Lumpia Shanghai
By Mandy Tanner
Lumpia are crispy Filipino spring rolls, and Shanghai lumpia are a meat-filled version. The key to a shell that shatters beautifully is to start with lumpia wrappers or spring roll sheets, which you can find at some supermarkets and at Asian markets. (In a pinch you can use egg roll wrappers, but they will be thicker and more bubbly.) If you are making these for a party, you can certainly double the recipe. Even better, they can be assembled (but not fried) a month or two ahead and frozen. Simply layer them in a dish with parchment between the layers and freeze. Do not thaw them before frying or the wrappers will get soggy. Simply pop them into the hot oil directly from the freezer and cook a little longer. Serve with a homemade or purchased sweet chili sauce or a sweet and sour sauce for dipping.
Prep Time
40 Minutes
Cook Time
20 Minutes
Ingredients
Number of people serving
8
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main
| 1 Tablespoon | canola oil or similar neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point, plus more for frying |
| 1/2 Cup | diced yellow onion |
| 4 | garlic cloves, minced |
| 1 Pound | ground pork |
| 3 Tablespoon | soy sauce, preferably low-sodium |
| 1/2 Teaspoon | Kosher salt |
| 1/2 Teaspoon | freshly ground black pepper |
| 1/2 Cup | coarsely grated carrots |
| 1/4 Head | small green cabbage, very thinly sliced or shredded |
| 20 | square lumpia or spring roll wrappers, thawed if frozen |
| 1 | egg, beaten, for egg wash |
| Sweet chili sauce, as needed, for serving |
Step
1
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the ground pork, soy sauce, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon and breaking up any large pieces, until the pork is just about cooked through and has started to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, and cook until the pork is no longer pink, about another 1 minute. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.
2
Let the pork cool completely, about 15 minutes. (To speed cooling, you can spread the pork out on a rimmed baking sheet.) Add the cabbage and mix well.
3
Have the lumpia wrappers handy and covered with a damp cloth to keep them from drying out. Carefully peel one wrapper from the stack and place it on a clean work surface with one point of the square facing you. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling 2 inches from the bottom of the wrapper and shape the filling into a thin log across the wrapper. Bring up the bottom corner of the wrapper and roll it up and over the filling. Fold the left and right corners of the wrapper toward the center. Lightly brush the top corner of the wrapper with a small amount of egg wash. Continue rolling the rest of the way to seal the roll. Place seam side down on a small rimmed sheet pan or platter and keep covered with a kitchen towel until ready to fry. Repeat until all of the filling has been used up; you should get about 20 lumpia.
4
When ready to fry, line a baking sheet with paper towel and set a rack over it. Fill a heavy-based pot halfway with oil and heat over medium heat on the Traeger Induction cooktop or on the stove until it reaches 375°F on a candy/deep fry thermometer. Carefully lower 4 to 5 lumpia into the hot oil and fry, turning occasionally with tongs, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to the rack. Continue frying in batches.
5
Serve the lumpia warm, whole or sliced in half, with sweet chili sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
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