The filling is cooked first: ground pork browned to 160°F, then cabbage, carrot, onion and garlic softened in the same pan and cooled before rolling.
Each wrapper takes about two tablespoons, is rolled into a thin log and sealed with beaten egg, then fried at 350°F for three to four minutes.
How to Make It
Filling cooked
Cook the ground pork in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it into small pieces, until no pink remains and the center reaches 160°F. Add the cabbage, carrot, onion and garlic; cook 3 to 4 minutes until the vegetables soften but are not wet. Stir in 2 tablespoons soy sauce and the black pepper, then cool the filling completely.
Rolled and sealed
Place about 2 tablespoons filling near one corner of each lumpia wrapper. Fold in the sides, roll tightly into a thin log and brush the final corner with beaten egg to seal.
Fried
Heat 2 inches of neutral oil to 350°F in a heavy pot. Fry the lumpia in batches for 3 to 4 minutes, turning as needed, until deep golden and blistered. Drain on a rack.
Dip and serve
Stir together the 1/4 cup soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and sliced red chile for the dipping sauce. Serve the lumpia hot with the sauce.
Rolling One Lumpia
Twenty rolls, the same four moves each.
What goes into one lumpia
Wrapper
One thin wrapper, a corner pointing toward you.
Filling
About 2 tablespoons of the cooled pork and vegetable mixture.
Roll
Sides folded in, rolled tightly into a thin log.
Seal
The final corner brushed with beaten egg.
Fried 3 to 4 minutes at 350°F until deep golden and blistered.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground pork
- One pound, cooked to 160°F before any rolling begins.
- Lumpia wrappers
- Twenty thin wrappers, thinner than egg-roll skins.
- Dipping sauce
- Soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and sliced red chile, stirred together.
Success Tips
- Cool the filling completely so it does not soften the wrappers.
- Keep the stack of wrappers covered while you roll so they stay pliable.
- Drain the fried rolls on a rack rather than paper so they stay crisp.
Why This Recipe Works
- Cooking and cooling the filling first keeps the wrappers from tearing or steaming.
- Rolling tightly into a thin log gives more crisp surface per bite.
- Egg brushed on the last corner seals the roll closed.
- Oil held at 350°F blisters the wrapper before the filling overheats.
Serving Ideas
Serve hot with the soy-vinegar dip and sliced green onion over the top.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate cooked lumpia within 2 hours and keep up to 3 days; reheat to 165°F.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hot should the pork be before rolling?
160°F; the filling is fully cooked before it goes into the wrappers.
What oil temperature is needed?
350°F, which fries each batch in 3 to 4 minutes.
