Filipino Pork And Vegetable Lumpia Recipe

Who doesn't like deep-fried things? We are pretty sure the answer is "no one." And when one delightfully dish can count as a balanced meal, we're especially here for it. Enter: Filipino pork and vegetable lumpia. With meat for protein and fatty flavor, plus plenty of veggies for nutrients and that desired crunch factor, you have the perfect meal.

Recipe developer Patterson Watkins brings us this homemade dish and assures that "lumpia are the absolute best," ranking very high in her "personal hierarchy" of stuffed and deep-fried delicacies like egg rolls and spring rolls.

Not sure what to serve these with? Watkins suggests going for all the dips. "Typically you'll see lumpia served with a sweet chili sauce," she says, though her personal favorite accompaniment is banana ketchup. "If savory dipping is more your speed, I also recommend making sawsawan. It is a vinegar and soy sauce combination, nicely seasoned with onions, garlic, and chilis."

To make these Filipino pork and vegetable lumpia, start by checking off your ingredients list. For this version, you'll need ground pork, garlic, ginger, carrots, onion, green cabbage, fish sauce, salt, pepper, eggs, lumpia wrappers, vegetable oil, and banana ketchup or sweet chili sauce for dipping. If your store doesn't have wrappers designated for lumpia, you'll want to go for the spring roll ones.

In a large bowl, add the ground pork, garlic, ginger, carrots, onion, cabbage, fish sauce, salt, pepper, and just 1 egg. Using a large spoon or even your hands, mix the filling to combine, and you'll be left with a mixture that can be easily stuffed into lumpia. Next, whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl. You'll use this as an egg wash to seal up the lumpia wrappers.

"This recipe is moderately challenging, being that the task of stuffing and rolling the wrappers takes some finessing," Watkins notes. "Your first couple of lumpia rolls might not look all that pretty (my first rolls weren't), but, with a little practice, you'll be wrapping and rolling like a champ." With that in mind, now it's time to form the lumpia with confidence.

Place a wrapper on a clean surface in a diamond shape, so one point is facing directly toward you. Scoop about 2-3 tablespoons of the filling into the lower center of the wrapper, being sure to leave about 1 inch of clearance around the edges. Using a pastry brush, brush the outer edges of the wrapper with the egg wash. Then, fold up your lumpia by pulling the corner closest to you up and over the filling. Tuck in the side corners and roll the lumpia away from yourself until a cylinder is formed. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. Finally, freeze all the wrapped lumpia for 30 minutes until they firm up.

In the meantime, heat up a large pot of oil. Once it reaches 350 F, fry the lumpia in small batches of about 3-4 at a time. Lumpia should fry for around 3-4 minutes each and be flipped halfway through. Once they are golden and crispy, carefully scoop out the lumpia and allow them to drain off any excess oil on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate. 

Serve the finger foods with banana ketchup or even homemade sweet chili sauce for dipping. Want a more elaborate spread? "If you'd like to serve your lumpia as part of a larger Filipino cuisine-themed meal, my all-time go-to's are pancit (a very tasty stir fried noodle dish) and pork adobo," Watkins says.