This has been one of the most challenging recipes that we have tried so far, but well worth our time and effort. Our suggestion would be to make the filling the night before you want to serve these delicious treats; this will not only save you some time when you are ready to make them, but will also allow the filling to cool completely. Take your time rolling the wrappers so you get them tightly wrapped and they don't tear. We added stir fry to our meal (don't worry, we will share). The sauce is truly an important part of the flavor and completes this masterpiece! Let us know what you think…and if you make any modifications…we like to try new things.
MAGSAYA!
First, make the filling, which is as simple as cooking some ground pork in onions and garlic, then adding green beans, carrots, cabbage, seasoning (with fish or soy sauce), salt, and pepper. (Other fillings include ground turkey, bean sprouts, or water chestnuts. You can also skip the meat and go vegetarian.)
You'll need lumpia wrappers, the frozen wrappers work fine. Make sure that they are square, and they are completely thawed before using. Carefully peel them apart before rolling. (A tip for separating: peel apart a large chunk at a time, then continue to divide each chunk in half until you're left with single wrappers. Keep your stack of wrappers between two damp paper towels to keep them from drying out while you roll.)
After the filling has cooled completely, scoop a little less than half a cup into a small rectangular mound just below the middle of the wrapper. This is kind of a lot of filling, but these are larger rolls, so you should be able to handle a larger filling amount.
Carefully roll the lumpia, keeping the filling compact and making sure the wrapper is tight. Pull the sides across the top so that the lumpia resembles an open envelope.
Roll the lumpia once more until just the edge is exposed, and brush the edge with egg to seal. Brush the outside seams with more egg.
Place rolls seaside down on a baking sheet line with parchment paper, then fry the rolls in batches, on all sides, until golden brown. (Start frying seam side down to avoid the lumpia opening in the pan.)
We used a simple sauce of 50/50 soy sauce and distilled white vinegar. (DELICIOUS) Here's the recipe…enjoy!
Lumpia Prito
Makes 12 lumpiang
The Filling:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 lb ground pork (you can also use ground turkey or beef)
1 cup onions, diced
1 cup carrots, pealed and diced (we cheated and used pre sliced carrots and it was perfect)
1 cup green beans, sliced thinly on a diagonal (this was a bit tricky, you want smaller pieces)
3/4 cup cabbage, sliced small
3 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
1/4 cup fish sauce (can substitute with soy, but we used fish sauce and it was AWESOME!)
salt and pepper (we used fresh ground on both)
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add onion and garlic. Cook until translucent and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add ground pork, breaking up and cooking until no longer pink. Add the green beans, cook for 1-2 minutes. Add carrots, cook 1-2 minutes longer. Add cabbage and cook until slightly softened. Add fish sauce and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.
(The key here is to not overcook the vegetables, as they will continue to cook later when frying the egg rolls. Instead, you want them just slightly cooked, so that they are bright but not too tender.)
Transfer pork mixture to a colander and let excess fat and moisture drain. Let cool completely.
For the rolling of the lumpia:
Parchment or wax paper
12 square lumpia wrappers
1 egg, beaten
Pork mixture
On a large piece of parchment paper, position the lumpia wrapper so that it is a diamond facing you, with a pointed edge toward you. Scoop about 1/2 cup (we just grabbed tiny handfuls…we were tired of measuring) of the pork mixture to form a rectangular mound just below the middle of the wrapper.
Pull the bottom edge of the wrapper over the filling, and gently tighten the wrapper around the filling. Fold the right and left edges over so that they touch in the middle and the wrapper now resembles an open envelope. Roll the entire lumpia over so that there is about a 1-inch seam exposed, then brush and seal with egg. You can also brush the outside sam with more egg.
Place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaing wrappers until the pork mixture is gone. There should be enough to make about 12. (we got more than 12, but we used less filling than suggested)
You can store these in refrigerator for a few days until ready to roll, or even store thin in the freezer for several months. Just be shire to thaw completely before frying.
For the frying of the lumpia:
Heat 3-4 tablespoons of canola oil in a small skillet over high heat. (we used a cast iron skillet and had to watch the heat as to not burn the oil) When the oil is vary hot, working in batches, place 3-4 (do mot overcrowd) in the skillet, seam side down, and fry on all sides until golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel, add more oil to pan if needed, and repeat frying process with remaining rolls.
Serve immediately with lumpia sauce (see below). To reheat, place in a toaster oven for 350 F for 3-5 minutes until hot and crispy (we didn't have leftovers, so we can't tell you if this works).
For the the lumpia sauce:
Comine 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1-2 tablespoon vinegar, 1-2 smashed garlic cloves, and ground pepper into a small bowl. (we just used 50/50 soy sauce and distilled white vinegar)
For the eating of the lumpia:
Dip in sauce and enjoy!
