Lumpiang Shanghai (Filipino Spring Rolls) + How to fold a Spring Roll

I don’t know what’s been up with me lately, but I seem to be going maple syrup crazy pouring it on everything and I mean EVERYTHAAANG from toasted cheese sangas, chicken wings, grilled corn to potato wedges, coffee, juice, whipped cream, pork ribs and salads. I feel sorry for those who bear witness to all this going down on my twitter and instagram feeds (see #maplecraze). I only have one rule: it must be real maple syrup NOT your flavoured fake ass variety pretending to be the real deal. I even took to mixing it with peanut butter and spreading it on crumpets. Best. Although I seem to be pouring it over some unhealthy foods to begin with, it is actually pretty healthy for you. It’s packed with zinc, contains less calories than sugar, it’s natural  and keeps your immune system happy. What brought this all on? To this very day, I don’t know. I had a bottle of it in the fridge and felt the need to use it! Maple syrup and I are inseparable.…for now.

So ummm, what has all this maple flavoured nonsense got to do with spring rolls? Thankfully for you, nutta. I did not add any maple syrup to this recipe LOL! But should I..?

If you are reading this from the US, this childhood favourite is the Filipino version of egg rolls. Having grown up in Australia for most of my life, I still grapple with spring rolls being referred to as egg rolls especially when I’m watching episodes of Seinfeld. It confused me even more as a kid often found tugging on mum’s arm asking the same damn questions at family parties “When can I have leche flan?” “What is the difference between egg rolls and Lumpiyang hubad?” I ask. Mum explains “Lumpiyang Hubad (which means naked) whereas…” My response “Hihihi, you said naked” Mum shakes her head. And dennn…end of conversation.

Lumpiang Shanghai Filipino Spring Rolls

There are different versions of what we Filipinos call Lumpia aka spring rolls, which originates from the word Lunpia and was introduced to the Philippines by Chinese immigrants. Apart from Lumpiang Shanghai, other variations include Lumpiyang hubad (naked spring roll), Lumpiyang sariwa (fresh/unfried) which is my all time favourite which is thick and filled with an abundance of different textures like crunchy peanuts, cabbage, beans to tofu, prawns and is dipped in a sweet and salty sauce. Perfect for for summer.

I swear this is the ultimate potluck contribution. It’s tasty, deep fried (who doesn’t like anything deep fried?!), easy to eat and is addictive as heyaaaal. A+Mazing! Plus, I’ll give you abit of a guide on how to roll a spring roll like a superstar.

Zee Ingredients

600 grams pork mince (NOT LEAN!)

1 egg

5 peeled banana prawns (chopped) – optional

2 carrots (diced finely)

1 large brown onion (diced finely)

1 cup of celery (diced finely)

1/4 cup of parsley (finely chopped)

2 tablespoons of garlic powder

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon of sweet paprika

2 teaspoons of salt

3 teaspoons ground black pepper at least

(THA SECRET) 1 cup Parmesan cheese (the ingredient that make these go #pow)

2 packets of 15cm spring roll wraps. I get mine from Asian grocer since major supermarkets only seem to stock the larger wrap. I’d rather spend my time eating whipped cream than cutting up spring roll wrappers!

celery chopped finely

Zee Procedure

IN THA MIX!

1. Before we get to the filling, thaw the spring roll wrappers by leaving them out in room temperature for a good hour

2. In a large bowl, chuck in the mince, chopped prawns, cheese, egg,carrots, onion, celery, parsley, garlic powder, soy sauce, sweet paprika, salt and black pepper. Using your hands, mix the ingredients well ensuring that every spring roll you make has a good meat v.s. veggie ratio. Set aside.

TIP: keep the filling refrigerated in an airtight container and only start to roll the spring rolls when you are ready to start THA frying.  To properly seal the spring rolls, add teaspoon of cornstarch to a small bowl water. You can use egg yolk but it doesn’t work as well for me.

how to roll a spring roll wrapper

ROLL IT UP!

3. This is where the magic begins. The spring roll wrappers are super delicate, so carefully peel each wrapper one at a time and lay on a flat surface. They tend to dry out so I always have a bowl of water combined with a teaspoon of cornstarch handy at all times.

Lumpiang Shanghai filling

4. Scoop out no more that 1 tablespoon’s worth of THA MIX and plonk it down towards the bottom corner of the wrapper as pictured below. Like a diamond!

how to roll a spring roll

5. Using your hands, spread the THA MIX left to right forming a mini sausage. We don’t want the mixture going over the edges.

6. Lightly moisten each corner either with your finger or a pastry brush. Fold the left and right corners toward the centre then take the bottom corner and fold this over  THA MIX and gently tuck it in towards you

how to roll a spring roll with water and cornstarch

7. Start to roll upwards ensuring that all the edges are being tucked in. We want each piece to be quite snug and THA MIX, secured. Finally, seal it off with a little dab of the cornstarch and water mix.

how to roll a filipino spring roll step by step

8. Repeat! Make me proud!

final step how to roll a spring roll Lumpiang shanghaiTa daa!

FRY IT UP!

9. If you have a deep fryer, then count yourself lucky. If not, heat up your deepest frying pan on medium heat the fill with enough oil to deep fry the bastards.

10. To see if the oil is hot enough, drop one piece in to test. Cook it through if you wish to taste the filling. If it’s all good in the hood, carefully drop in the rest but don’t overcrowd it gooossshh…

11. Cook until slightly golden brown. The ends seem to blacken quite easily if left unsupervised. Know that.

12. Fork them out with tongs and lay them on some paper towels.

You’ve been served!

Serve these crispy gems with sweet chilli sauce an dip away! YEEEAAAARRRR!!!

Lumpiang Shanghai spring roll recipe

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So um, I’m addicted to maple syrup. What is your latest crazed obsession?

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Keep eating…LIKE CRAZAAY!

Adrian

47 thoughts on “Lumpiang Shanghai (Filipino Spring Rolls) + How to fold a Spring Roll

  1. Oh, and I frequently stir maple syrup into peanut butter and eat it with a spoon. Sometimes I add carob or cocoa, or milo, and make the most sickening/amazing spoonable paste.

  2. Thanks for the recipe! They look just like the ones my mum makes. I ate Lumpiang Shanghai recently at this great Filipino restaurant that just opened at Chinatown in Sydney called La Mesa… It’s a great place, highly recommend it.

    1. Nothing beats mum’s cooking huh. Oh yes, I heard about La Mesa. I’ll def visit when I’m in Sydney

  3. Yummo! I’m such a noob when it comes to making spring rolls, but you’ve made it look super simple! And haha, I’m always looking for the leche flan at family parties.

  4. Hahaha TT all good about being in love with Maple Syrup 😛 Because I have never fallen out of love with it. I’ve recently found my new love with Peanut Butter and don’t think that will be dying down anytime soon either hehe

    I love the sound and loo of these Shanghai filipino spring rolls! Fusion hehe 🙂 I’ve never been able to wrap my spring rolls properly so thanks for posting the step by step!

    1. You should sooooo combined them on a spoon or on toast…gewd!
      Thanks! They’re real easy to make too

  5. Hey Adrian, thanks for stepping by to say hello. I will absolutely make your wedding cake – IF you get married in the UK!
    Love these spring rolls and the little anecdote with your mum. My husband loves reruns of Seinfeld which are shown everyday, so I know exactly what you’re talking about!
    I do enjoy Filipino food, having fond memories of it and the country. After all, it’s in the Philippines that I learned how to SCUBA dive and saw my very first Hammerhead Shark!
    Stay in touch! xx

    1. aw thanks! That would be the best!
      Glad you share the same love for Filipino food.

      Scuba diving is awesome huh?! Good on you

  6. Hahahaha, that recipe is hilariously written. Thank you for both the recipe and the laughs. I never knew that egg rolls were spring rolls – I always thought that they were a different animal.

  7. I love lumpiang, but never made it…thanks for the recipe Adrian…one of this days I will try your recipe 🙂
    This is on my to do list…hope you are having a great weekend!

  8. Owwwww hi, I think you need to bold the words “not lean” in the recipe, RB. Haha!! Gosh I loved this lumpiang shanghai SOOOO much the other day. So glad that I took a bunch of it home. I remembered heating them up in the oven the next day till crisp and eating it with my salad (kind of an oxymoron I know, but that’s how I roll). SO good. And HAHAHAHHAHA cracked me up so bad when you wrote KNOW THAT in the recipe and made me laugh even more when you linked it to me. Can we pls have another awesome sesh of #ttvn? Each ones that we’ve had just keeps getting better and better!!

    1. Oh hello! Yasss, no lean meat in maaaa house. Thanks RB. I like the idea of a spring roll salad actually!

      Yes, another TTVN is in order. Know that.

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