How to Cook Lumpiang Shanghai
by Ruby Bayan
When I moved to the US, the ordinary homemade dishes I grew up with suddenly became "ethnic delicacies" available only in Filipino restaurants almost an hour away or in the freezer section of the Oriental Supermarket just as far from our place. Pinoy restaurant food is expensive, and frozen items taste... frozen.
Solution: cook your own Pinoy food. One of my favorites is the Lumpiang Shanghai. Here's the recipe I use, which I share here especially for my step-daughter. [Click photo for large version.]
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 cup diced shrimp
- 1/2 cup grated carrots
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Five Spice Powder
- 1 egg
- 1 pack Spring Roll Shells/Wrappers
- cooking oil
- Duck Sauce (dipping sauce)
STEPS:
1. In a medium bowl, mix pork, shrimp, carrots, soy sauce, egg, and five spice powder until well blended.
2. Lay out a spring roll wrapper. Spread about a spoonful of the mixture onto the middle portion of the wrapper. A fork works well to spread the mixture evenly.
3. Fold the wrapper over the meat.
4. Roll the wrapper into a... roll. Seal the roll by smearing a little water along the edge of the wrapper.
5. Make as many rolls as you want. If you have more meat than wrappers, you can make fried meatballs. If you have more wrappers than meat, seal the leftover wrappers in a plastic bag and freeze for next time.
6. Cut the rolls into small pieces. Regular-sized wrappers will make 4 small lumpias per wrapper.
7. Heat oil in a frying pan (or deep fryer). Fry lumpias in medium-high heat until golden brown. Turn rolls often to prevent one-sided burning.
8. Serve with Duck Sauce... or soy sauce with kalamansi juice. Sweet Chili Sauce works, too.
TIPS:
1. Monitor the heat when frying. Too low makes the lumpia too oily and soggy; too high will burn the wrapper before the meat is cooked.
2. Lumpia is best eaten while warm and crunchy. To reheat, re-fry in oil, or bake until hot. Microwaving is not recommended.
3. It's always best to fry only what can be consumed in one sitting. Keep the rest of the raw rolls in the refrigerator up to two days, or freeze up to two weeks.
4. If you feel like adding a hint of the Orient, sprinkle a few drops of Sesame Oil to the meat mixture.
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