STEEMFOODS: HOW TO MAKE LUMPIANG SHANGHAI

People who love eat are always the best people.- Julia Child

I am so hungry today since it has been a very busy day. I remember when I was a student I used to buy Lumpia since its the only affordable food at the canteen. And would not even taste the meat in it. So today I want to share my very own Lumpiang Shanghai.

There was never a doubt – Lumpiang Shanghai is most people’s gateway to Filipino cuisine. We all know, by now, that lumpia (egg rolls or spring rolls) are delicious bites of savory goodness, but for some reason, lumpia made in this particular style is especially a fast favorite. Lumpia comes in all shapes, sizes, wrappers and fillings – and these small finger food sized bites are filled with pork, shrimp, and vegetables. They’re a hit of family gatherings, and they were certainly a hit with my friends.

INGREDIENTS

1 lbs ground pork
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
1/4 cup carrot minced
5-6tablespoons soy sauce I like Silver Swan brand soy sauce in this
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
125 5" square spring roll wrappers; they come in 50 count packs
Oil for frying

For the Sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons banana ketchup
Pinch of salt
Chili

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, mix the ground pork, onion, carrot, soy sauce, egg and a little salt and pepper by hand. If necessary, chop on a cutting board to ensure that it everything is fine and well incorporated.
To roll the lumpia, I find that it helps to separate the wrappers in advance; cover with a damp paper towel to prevent from drying out. Take the wrapper and place on your work surface on a diagonal so one point is facing you. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling towards the bottom of the egg roll. Turn up the bottom corner and roll upwards. Fold in the left and right corners, making sure the filling is nicely packed, with no air pockets. Continue rolling. Dip you finger in water, pat it on the remaining corner and finish rolling the lumpia, sealing the edge. The lumpia should be about 1/2 inch in diameter. See the GIF in the post illustrating how to roll lumpia for reference. Continue rolling until your lumpias are done, there should be enough filling for about 125 lumpia.
Keep the lumpia covered in a single layer in the refrigerator with a damp paper towel over top until ready to fry, or freeze in an air tight container for later.

Make the dipping sauce by combining the vinegar, water, sugar, banana ketchup and salt in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and stir. Set aside.

To fry the lumpia, heat the peanut oil in a deep fryer or deep sided skillet to 350 degrees. Working in batches, add the lumpia about 4-6 at a time, and fry until golden brown. You will know the the lumpia are ready when they are golden brown, and the filling is fully cooked; this should take about 4 minutes for freshly rolled lumpia, or about 6 minutes for frozen. Let the lumpia drain on a rimmed platter lined with paper towels.