Let's Make Some Lumpia!!!!

Lumpia, also known as spring rolls, are an Asian treat that is popular all over the world. These are basically "mini-burritos", Asian style. They can be filled with whatever you want to put in them. And the dipping sauces are as diverse as the lumpia themselves. But one thing is for certain, these little guys are so tasty that once you start in on them you'll find it hard to stop.

Here is a step by step photo tutorial featuring my wife, Lupe....

Chop up you meat into small pieces and stir fry in butter with fresh, minced garlic. Lupe used shrimp and chicken.

Once your meats are cooked add the veggies that you prepared and stir fry them with the meat/seafood. Lupe used carrots, bean sprouts, fresh green beans, and cabbage. These were all thinly sliced. Salt and pepper to taste. You can experiment with the flavor. You might want to try oyster sauce, apple cider vinegar, etc. Come up with your own unique flavor.

Here is the mix all ready to be rolled into the lumpia wrappers.

Here you can see Lupe adding the meat/veggie mixture onto the lumpia wrapper. You can also take note of the type of wrapper Lupe uses.

As Lupe rolls, she also applies a little of the water/cornstarch mixture as a type of glue to keep the wrapper together. This mix is 1/2 cup of water to 1 tbsp of cornstarch. You can always add more cornstarch if you like.

Lupe folds the side in like a burrito and applies the cornstarch to the sides as she goes.

Here is the finished wrapped lumpia. Lupe is applying the cornstarch to the closing flap.

Once you have everything wrapped you can begin your frying. Fry over medium/high heat, turning each lumpia to get a uniform golden brown. Just like fried chicken.

Here is one ready to come out. Lupe allows the excess oil to drain before placing the lumpia in the colander.

Here are the lumpia draining and cooling while Lupe continues to fry the rest.

The finished product with Lupe's sweet and sour sauce. What sauce you use for dipping is up to you. The Vietnamese use a fish sauce base for their dipping sauce and it is excellent.

Of course there are many ways to plate and serve lumpia. On Guam the popular way is the lumpia wrapped in a leaf of Romaine lettuce, with rice noodles, bean sprouts and Vietnamese mint or Thai Basil. This is utterly delicious.

Try making your own. Fresh is best and you will find that it is not as hard as you may think. Once the prep is done, the rest is easy. Word of caution though, make a bunch because once you start eating these delicious, home-made appetizers, you can't seem to stop.

Until next time....