To clarify, Arya’s Nay-Na is my mom who is Filipino (I was born in the Philippines).
As a child, I called my Dad’s parents Nainai and Yeye. When Arya was born, I wanted her to call my parents what I called my Dad’s parents and my Dad, who is Chinese, was cool with that. Totally incorrect and I had to explain to Arya once she learned those words early on in her dual language Mandarin immersion program.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey/chicken/pork (if you want to get fancy, you can add a little shrimp too)
- 2-3 stalks of green onions
- 1 large carrot
- 1 egg
- 2 tbs cornstarch
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbs Xiao Xing cooking wine (can sub Mirin, cooking sake, dry sherry)
- 2 tbs soy sauce (we use Lauriat which is a Filipino soy sauce)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3 dashes white pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 package egg roll wrappers (we use TYJ Spring Roll Pastry which is found in the frozen section of the Asian supermarket)
- canola oil
Optional: We are purists when it comes to our lumpia (but I’m also condiment phobic), but if you would like a sauce to go with your lumpia, there’s Jufran Banana Ketchup, Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce, or you could make a vinegar with minced garlic and black pepper.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Knife
- Chopping board
- Veggie peeler (for the carrot)
- Grater
- Small frying pan (I use one that’s just big enough to fry three eggs)
- Tongs
- Paper towels
Instructions
Take lumpia wrappers out from the freezer and defrost on countertop. Usually takes about 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, add the ground meat. Thinly chop 2-3 green onions and add to bowl. Peel and grate a large carrot and add to bowl. Add egg, cornstarch, salt, sugar, sesame oil, cooking wine, soy sauce, garlic powder, white pepper, and black pepper.
Mix with hands until all incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator at least 15 minutes to let the flavors meld. While you are waiting, start to gently separate the wrappers.
With a fork, take a scoop of meat filling and spread across one end of the wrapper (leaving a ¼ inch margin). Roll up tightly and dip finger in a small bowl of water to lightly moisten the opposite end of the wrapper before sealing it. Continue to fill and roll until all the meat mixture is used up. With a sharp knife, cut into thirds.
In a small frying pan, add enough canola oil to cover the bottom of the pan with about a ½ inch of canola oil. Heat the oil on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Use a chopstick to test the oil. If bubbles appear around the chopstick tip, you are ready to fry. Add the lumpia carefully (hot oil splatters) but don’t overcrowd your pan. You will fry the lumpia in batches. Once golden in color (usually 3-5 minutes, depending on your heat), using tongs, turn over each lumpia and continue to fry on the other side. Use your tongs to remove the lumpia, shaking off excess oil, and place in a bowl lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining lumpia. Heat may need to be adjusted if you notice that the lumpia are getting darker too fast (oil is too hot).
Note: Lumpia can be frozen on a tray lined with wax paper. Once they are frozen after a couple hours, transfer to a Ziploc bag. Frozen lumpia can be fried directly from the freezer, but may take a little longer to fry.