Easy Filipino Lumpia Recipe

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These Filipino Lumpia are light and Crispy, with a juicy ground meat and vegetable filling. Not to mention, they're easy to prepare. The entire process takes less than an hour, start to finish.

Serve Filipino Lumpia with Oil and Vinegar Coleslaw or Easy Fried Rice for a quick, tasty meal.

Besides being delicious, lumpia can be assembled up to a day in advance and fried as needed.

A total crowd-pleaser, Lumpia are always the first to disappear at any potluck or party.

My Take on Filipino Lumpia

It's true, I'm not Filipino, but I do love Filipino food and have been known to make a mean Pancit, Pork /Chicken Adobo, and lumpia.

I first fell in love with lumpia while spending time in the Philippines when I was in the Navy.

I got reintroduced to lumpia years later when a sweet Filipino nurse brought them to work. I still have the recipe she jotted down for me back in the early '90s.

As you can see from the picture below, she didn't give me exact measurements. I use her recipe as a guide and have developed my own recipe over the years.

Lumpia Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 lb. pork, beef, or chicken (ground)
• 1 stalk celery (minced)
• 4 ounces of sliced water chestnuts (julienned)
• 1 small onion (minced)
• 3 scallions (diced)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 3 cups coleslaw mix or cabbage salad (without lettuce)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 T. soy sauce
• 1 T. Sriracha hot chili sauce (optional)
• 2 packages lumpia or egg roll wrappers
• 1 medium egg (for eggwash)
• 1 cup oil (for frying)

Recipe Directions:

Begin by browning pork, beef, or chicken in a large pan or wok.

Add celery, chestnuts, onions, and scallions. Saute for a few minutes longer.

Next, add the garlic, coleslaw mix, salt, pepper, soy sauce, and Sriracha. Cook for a few more minutes. Allow the filling to cool completely.

Before rolling the lumpia, whisk an egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make a thin eggwash. The eggwash acts as a glue to keep the lumpia wrappers from opening while being fried.

How to Roll Lumpia

There are a few different ways to roll lumpia.

One way is to cut the wrapper in half so that you have two triangle-shaped wrappers.

The uncooked filling is then shaped into a long and thin strip and placed on the bottom edge of the wrapper. Finally, the sides are folded over the filling and the lumpia is rolled up to seal.

For the purpose of this recipe, we will be cooking the filling first and rolling the lumpia similar to rolling Egg Rolls. If you prefer, you can also wrap them like Cheese Burek.

Place wrapper with one of the corners facing up.

Dab eggwash on all four corners of the wrapper. Alternatively, you can dab the top corner only.

Add up to two tablespoons of filling towards the bottom of the wrapper. Shape into a strip and roll up part of the way; fold in the sides.

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Finish by rolling tightly all the way up until the lumpia is sealed. Place seam-side down onto a platter and continue until you use up all the wrappers and filling.

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Frying the Lumpia

Heat oil in a skillet until it reaches 375-degrees F.

If you don't have a digital thermometer, you can tell that the oil is ready if it begins to bubble as soon as the lumpia is placed in the hot oil.

If the oil does not bubble right away, keep heating it then try again.

Using a tong, carefully add 3 to 4 lumpia into the hot oil.

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Roll the lumpia as necessary so that all the sides are browned. This should only take a few minutes.

Drain fried lumpia on paper towels to remove excess oil. Continue until all the lumpia are fried.

Serve immediately, while still hot.

Frequently Asked Questions

What to Serve with Filipino Lumpia

I recommend serving the Lumpia with a sweet chili sauce, like Mae Ploy. You can purchase the sauce at any grocery store, or even on Amazon.

Even better, if you like a little spice, make your own sauce using one of the many great recipes online. This Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce recipe happens to be my favorite.

What are lumpia wrapper made of?

Lumpia wrappers are made with flour, water, and salt. Some recipes call for rice flour and cornstarch, while others call for all-purpose flour.

Unlike egg roll wrappers, eggs are not used in the recipe. Lumpia wrappers are almost see-through and much thinner than egg roll wrappers.

Another visible difference is that lumpia wrappers don't get "bubbly" when fried like egg roll wrappers do. They have a much smoother texture.

Unfortunately, lumpia wrappers are not as readily available as egg roll wrappers. For this reason, I use egg roll wrappers when I'm craving lumpia but don't feel like going out of my way to purchase lumpia wrappers, or making my own.

However, if you want to tackle making your own lumpia wrappers, check out this Homemade Lumpia wrapper video.

Can You Freeze Lumpia?

Lumpia can be frozen either before or after frying.

If you plan on freezing unfried lumpia, make sure to first place them on a platter or large tray in the freezer until they are almost frozen.

You can then store them in a large freezer Ziploc bag. This will ensure that the lumpia does not stick together.

Frying Frozen Lumpia

You do not need to defrost frozen lumpia prior to frying them. Just follow the same frying instructions listed in the recipe, with the exception of adding a few additional minutes to the frying time.

Reheating Cooked and Frozen Lumpia

If the lumpia are frozen after they are fried, you can microwave them, a few at a time, for approximately one to two minutes. The exact time will depend on the wattage of your microwave.

For a crispier texture, bake the fried and frozen lumpia for approximately ten minutes in a 350-degrees F oven. Using a toaster oven is even a better option and requires less time.

Cook's Tips:

• Feel free to use a combination of chicken, pork, or beef in the filling.
• Besides being a time-saver, using coleslaw allows you to serve the leftover salad on the side.
• If you prefer, you can replace the coleslaw with a combination of julienned carrots and cabbage to equal 3 cups.
• Instead of egg wash, you can use a slurry of cornstarch and water for sealing the lumpia.
• Make sure the oil temperature reaches 375 degrees F. or is hot enough to begin bubbling as soon as the Lumpia is added. This helps to keep the lumpia from absorbing more oil than necessary.

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