Name: Lumpia
Yield: 15 pieces
Ingredients: 4 ounces ground beef; 8 ounces ground pork; 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger; ½ cup water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, drained again, and cut into small dice; ¼ cup finely diced carrots; ½ small Spanish onion, finely diced; 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce; ¾ teaspoon toasted sesame oil; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; ½ teaspoon Thai chili flakes; 1 medium scallion, thinly sliced; 15 spring roll wrappers (I prefer Wei-Chan); 1 large egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water; 1 quart peanut or vegetable oil; 1½ cups store-bought sweet chili sauce

Photo of lumpia on a platter with sweet chili sauce.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou

In the Philippines, we have two kinds of spring rolls or, as we call them, lumpia—fresh and fried. The fresh version has an almost crepe-like wrapper. While those are delicious, it’s the fried version, Lumpia Shanghai, that always puts a smile on my face. My parents say that’s been true since I was a toddler. I can’t wait to introduce my son to these delicious snacks as well, and given that they’re a staple at every Filipino party, holiday, and birthday, I don’t think that will take long. This roll can be filled with whatever you like: beef, pork, or vegetables. The combination in this recipe is my favorite.

Recipe information

Yield
15 pieces

Ingredients

4 ounces ground beef

8 ounces ground pork

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

½ cup water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, drained again, and cut into small dice

¼ cup finely diced carrots

½ small Spanish onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

¾ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon Thai chili flakes

1 medium scallion, thinly sliced

15 spring roll wrappers (I prefer Wei-Chan)

1 large egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water

1 quart peanut or vegetable oil

1½ cups store-bought sweet chili sauce

Preparation

Step 1
Put the beef and pork in a large bowl and gently mix to combine.
Step 2
Add the garlic, ginger, water chestnuts, carrot, onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, pepper, chili flakes, and scallion and mix until combined.
Step 3
Line a baking sheet with parchment. Take half of a wrapper and place it on your work surface so that a point is facing you. Place about 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling on the wrapper and spread it out to the edges. Turn up the bottom corner and roll upward. Fold in the left and right corners, making sure the filling is nicely packed, with no air pockets. Continue rolling. Dip your finger in the egg wash, pat it on the remaining corner, and finish rolling the lumpia, sealing the edge. The lumpia should be about 1/2 inch in diameter. Put the lumpia on the baking sheet. The lumpia can be made to this point and refrigerated, covered with a damp towel, for up to 8 hours or frozen in an airtight container for 2 to 3 weeks.
Step 4
Heat the oil in a wok or high-sided sauté pan over medium heat until it reaches 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Line another baking sheet with paper towels. Fry the lumpia in batches of four to six, until golden brown and crispy and the meat is cooked through, for a total of 4 minutes for fresh lumpia and 6 minutes for frozen. Remove with a slotted spoon to the prepared baking sheet. Serve with the sweet chili sauce on the side.
Step 5
Note: I find that it helps to separate the wrappers in advance; cover them with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out.

Lemongrass & Lime cookbook cover with photo of stir-fried noodles on plate.

Excerpted from Lemongrass and Lime: Southeast Asian Cooking at Home by Leah Cohen with permission of Avery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © Leah Cohen, 2020. Buy the full book from Amazon