Mama's Recipes

Golden Brown, Crispy, Crunchy Lumpia

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Favorite Filipino Food

Lumpia is one of my favorite Filipino foods. It’s hard to rival the crispy crunch and delicious filling paired with white rice or pancit. It is impossible to eat only one and you will have to force yourself away from the plate. They just melt in your mouth and you have eaten five before you know what happened.

If there are any left over, you will feel them pulling you back like a magnetic force. It’s that serious. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner is of no concern because these are great at any time. You will be sneaking them out of the refrigerator all day…oh wait, that might just be something that I do. This food reminds me of my mother in law because she was the one who first cooked lumpia for me. I had never tasted this delight until I was a teenager and I met her and of course, hers will always be the best.

Lots of Options

When I recently cooked lumpia, I made two batches. One batch was only hamburger, plain, for my younger girls. My middle daughter added bacon to her filling and apparently it was so delicious, her friends ate them up without telling her during her school lunch! She left the cafeteria for a minute and came back to no lunch! Gotta love middle school.

For the lumpia for my husband and I, I cooked cabbage with bacon for flavor and just removed the bacon before adding the cabbage to my filling. I used thin matchstick carrots, but you could use carrots from a can to save cooking time. I did not use celery or onions this time. Celery is not my favorite, and I honestly just forgot about the onions. I microwaved some snap beans in a steam bag to save time, then sautéed them with garlic and a little bit of olive oil.

Time to Roll the Lumpia!

Spring roll wrappers worked great. Two of my girls enjoyed rolling up the lumpia and took pride in their work. My youngest was a little, okay a lot, grossed out by the idea of sealing the edges with egg after rolling so we put water in the little pink cup for her to use. My oldest has rolled with her Lola and her aunt, and hers were definitely the most nicely done!

The hardest part for me of cooking lumpia is getting my oil just the right temperature. I blame it on my stove, but recognize it’s probably me. It’s a delicate balance between having the oil just right to sizzle when you drop the lumpia in vs. covering the entire kitchen with popping grease. I don’t even let the kids stay in the room when I’m frying them. Lumpia, to me, is a lot of work but it’s worth it. Making this dish with my girls makes me think of my husband’s family, and I’m glad my girls get to create something special.

Lumpia

Cuisine: Filipino
Keyword: delicious crunch, golden brown

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup carrots cooked, diced or sliced
  • 1 package lumpia wrappers
  • 1/2 cup celery diced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic diced
  • 1/4 cup onions diced
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • salt and pepper season to taste
  • cooking oil

Instructions

  • Sauté beef, onion, garlic, soy sauce, salt, and pepper.
  • Remove from heat and mix in carrots and celery (or snap beans, peas, etc.)
  • Begin heating cooking oil for lumpia.
  • Take 1 wrapper and place a tablespoon of ground beef mixture in the center.
  • Roll the end of the lumpia wrapper once, then fold the left and right side toward the center and continue to roll. At the end, brush with egg and seal.
  • Deep fry until golden brown.

Notes

This recipe is easily customizable. Add in more vegetables or swap out your favorites with those listed above. I like to add cabbage instead of celery. Lumpia is also great with snap beans or peas. Try chicken or pork instead of hamburger. You can also freeze the lumpia you make to use later. 
Lumpia Egg Roll Fried Food  - 9972129 / Pixabay
Just remember, calories don’t count when you are eating Lumpia!

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