In a wok or large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onions. Sauté, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant ~ about 30 seconds. Add the cabbage and potatoes and cook an additional 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are just starting to tenderize. Pour the soy sauce and sesame oil over the vegetables and seasoning with pepper. Stir and remove from the heat.
Once slightly cooled, add the pork, carrots, and egg to the pan. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
Follow the directions on the rice paper to soften the paper. My directions said 5 seconds in warm warm one sheet at a time. However, I found that it took closer to 15 to 20 seconds to get to the right consistency. Regardless, work only one sheet at a time.
Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the pork mixture onto the sheet just below the exact middle of the sheet. Fold the sheet over on the left and right to create a book. Then fold the bottom up and over the meat. Tightly roll the paper/meat up into a tight roll. (See photos above). Set aside on a plate. Continue with the rest of the sheets until all of the meat has been used. When arranging on a plate, be careful that the rolls do not touch each other, otherwise they will stick and tear.
Meanwhile, in a medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Once it reaches 350°F, carefully add 2 to 3 lumpia to the oil, being careful they do not touch. When you add them to the oil with tongs, gently move them back and forth for a few seconds so they do not stick to the bottom. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning over halfway through. Remove to paper towels to drain.
Note: you can simultaneously fry and roll to save time.
Serve hot with the sweet chili sauce and rice vinegar whisked together in a dipping bowl.
Enjoy!
Keywords: lumpia, Filipino lumpia, pork lumpia, fried pork lumpia, fried lumpia, how to make lumpia
