Dish of Lumpia Shanghai Rolls
(click to enlarge)

Lumpia Shanghai Rolls


Philippine   -   Lumpiang Shanghai
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 33-36
***
2 hrs
Most		 An essential for parties and family gatherings. The wrappers are thin, flaky and not oily. They are often made in large quantity, and frozen raw, to be fried any time, even without thawing.

36
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1
8
2
3
3
2
1
1/3
1
2/3
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ar
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8"
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#
oz
oz
oz


t
t
T
t
---

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Wrappers (1)
-- Stuffing
Pork, lean
Shrimp
Carrot
Water Chestnuts
Scallions
Egg Yolks
Salt
Pepper black
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil, dark  
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Oil for frying
-- Serve with
Lumpia dips (4)
Prep   -   (1-1/4 hrs - all hand chopped)
  1. Make your Lumpia Dips (see Note-4).
  2. Thaw the Lumpia Wrappers, about 3/4 hour.
  3. Chop PORK and SHRIMP fine, or grind (chopping gives better texture). Mix together.
  4. Chop CARROTS very small. I use a julienning vegetable peeler and peel the carrot into fine strips. I slice these crosswise into tiny bits. Some use a grater. Mix with Pork.
  5. Chop WATER CHESNUTS small. Slice SCALLIONS crosswise thin, white and green parts. Mix both with Pork.
  6. Separate EGGS. Mix Yolks with Pork. Reserve whites for sealing the rolls.
  7. Mix Salt, Pepper and Sesame Oil into the Pork. Massage until everything is evenly distributed.
  8. Carefully peel each wrapper from the stack and restack them loosely. Keep them covered with plastic so they don't dry out.
  9. Set out a Wrapper with a corner towards you. Put about 2 T Stuffing in a line closer to you than the center (see Photo Gallery for details on wrapping them). Turn up the close corner over the stuffing, then fold in the side corners and roll up tightly. At this point they can be frozen, interleaved with wax paper or plastic so they don't freeze together.
Run   -   (45 min, depending on size of batches)
  1. Heat about 1/2 inch of Oil in a large iron skillet or an electric skillet (my preference for best heat control and shape of pan). Do not try to use a wok or kadhi. Bring the temperature up to between 350°F/177°C and 375°F/190°C (a little lower if they are frozen). Fry rolls in batches with enough room so they can be easily manipulated and the temperature doesn't fall too much. Turn them a couple times until they are done and lightly browned. At one point they will start hissing more strongly, this is when the filling has come up to full temperature. Remove from oil and drain on paper toweling.
  2. Stash the rolls in a warm oven for a while to settle the heat. They are dangerously hot inside at first.
  3. Arrange on a platter with desired garnishes and serve warm with individual cups of Lumpia Dipping Sauces (see Note-3).
  4. If fried lumpia are stored in the refrigerator they will become a little sodden, but the flakiness can be revived with a few minutes uncovered in a 375°F/190°C oven.
NOTES:

  1. Lumpia / Spring roll Wrappers:

      These wheat flour wrappers are available frozen from any Philippine market. They are almost paper thin (0.014 inch /0.36 mm thick), but amazingly tough - a good thing for when you peel them from the thawed stack. The brands I have used are Pamana (8 inch, USA) and Spring Home (7-1/2 inch, Singapore). Lacking these, some suggest using the common 6-3/4 inch Chinese egg roll wrappers, but the ones I have sampled were much thicker (0.034 inch / 0.86 mm), had very different frying characteristics, and made denser, higher calorie and much less elegant rolls.

  2. Variations:

      Some insist that Lumpia Shanghai are open at both ends. This is done by cutting an 8 inch wrapper into two 4 x 8 inch pieces, spreading the filling across the short way and then rolling it up the long way. The most common ingredient variation is to replace the Carrot with well soaked dried Black Mushrooms, chopped small.

  3. Serving:

      If 8 inch wrappers are used, they are often cut diagonally into two pieces for serving, particularly for parties. This is best done after frying, with a very sharp wavy edged bread knife. When serving buffet style, best to make pitchers of one or two dips and equip each with a tiny ladle. I use the Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce and the Vinegar Garlic Dip. Use tiny shallow plastic cups, available from restaurant supply stores for individual dip servings.

  4. Lumpia Dips:

      Various dipping sauces are used in the Philippines. Examples:
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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