Our Taste of Home: Lumpiang Shanghai

by Chris Hernandez

Around the winter holidays, my mother and I make our Filipino style egg rolls which we call “Lumpia.” Most Asian cuisines have their own version of egg rolls in some shape or form. In Filipino cuisine, there are generally two types of egg rolls which are lumpiang shanghai (pork egg rolls) and lumpiang gulay (vegetable egg rolls). My personal favorite is lumpiang shanghai! The process to make lumpia is really straightforward. There is a lot of prep-work involved but it is absolutely worth it! 

Ingredients 

- Lumpia wrapper (or any egg roll wrapper)

- 3 cups of cooking oil 

- 1 egg beaten 

Filling Ingredients 

- 1 ½ lbs ground pork 

- 2 carrots minced 

- 2 onions minced 

- ½ tsp ground black pepper 

- 1 ½ tsp salt 

- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder 

- ½ cup parsley chopped 

- 1 tbsp sesame oil 

- 2 whole eggs 

Preparation 

1. Combine and mix all filling ingredients in a bowl. 

2. Scoop about 1 ½ tablespoons of filling and place in the center and spread the filling. 3. Fold in both sides of the wrapper. 

4. Fold in the bottom side of the wrapper. 

5. Brush beaten egg mixture on top of lumpia wrapper. 

6. Fold lumpia in towards the top of the egg brushed side. 

7. Repeat previous steps until all the mixture is used. 

Cooking Instructions 

1. Heat oil in a cooking pan or pot on medium heat. 

2. Deep fry lumpia until lumpia rises and is golden brown.

3. Remove from the pot and let the excess oil drip. 

4. Serve and enjoy! 

Lumpia pairs extremely well with a sweet chili dipping sauce! You can also substitute for ground chicken, beef, shrimp or a mixture of meats. If you prepare extra, you can freeze and fry them for any occasion! The aroma of freshly fried lumpia always reminds me that the holidays are right around the corner. This is the taste of our home and I hope to share it with everyone!