Philippines – Pork Lumpia

by Zayna Khan

This dish is very famous throughout the world and has many different names according to the seasonings and fillings. Lumpia is various kinds of spring rolls, they are fried, grilled, and non-fried. They are made with different fillings. They are served with different kinds of sauces and salads. These are very common in Indonesia and the Philippines. This is made by any sort of fillings either pure vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Every region has its own filling and seasonings. There are thin like crisps layers that are wrapped and filled with stuffing. These wraps are paper-like thin in which stuffing is filled and wrapped. This is then dipped into an egg-like egg wash. Coat up with panko bread crumbs. And fried, baked, etc.

There are different kinds of cooking methods while talking about Lumpia. We can fry this, grill, air fried, and many more options. This is a snack and appetizer dish. This is best for the snack. It can be of healthier versions, like green vegetable filling.

We can change the cooking method depends on personal preferences. For a healthy version, we can have a healthy filling and healthy cooking like air frying, etc. These rolls are made with sweet fillings as dessert, snacks, etc. Some sweetened fruit jam, fresh fruits, sorbet, cream cheese are added for the sweet version of Lumpia.

This dish is known by many other names :

• Loempia
• Leonpia
• Ngyhyong
• Lumpiang
• Lumpia sumarang
• Semarang lumpea
• Spring rolls

FILIPINO CUISINE

Filipino cuisine is composed of many cuisines of the Philippine archipelago. This cuisine has dishes varieties like curries, pasta, snacks, chicken, and fish. Some dishes are influenced by cuisines like Chinese, Japanese, and Indian. Cultures of the archipelago have almost the same traditions and dishes. They share the same palate of taste. They have dishes mainly from vegetables and fish meat. Nuts are also very powerful ingredients of the dishes in Filipino cuisine.

Many dishes of Filipino cuisine has an impact by many regions like :

• Tagalog
• Bicolano
• Cebuano
• Waray
• Maranao 
• Ilocano

HISTORY

In 3200 BC, when people of China and Taiwan settled down in the region of the Philippines. They influence the cooking method and many dishes of Filipino cuisine. Buffaloes, carabaos, chicken, and Pork meat are very common in Filipino dishes. This dish was influenced by the Western side. They usually made crepes and then started to wrap them with some leftover items like rice, vegetables, meat curries. This dish was loved by the ancient people. Then after the influence of many regions, they started to fry these roll-shaped snacks.

INFLUENCE OF ARABS ON FILIPINO CUISINE

Arabs greatly impact Filipino cuisine because they went through the agricultural trading of spices, wheat, rice, etc. They use to add the Arabic spices into their dishes for more flavors. Filipino cultures and traditions gained influence from many regions in order of cooking methods and dishes. Because traditionally they used Arabic spices, they started to cook the dishes from Emirati cuisine and also from many other regions. Filipino cuisine is the cuisine of the whole Philippines archipelago, so they used to add all the flavors from all regions and areas to make it versatile for everyone.

INFLUENCE OF JAPANESE ON FILIPINO CUISINE

The tradition of Halo-Halo is originated from Japanese cuisine. Haluhalo means in English, Mixed. In Filipino cuisine, halo-halo is made by crushed iced and coconut shreds, nuts with some sweetener like fruits, etc.

This dessert is from Japan but it is considered unofficially added into Filipino cuisine. This dessert named halo-halo, means Mixed-Mixed. This means you can add nuts, beans, fruits, mixed and serve.

FILIPINO FOOD FOR SPECIFIC OCCASIONS

Almusal

Almusal is the breakfast of Filipino cuisine. They have special almusal like :

• Chocolate rice porridge
• Corned beef
• Daing na bangus
• Salted duck eggs

Tanghalian

Lunch is known as Tanghalian. There are different lunches very common in Filipino cuisine. Filipino lunch is composed of many variants of food including rice, soups, vegetable, and meat dishes. At exactly after 12 pm lunchtime has started.

Common tanghalian are :

• longsilog
• tocilog 
• chosilog 
• Pankaplog 
• kankamtuy

Hapunan

This is also the main meal of the day, supper or dinner.

MAIN ELEMENTS OF DISH

LUMPIA WRAPPER

These are very thin sheets made with plain white flour. These sheets are very thin like a crepe. There are many different forms of sheets prepared for lumpia wraps. For a healthy version, wraps are formed by oats flour. wheat flour, grains flour, etc.

There are different cooking methods for making lumpia wraps :

• First method is to make a thin paste of flour, eggs, oil and some salt like a pancake batter or batter made for crepe. These are similarly cooked like the crepe. Spoonful of flour batter is added over the pan with some butter and cook until the batter solidify. Then flip from the both sides and set it aside for further use.
• Other methodis kneading a solid dough to make it cook like flat chapatis. Knead a dough by adding flour, egg, butter and milk. Then small round balls are made roll up by rollin pin, cook like a chapati and let it set. It is very difficuilt task to flatened up the like a thin crepe.

FILLING

Filling of lumpia can be made by anything even leftover food. Meat options are very popular while talking about lumpia, we have chicken lumpia and beef mince lumpia very popular, and other varieties are also cooked. Fish and seafood items are also cooked in this dish.

Meat varieties of lumpia

• Fish lumpia
• Beef lumpia
• Fish lumpia
• Baby sharks lumpia
• Lamb mince lumpia
• Chicken lumpia
• Chicken curry lumpia
• Tuna lumpia
• Mini sized pockets
• Meat and vegetable mixed lumpia

Vegetable varieties of lumpia

For vegetarian lumpia, there are many varieties of vegetables:

• Potato lumpia
• Fermented soy lumpia
• Bamboo shoot lumpia
• Baby shallots lumpia
• Semarang lumpia
• Peas and corns lumpia

SAUCES

This snack must have different sauces served. There are sauces that range from spicy to milder versions. Chili sauce and mild yogurt can be served with this dish. The versatile sauce that goes well with any snack is tomato sauce or ketchup.

There are few special sauces served with lumpia :

• Sambal (fresh bird’s eye chili)
• Chili sauce
• Mirin sauce
• Tauco sauce
• Spicy peanut sauce
• Palm sugar sauce
• Soya beans paste
• Salted salmon sauce, etc

TOPPINGS

• Boiled quail egg
• Daikon
• Red chili flakes
• Tempeh
• Tofu
• Bihun
• Chopped carrots and cabbage

SIDE DISHES

• Potato Salad
• Black oncum
• Red oncum
• Noodles soto
• Soto mie
• Crabs

INGREDIENTS

FILLING

• Pork mince : 2 lbs
• Onions chopped : 1 small
• Garlic chopped : 6 cloves
• Soya sauce : 4 tbsp
• Rice vinegar : 4 tbsp
• Salt : 1 tsp
• Black pepper crushed : 1 tsp
• Chopped carrots : 1/2 cup
• Chopped cabbage : 1/2 cups
• Butter : 2 tbsp

WRAP BATTER

• plain white flour : 1 cup
• Milk : 1/2 cup
• Egg : 1
• Salt : 1 tsp

COOKING METHOD

• For wrappers batter, we have to mix all the ingredients like flour, eggs and milk into a mixing bowl.
• Wisk it well so no lumps are formed, then let this batter set for 10 minutes.
• Take a non-stick pan and grease it with butter and drop a spoon full of batter over the heated pan.
• Wait for 3 to4 minutes until the batter solidify, then flip and let it aside for next step.
• From this batter, 20 to 30 lumpia wraps are formed.
• Now for filling take butter onions, garlic and pork mince, let it cook on high to medium flame for 10 minutes.
• Fat from meat releases and make it delectable.
• Now when mince is shrinked in amount add soya sauce, salt, pepper and vinegar to the filling.
• Now you need to cook it for 5 more minutes.
• When filling is cool down, then start fillinf and wrapping the lumpia.

FILLING AND FRYING

• Take a wrap totally cool down and add small amount of filling in it.
• Now roll the sides longitudually and secure the side by pressing and sealong it with egg wash.
• Make all the lumpia rolls from batter and wraps.
• Now take cooking oil and heat it up on medium flame.
• Now add this lumpia into the oil for frying.
• fry until the nice color and crisps appear.
• Serve it with chili sauce
• Enjoy 🙂