I’ve been crazy about these since I was a kid, but I’ve never been able to make them for myself. The people I’ve known who could make them never seem to have an actual recipe. They can never list all the ingredients or give me any idea of their proportions. I’ve seen a few recipes on the web but I’m never sure whether they’re any good. Surely one of my fellow Dopers can help me out with this!
In Ann Hodgman’s cookbook, Beat That! on page 17, there is a recipe for these. I made them once and they were really really good, but a TON of work. Plus a bunch of them unrolled on me and were not so attractive.
Filipino Cuisine has several different recipies for lumpia. I have one of my own, adapted from the book and my Filipina grandma’s recipe. She never actually taught me directly, but I’ve seen it done enough times that I can make a decent batch. The thing is, it’s a very adaptable dish, so you can change it up fairly easily. The main things to remember are to use vegetables that have a strong enough texture and flavor to withstand deep frying, and to use a bit of fish sauce in the filling. I haven’t quite got the hang of rolling them prorperly, but I can give you some tips. So, here we go:
sturmhauke’s Halfway Decent Lumpia
makes 50-odd lumpia
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 a small head of cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)
2 carrots, julienned
1 cup peas
1 cup bean sprouts
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons black pepper
lumpia wrappers (see below)
First you need the wrappers. You can use Chinese egg roll wrappers if you can’t find anything else, but they don’t taste quite the same and they’re a bit denser. On the other hand they’re easier to work with. Real lumpia wrappers come in two types: one is square and thicker (although still thinner than egg roll wrappers), and the other is round and really thin. The round ones are very fragile, but produce the best results. Lumpia wrappers often come frozen, so be sure to thaw them in the fridge overnight. I haven’t tried microwave defrosting, but microwaves tend to do weird things to breadlike foods so I wouldn’t recommend it. Once you open your thawed lumpia wrappers (which you shouldn’t do until you are ready to roll), keep the stack under a damp towel so they don’t dry out and get brittle.
On to the filling. Fry the meat, onions, and garlic in a wok, large skillet, or 8 quart pot, until meat begins to brown. You shouldn’t need oil unless you have really lean meat. Then add the rest of the filling ingredients until the vegetables begin to wilt slightly. Set the filling aside and let it cool down some.
When you are ready to wrap your lumpia, you will need a bowl of water to seal them and a tray to put them on. Carefully peel off a wrapper and set it on your rolling surface (plate, cutting board, whatever). Put two spoonfuls of filling on the wrapper, near one corner for square wrappers or near the edge for round wrappers. Don’t go overboard or the lumpia will burst easily; you want to aim for the size of a roll of quarters, or less if you like a thicker, crunchier wrapper. Also, smaller lumpia are a bit more forgiving to roll, since if you tear the wrapper early on it’s easier to hide that part in an inner layer.
Now comes the hard part. I haven’t fully mastered this yet myself, as it takes a lot of practice. You can also enlist your friends to help. Dip your finger in the water and moisten the bottom part of the wrapper, then fold it up and over the filling, forming a roll. Pull gently back on the roll until the wrapper is taut, then press slightly on the moistened edge to seal. Moisten the same area again (this was the underside of the wrapper before you started), then fold in the sides to form an envelope shape. Now moisten the outer edge of this envelope shape, and gently pull backwards on the lumpia while you roll it to keep it taut. Put your finished lumpia flap side down on your tray.
When you have finally rolled all the little buggers, you can cook them immediately or freeze them for later. If you freeze them, make sure you wrap them tightly in plastic or they will get freezer burn. Cook frozen lumpia straight out of the freezer, as below.
I prefer to deep fry my lumpia, but you can also pan fry them in enough oil to cover them halfway. At any rate, fry them until golden brown and crunchy, turning as necessary. It takes around 6-10 minutes, depending on size. When they’re done, stack them on a wire rack on a baking sheet, or a bunch of paper towels and let them cool. If you’re really impatient to eat, wrap the lumpia in a paper towel and take small bites, but don’t blame me if you get a mouthful of blisters.
You can also make a dipping sauce if you like. I mix a bit of soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and a dash of sriracha hot sauce. The proportions are roughly 6:2:4:1, but I don’t really measure.
Thanks, guys! I’ll try these pretty soon. My husband will be thrilled; turns out he also had a childhood love for these and now has no source for them. Yum!
I’ve made thousands of these wonderful things. The recipe can be as inventive as you like, and sturmhauke’s is as good as any, although I would add chopped water chestnuts. Also, cool the mixture in a collander to drain off any grease or moisture.
Do not substitute egg roll wrappers for lumpia wrappers unless you want egg rolls instead of lumpia. Lumpia wrappers fry up much crisper and flakier than egg roll wrappers.
As mentioned, peeling and rolling are the most aggravating part of lumpia. Patience and practice is the key. Take care separating them and you won’t have too many problems. I usually separate them in half, then half again, etc. untill I’m down to peeling individual wrappers.
As for rolling, I was unable to decipher the description given. Here’s what I do: have a small bowl of HOT water at the ready. Place a spoonful of the mix near the end of one wrapper (don’t overfill). Begin to roll; at about the halfway point, fold in both ends and continue rolling tightly. When you get to the end, thoroughly moisten the remaining bit with the hot water, seal the lumpia and place seal side down on a baking sheet. Reheat the water as necessary in the microwave.
My secret lumpia recipe:
1. Go to Albertson’s
2. Go to the bulk frozen food aisle
3. Buy the big bag of frozen lumpia
4. Cook and eat
Ok, that makes sense. Fortunately I live in Houston so ethnic food items like the lumpia wrappers should be easy to find.
**Johnny L. A.: ** I’ve never seen the frozen kind. Plenty of regular Chinese egg rolls, but never lumpia. Hmm.
Wow, my Filipina aunt taught me to make these a few years ago, but her recipe is totally different! Weird.
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Brown a pound or so of ground sirloin, add finely chopped onions and finely chopped garlic (I usually use about one small white onion, and a few cloves of garlic- you can’t have enough garlic!)
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Add super finely chopped carrot, sautee a minute. Turn off heat.
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Sprinkle liberally with garlic powder or garlic salt.
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Wrap using lumpia wrappers.
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Deep fry in OLIVE OIL until crispy and brown. MMmmmmmmmm.
Hmm, I was trying to be clear but I guess I failed. Your description is essentially the same.
I use spring roll wrappers. They seem to work fairly well.
And here’s the filling recipe I use, stolen from a recipe for Hamburger Pockets from Ming Tsai. The pockets were impossible to make but the filling’s great.
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 cup scallions, white and green parts, cut 1 1/6 inch thick
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons naturally brewed soy sauce
Kosher salt to taste
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Then you put about a thumb’s length in each wrapper and seal. Fry them until they come popping back up golden brown.
-Lil
You were probably perfectly clear; I’m just more of a visual person.
Mrs. Duality uses sausage, shrimp, bean sprouts (or shredded cabbage if sprouts are unavailable) and fresh cilantro for the stuffing.