Lumpiang Shanghai ( Meat Spring Rolls )

        Tomorrow is harvest day for the mangoes in Samal. My husband and I will be gone all day and will be back at 4pm but the real work shall have only begun. We will be classifying the mangoes according to size, and packing them under newspapers in big baskets until they become ripe in 4-5 days. This second half of the harvesting job is the most taxing, because all the mango pieces need to be packed in, before the day is over. All this trouble is gone however, when the mangoes shall have ripened already, and the mango feast shall have begun.

        Today I made Lumpiang Shanghai or Meat Spring Rolls. One of the kids' all-time favorite dishes and lunches. Its a very simple recipe, requiring only a handful of ingredients. It's biggest come-on is the crisp, paper-thin wrapper, that holds the meat filling. It can be served as hors d'ouvres, appetizer or viand. Served with either tomato catsup or sweet chili sauce, this dish always appears during parties and get-togethers and is a mainstay in Filipino restaurant menus.



Lumpia Shanghai

        One may use  other meats such as ground chicken, flaked fish or ground beef or even meat substitutes, but ground pork remains to be the most popular in Lumpiang Shanghai.

        Lumpia or Spring Roll wrappers are usually made of flour or cornstarch and water, and these are made fresh daily and sold in the wet markets. Care must be taken when separating each wrapper from the rest, as it easily tears. Wheat Flour wrappers do not seal very well, so it is only recommended for the no-cook version. You can find Lumpia wrappers in Filipino Stores or Asian Food Stores.

        Lumpia Shanghai is another crowd pleaser, these are the first to go. when served in any ocassion, because aside from the crunch and texture, you just can't go wrong with this simple recipe.

        Let's Cook!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of ground pork ( some add sliced shrimps, but this is optional)
1 medium carrot, grated
1 T. celery sliced, or spring onion, sliced thinly
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp rock salt
1 tsp all purpose seasoning
1/4 cup singkamas or turnip, grated
10-15 pieces Lumpia or Spring Roll wrapper, separated
1 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1 T water for sealing the rolls

PROCEDURE:

1. Combine first seven ingredients, mash well with hands until well combined.


the mixture

2. Wrap each tablespoonful on a piece of wrapper, forming into logs about 4-5 inches long. Tuck both ends neatly and taper the loose ends for a neat finish.


form each tablespoonful into a log




Fold the wrapper over

  

tuck both ends and taper loose end





seal with the cornstarch-water mixture

3. Wet the loose ends with the cornstarch-water mixture and press to seal. Do the same for the rest of the rolls.

Pinsec Frito style

4. If you wish to make Pinsec Frito, blanch as many pieces of sliced 4-5 inches spring onion or banana leaf strips. Place 1-2 teaspoons of the mixture in the center of the wrapper. Gather the ends and tie the blanched spring onion or banana leaf strip into a double knot to seal. Pinsec Frito is called as such simply because of its fancy shape, but the mixture and the taste is idenical.


Deep Frying the rolls

5. To cook: heat 2 inches of oil in a frying pan and deep fry in medium-high heat until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot and crisp with tomato catsup or sweet chili sauce.

NOTE:
I made the same recipe to look three different ways. The logs are what most people are used to. The small cylinders are the same logs, cut by kitchen scissors into 1 inch pieces. I dipped both ends into some flour before frying, so it doesnt absorb much oil. Most restaurants serve Lumpia Shanghai this way because the rolls stay crisp longer. The third is the Pinsec Frito, fancy looking, but pretty much the same, though these looked like you fussed in the kitchen.


Lumpia Shanghai logs




Restaurant style shanghai rolls




Pinsec Frito

 Lumpia Wrappers come in two colors; yellow and white. Yellow is more commonly used as it is more appealing to the eyes, but restaurants use the white wrappers because the rolls stay crisp for twice as long. So, that's our tip of the day.

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