Lumpia is the Filipino answer to the egg roll. It is usually a mixture of pork and vegetables rolled in a wonton wrapper and then fried until golden. It is typically served with a tangy sweet & sour sauce, but the combinations are endless. I love these things, and I have never had the guts to attempt a new take on them until now. Some surprising ingredients went into these, and I promise they deliver just as much taste and texture as the original.

Recipe 10: Lumpia

Note: This recipe is my take on lumpia. I use SPAM because I was curious to try it and I’d heard that it was possible to make lumpia with it. I didn’t have wonton wrappers at my Vons, so I used phyllo dough instead. Also, I baked mine because I didn’t want to fry them and I wanted to reduce the oil involved.

Ingredients:

• Phyllo dough,( you can find it in the frozen section of your grocery store) thawed.
• 1/4 large yellow onion, minced.
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1/2 large carrot, minced
• about 20 bean sprouts, minced
• 1/2 can of SPAM, diced
• 2 tbsp minced green onion
• (garlic is optional)
• water for sealing ends

Process:

So the first thing you want to do is make sure your phyllo dough is thawed. You can use wonton wraps as well, but I didn’t have any at the time, so I improvised and they turned out nice. Roll your dough out and cover with damp kitchen towel.

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Mince your fillings and add to a mixer to break up the SPAM and make it into a coarse mixture.

Cut one sheet of phyllo dough into about 8 squares or however big you want. Stack them up on top of eachother and return under the damp towel. These dry out REALLY easily, so work quickly when you’re ready to roll your lumpia.

Place a teaspoon of filling at the bottom of one of your squares and spread it into a line parallel to the bottom edge. Carefully, using a light touch, roll the lumpia away from you and moisten then end flap with a bead of water, pressing to seal. Place it on a plate and grab the next wrapper. Roll just as  before until you have as many as you like. Then, oil a baking pan and place the lumpia about 1/4 inch apart. Drizzle oil over the top and cook for about 15-20 minutes on each side, flipping after the first 15 minutes. Be gentle as the phyllo dough makes them delicate. Once browned to your liking, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve with whatever dipping sauce you like. Enjoy!