Fresh Lumpia
(Spring Rolls)

Fresh Lumpia (Spring Rolls)

Spring rolls are traditional Asian dishes especially in China and Vietnam. They usually come deep fried or fresh, with a wide variety of meat, seafood and vegetables as filling. In the Philippines, spring rolls are called Lumpia Shanghai or simply Lumpia. The filling is a mixture of sautéed ground meat, cabbage, bean sprouts and carrots. They are wrapped in a thin spring roll wrapper, and then deep fried.

The lesser known dish is the Fresh Lumpia. It differs in the texture, taste and the way it is prepared. It still needs to be wrapped, but doesn’t require any frying. It is commonly served with a garlic dipping sauce that is both sweet and salty.

Aside from being healthy because it doesn’t require any frying, it is also very light and delicious. There is no set ingredients for the filling as you can put anything that you want. The meat could be chopped or ground pork, chicken or shrimp. The vegetables could be lettuce, cabbage, turnips, jicama or water chestnuts.

Preparation Tme:   45 mins
Cooking Time:   25-30 mins
Yield:   15-20 rolls

Ingredients:
Filling:
½ lb ground pork
½ lb shrimp, shelled, deveined and minced
1 small head of cabbage,shredded
1 large carrot, julienned
1 cup green beans, sliced diagonally
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, julienned
1 small can water chestnuts, julienned (optional)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
lettuce leaves
2-3 tsp patis (fish sauce)
1/2 cup water
salt
pepper
cooking oil
spring roll wrappers
peanuts, finely chopped (for garnishing)

Sauce:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp garlic, minced
5 tbsp soy sauce

Cooking Directions:
1.   Heat the pan and sauté the garlic and onion. Add the pork and cook until the fat renders. Simmer until the pork is tender.
2.   Add the shrimp and patis and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the vegetables and stir fry until they are cooked. Avoid overcooking. Season with salt and pepper.
3.   Drain the excess liquid in a strainer. Allow to cool before wrapping.
4.   For the sauce, boil the water in a pan. Add the sugar and stir constantly until it is totally melted.
5.   Dissolve the cornstarch in soy sauce and a little of the syrup, and then return to the pot. When the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and keep warm. Add the garlic. Set aside.
6.   Put half of a lettuce which has been cut in half lengthwise over a spring roll wrapper. Put about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling in the middle of the lettuce. Tuck the bottom of the wrapper over the filling, and then fold both sides. Seal the top with a dab of water.
7.   Serve with the sauce and chopped peanuts.
8.   Enjoy!

Fresh Lumpia (Spring Rolls)