#109_Lumpia Shanghai or Eggrolls

Lumpia Shanghai
is a very popular side dish in the Philippines
and it is served in most gatherings
along with pancit and other delicious dishes and whatnot.
Everybody knows what Egg rolls are and most everybody knows
how to make it,
therefore, it doesn't need much introduction.

I just wanted to share my version of making lumpia
which has cooked meat in the fillings
and so there is a little bit more work involved,
but I guarantee you, it is worth all the effort.
After trying this cooked meat fillings,
you will not want to go back to the raw meat fillings anymore.

Here's my recipe:

The Lumpia Filling:

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 med size onion, sliced in chunks
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt/Pepper
1 med, size carrot
2 stalks celery, finely diced
6 cloves garlic, chopped very finely
2 med size potato, boiled
Egg roll wrappers

1) In a skillet, over medium heat, brown the ground pork and ground beef together with the sliced onion without using any oil. Stir occasionally.

2) When the meat is no longer pink, discard the fat. ( I do this by placing the meat in a colander to drain the fat off).

3) Put the drained meat back in the skillet and add the onion, salt and pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Add a little water (about 1/4 cup) and cover. Simmer until meat is tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4) Put the meat back in a colander to drain. At this point you need to drain the meat really well. (I usually put the colander in a bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. If you're in a rush, you can squeeze out the liquid by using a piece of cheese cloth.)

5) Put the well drained meat in a food processor and pulse it for a few seconds. You might need to do this in 2 to 3 batches.

6) Put this in a bowl and add the diced celery and the chopped garlic.

7) Wash and grate the carrot using the coarse side of the grater, then mix it with the meat mixture.

8) Peel the boiled potatoes and grate them using the coarse side of the grater. Mix it with the meat mixture. This is the binding agent.

9) Mix everything together really well.

Preparing to Wrap the Lumpia:

A) Make a paste
In a pot, dissolve about 2 heaping tbps. of all purpose flour in 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until it reaches a consistency of a pudding. You may add more water if necessary. Set aside.
Use this homemade paste to seal the seams of the lumpia. Some people use egg white, but I prefer to use this paste.

B) Separate the lumpia or egg roll wrappers.

The wrappers are stuck to each other in a package like the packaged sliced cheese. Separate them by carefully pulling them off one by one and stack them on a plate.
Make sure to cover the stack of wrappers with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out as these wrappers dry out easily. When they dry out they become brittle and tend to crack. Good wrappers are a little stretchy and malleable. If they are brittle, that means they have been exposed to air or they are just plain old. Better not use them.

Most egg roll wrapper packages have directions on the back
on how to wrap the lumpia.
I like this diagram because it is self explanatory and very helpful for beginners.


Wrapping the Lumpias:

I like using the wrappers that are pre-cut to 4x4-inch
so I don't have to cut up the lumpias before frying them.
These wrappers come in 50 pieces per package and are
available in most Asian or Oriental stores.
This recipe can make about 150 pieces.

1) Place a wrapper on a clean work surface with one pointed end facing towards you.

2) Put about 1 tbsp. of filling on the wrapper, below the center of wrapper. (see first diagram)

Make sure the filling is not bigger than a forefinger.

3) Bring the corner closest to you over the filling and then bring the left and right sides towards the the middle and roll it out, leaving a little bit of the other pointed end open and apply some paste around this end to seal, see last diagram.

5) Repeat until all the fillings and wrappers are used up.

There are 2 ways to cook these Lumpias:
Frying in hot oil
Bake in the oven


To fry Lumpias in hot oil:
In a heavy skillet or fry pan, heat some vegetable or canola oil
Fry the wrapped lumpias until golden brown and crispy.
Drain fried lumpia on paper towels and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Most Filipinos enjoy the simple dipping sauce made with
vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper with some hot peppers.
You can use sweet chili sauce as well, which are available in Asian stores.

Notes:

1) You can use eggs instead of the grated boiled potatoes to bind the ingredients together.
2) You can either freeze left over fillings for later use or make 150 pieces of lumpia and freeze them.
3)To fry frozen lumpia, do not thaw them out, otherwise the wrappers will become soggy and will break apart while frying them.
4)* To test if the temperature of the oil is perfect for frying the lumpia,
stick one end of lumpia in the oil, when it sizzles good, it is ready.