Lumpiang Shanghai
Small, crisp fried spring rolls filled with minced pork and finely chopped vegetables. A party and merienda favorite.
- prep
- 40 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total
- 1 h
- serves
- 8
- level
- easy
Lumpiang Shanghai is the small, tightly rolled fried spring roll that shows up at every Filipino party and birthday table, filled with minced pork and vegetables rolled thin for maximum crunch.
The name points to Chinese-immigrant roots rather than an actual Shanghai recipe, and these days it reads as thoroughly Filipino as anything else on this list.
Part of our 20 best Filipino recipes list.
method
Mix the ground pork, carrot, onion, garlic, spring onion, egg, soy sauce, salt and pepper thoroughly by hand.
Lay a lumpia wrapper flat with a corner pointing toward you. Place a tablespoon of filling near the bottom corner in a thin log shape.
Roll the wrapper up tightly around the filling, folding in the side corners partway, and seal the final edge with a little water.
Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
Heat the oil to 175°C (350°F) in a deep pot.
Fry the rolls in batches for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden and crisp, turning occasionally.
Drain on paper towels.
Serve hot, whole or cut in half, with sweet chili sauce or banana ketchup.
chef's tips
- Roll these tight and thin. A loosely rolled lumpia soaks up too much oil and turns greasy rather than crisp.
- These freeze extremely well unfried; freeze the rolled lumpia on a tray, then bag them, and fry straight from frozen with a couple of extra minutes.
- Lumpiang Shanghai, despite the name, is a Filipino dish; the "Shanghai" refers to its Chinese-immigrant origins, not a recipe from Shanghai itself.
- Keep the oil at a steady temperature. Oil that's too cool makes the wrapper greasy before it browns; oil that's too hot burns the outside before the inside cooks through.