The Happy Home Cook: Lumpiang Shanghai with Sweet and Sour Sauce

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Lumpiang Shanghai with Sweet and Sour Sauce (Photo by Claire Mercado-Obias)

In my children’s book, “Ang Alamat ng Lumpiang Shanghai” (The Legend of the Fried Spring Rolls), I chose to write a story about a dish that is universal. It’s loved by both children and adults. It is also very versatile. We have so many different iterations of the lumpia like the lumpiang gulay, lumpiang togue, lumpiang ubod, lumpiang hubad, lumpiang Bacolod, and even turon (banana spring rolls) is a lumpia, right? We even have our modern versions like the lumpiang dynamite (chili pepper stuffed with cheese and rolled in a lumpia wrapper) and there’s also Tikoy (Lunar New Year rice cake) that’s covered in lumpia wrapper and fried. Lumpia may not be originally Filipino or may not have been the food of our ancestors, but you’ll definitely find it in most of our gatherings and many non-Filipinos are introduced to our cuisine by first tasting the lumpia.

Ingredients:

½ kilo ground pork (ground beef or ground chicken)
½ cup finely chopped carrots
½ cup finely chopped canned water chestnuts or jicama (singkamas) 
¼ cup chopped spring onion leaves
1 egg
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon fine salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
25 sheets big square lumpia wrappers or 40 sheets round lumpia wrappers*
1 cup cooking oil, for frying

Procedure:

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the ground pork (or beef or chicken), carrots, water chestnuts or jicama, and chopped spring onions. 

2. Add the egg. Season the mixture with the soy sauce, salt, and black pepper. Mix everything thoroughly until well combined. Cover the bowl and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

3. To wrap the lumpia, peel off the wrappers one by one. Put about 2 to 2 ½ tablespoons of filling (depending on the size of the wrappers) on one end, spreading into a long, straight log across the wrapper. Roll the sheet tightly all the way to the other end.

4. Seal the edges with water. Set aside, seam side down. Repeat until all the filling is used up. 

5. To fry, pour cooking oil into a large flat-bottomed frying pan. Make sure oil comes up to at least ¾” high. Heat over medium flame.

6. Before frying, prepare a colander or large strainer lined with paper towels. When the oil is hot, lay lumpia logs in the pan one by one. Fry until golden brown on all sides. Use tongs to turn and lift pieces from the pan. 

7. Let the fried pieces stand on the colander to allow excess oil to drip. This step prevents steaming as it cools, maintaining crispiness longer. 

8. Transfer the Lumpiang Shanghai to a chopping board and cut into bite-sized pieces. Serve hot with Sweet and Sour Sauce, banana ketchup, or bottled sweet chili sauce. 

*If using round wrappers, put the filling on the lower half of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper over from the bottom, then fold again on each side before rolling up tightly. 

FOR CRISPY LUMPIA EDGES: Cut lumpia longs into short pieces using kitchen scissors and fry. 

NOTE: This recipe for the filling may be used to make Asian-style meatballs, Pinsec Frito or Pancit Molo Soup. 

Sweet & Sour Sauce

1/2 cup native white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup water
1 tablespoon cooking oil
¼ cup tomato ketchup

Cornstarch slurry for thickening:

1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water

1. Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, and water in a bowl. Stir to dissolve most of the sugar and set aside.

2. In a small pot or frying pan, heat the cooking oil. Add ketchup and fry for one minute, stirring as it changes color from red to orange.

3. Pour in the vinegar-sugar mixture. Simmer for 4–5 minutes over low heat, until the strong vinegar smell subsides.

4. Combine cornstarch with water. Add the cornstarch slurry to the mixture, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Simmer for another 3-4 minutes until sauce thickens and becomes shiny. Turn the heat off and pour sauce into a serving bowl. Serve Sweet and Sour Sauce with the Lumpiang Shanghai. 

Nina Daza Puyat demonstrates how to make Lumpiang Shanghai. (Photo by Claire Mercado-Obias)

For more on Nina Daza Puyat’s book: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/nina-daza-puyats-culinary-mission

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