What’s in Your Favorite Fried Lumpia?

128 Responses

1. couldn’t resist making suggestions to this one. a tribute to my late grandma – julienned taro(the purple ones), diced green beans, ground pork,turkey or chicken(or keep it vegetarian), celery, carrots,garlic,salt pepper. exceptionally yummy – a must try.

2. reminds me of quick snack in ongpin famous for its lumpia

3. Those photos really look so appetizing! I can hear the crunch. Btw, I add kamote in my fried lumpia.

4. My favorite fried lumpia has sauteed bean sprouts in it as well. I just love dipping it in vinegar with garlic. The right size for me would be about 4 inches long but really fat and fully stuffed with the bean sprouts. :D

5. I like fried ubod lumpia like the one in Via Mare! And sotanghon or bihon lumpia (your usual sotanghon/or bihon with an asian twist…with tofu, chicharon bits, hint of sesame oil, shitake or tengang daga, etc.).

6. Lumpia…. the favorite of my husband and my two kids, whether snack or ulam. I do not use togue or bean sprouts for my lumpia ( kasi my husband has rayuma ) instead I use thinly sliced cabbage, sayote, carrots and kamote for its sweetness. I use little bit of ground chicken and chopped shrimps. We like it thin and about 3 inches long only. So cute and yummy. Bagay na bagay sa sinigang na pork ribs at maraming kanin.

7. I like adding a stick of quickmelt cheese inside my fried lumpia shanghai. The melted cheese adds a creamy flavor to the lumpia. And I like mine dipped it banana ketchup. Yummy!

8. My favorite is ‘tuna’ lumpia. I concocted my own recipe after I tasted a version in a well-known restaurant in Palawan. I use canned tuna (sometimes fresh tuna steamed in ginger if I have time); and saute the tuna in butter, garlic, onions, green peas, finely chopped carrots and celery, and raisins for a little sweetness. Then I add oyster sauce, soy sauce and fish sauce to taste. Yummy, and I think, healthy!

9. I also eat the way u eat it MM =) with lots of sauce inside and with rice! some people might baulk with the idea of eating lumpia with rice but thats how i’ve always eaten it. i consider it as ‘ulam’ not just a snack. I like mine with bits of pork plenty of shredded cabbage and red capsicums. i also like the vietnamese version with bits of bihon and wood ear fungus. My favourite sauce is the vinegar and garlic concoction. My second favourite would be some bottled sweet chili sauce =)

10. My favorite, BY FAR, is Lumpiang Shanghai. I like it short and thin, for more crunch and the ideal wrapper-to-filling ratio. Fried till toasted (no pale lumpias, please!), served with a dark red, not too sweet or cornstarchy sweet&sour sauce, plus lots of garlic rice, and it is one of my top Pinoy foods!

    I recently tried lumpia filled with tinapa, and it was sarap! Perfect as either pulutan or ulam.

11. We usually make the extra stuffing of our rellenong bangus (steamed bangus flesh, ground pork, peas, carrots, raisins, etc) into lumpia the next day hehehe

12. so timely… we’re having some friends for dinner this saturday and that is part of the menu. i usually put togue, baguio beans, carrots and camote for a bit of sweetness. these usually sautéed with some pork and tokwa, but for this saturday i’ll hold off the tokwa since hubby’s family has a history of gout. i don’t want to push it with togue and baguio beans already there :) we usually dip this in vinegar w/ some patis and lots of garlic.

13. WOW MM!!! You got it exactly the way I grew up eating this and how I like it!! Is this possibly the way Cebuanos like their fried lumpia?

14. the lumpiang shanghai served in my in-laws is the type that’s very thin and long with ground pork as filling. It’s more of the crispy wrapper that my husband and his family like. Another type of fried lumpia that they serve is the one with ubod, pork and langka(not too fond of this combo). My ultimate fave is the Vietnamese inspired(?)which has sotanghon, ground pork in it..so love it. And the dipping sauce: vinegar with lots of garlic and black pepper.

15. Btw, I eat all fried lumpias alone with just the dipping sauce. No rice…hehe;)

16. I tried this “Thai” lumpia before. It was pretty good, something like the crystal prawns from Plantation Bay’s Fiji Resto — huge chunks of prawn plus crunchy sotanghon. YUMMMM!

17. ubod, singkamas, carrots, pork, shrimp, togue, garlicky overkill… short and stout, bursting with filling, ketchup on the side.

18. Please share a recipe for making lumpias from scratch …wrapper too. Here in India lumpia wrappers are not available off the shelf.

19. Over the years I have tried many combinations. I find that making lumpia out of leftovers is the ultimate last recycling of leftovers. Some examples are listed below:

    1. Peking Duck. Whenever we eat peking duck two ways there is always a large amount of leftover minced duck with lettuce cups (only because the dish arrives much later in the meal when everyone is satisfied). I tried making spring rolls with the leftover minced duck.

    2. Sotanghon and tinapa.

    3. Banana with the leftover meat of arroz cubana.

    4. Leftover Sisig.

    5. Salmon with cream cheese and leeks.

    Despite my attempts at salvaging leftovers, I find that the best lumpias are the almost vegetarian ones made from scratch.

20. lumpiang togue off the street hawker…with dirty suka, early in the morning habang bagong luto at mainit, pair it with an ice cold coke…heaven…

21. I use ground pork, carrots, onions, garlic and egg on my lumpiang shanghai. I like it short and thin with sweet chilli sauce.

22. Marketman,

    I usually make my lumpia with mostly togue or with pork & veggie mixture. But the most unusual lumpia that I ever had were the cheese and ham ones that were usually served in my high school class parties back in Bacolod. Here’s how you do it.

    Cut a long finger of ham and the same with cheddar cheese. Put them side by side together and wrap in 1/2 piece of lumpia wrapper. Wrap tightly and seal with cornstarch mixed with water. Make about 2 dozen. Fry in hot oil for about 5-7 minutes. Drain thoroughly and serve with soysauce+calamansi dip. Yum!

    Doddie

23. I like my lumpia long and thin with a filling of beef, celery, carrots, onions, and garlic (beef since I don’t eat pork).

24. A must have in our house is my prawn egg roll made with the same filling I put in my prawn wontons which my seafood loving youngest son just can’t get enough of …and my Vietnamese lumpia for my NON-SEAFOOD eating oldest son. Hubby eats both! Awesome dip for Vietnamese lumpia…made with lime juice, patis, a little hot water , sugar, minced garlic and grated carrots. But here’s how my son eats it…he wraps the lumpia (short and thin) in a small lettuce leaf before he dips it into the lime dip. I usually make hundreds of these. So here’s a tip…use a PIPING BAG for ease and uniformity, after wrapping, just put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and FREEZE them When frozen, put them in ziplock bags and store them in freezer…It usually doesn’t last long in our house since I have the neighbourhood kids flocking to our house as if they can smell them when I make them!!!!

25. There is a restaurant along Katipunan, Sweet Inspirations, that serves bangus lumpia: fried lumpia stuffed with shredded bangus. It comes with a thick sweet-sour sauce (like the one in escabeche). Back when I could still eat all the deep-fried food in the world with no fear of the consequences, this was a favorite of mine. Very tasty with or without rice.

26. The truth is…lumpia possibilties are endless. Be it with pork, ubod, togue, fish….as long as it is prepared and fried with love and care…it will turn out fine.

27. a friend taught me to make lumpia with the following ingredients: shrimp, chicken, pork, tofu, mung bean sprouts, cabbage, grean beans, snow peas, water chestnuts, carrots; add salt and pepper to taste; sauteed in garlic and onions, then wrapped and deep fried. dipping sauce is vinegar with garlic and pepper. goldilock’s used to sell those big fat fried lumpias many years ago. miss those.

28. you’re so right…it’s not to be found anywhere in Shanghai…

29. No, they don’t have lumpiang shanghai in Shanghai. :P However, a Macanese restaurant has it on their menu–their chef’s Filipino. My favorite fried lumpia is the one from Quik Snack in Carvajal.

30. i only like lumpiang shanghai :D

31. My favourite lumpia is with minced pork,green onions,fresh coriander,grated carrots,celery,fresh or dried/soaked shitake mushrooms,water chestnuts or jicama for crunch,a dash of soy sauce,salt and pepper to taste,then wrapped in springroll wrapper and deep fried until golden brown.Vinegar and lots of garlic is my favourite dip and eaten with rice is just heaven!

    If I’m making it for a party,I add soaked/chopped sotanghon to make it go further.

32. What wonderful suggestions for fillings. My kids only like fried lumpia, fresh has no appeal to them, ubod or not. For a really crispy wrapper do not fill the wrapper until you are ready to fry within minutes so it does not get soggy. Fry in deep fat, about 2 inches so the temperature does not drop dramatically when you drop the rolls in. That’s it. I’m making some for Christmas Eve.

33. We like lumpia with bean sprouts, shrimps, carrots, tokwa and camote. For lumpiang shanghai, we like it with ground pork, carrots,white onions, dahon ng sibuyas and sinkamas.

34. my sons’s favorite is lumpiang shanghai, we saute first the ground pork filling where i add “secret vegetables: carrots/squash/sayote” before we wrap it, that way we don’t worry about undercooked filling and too brown wrapper.i like lumpiang ubod, lumpiang gulay and vietnamese spring rolls too.

35. I like mine with togue and camote. Hubby likes lumpiang shanghai. I also like fish lumpia, have tried it with galungong and dalagang bukid. The latter is the best. Fave dip is vinegar with lots of garlic and bird’s eye chili of course.

36. mine I like mine with salmon.

37. I love my mom’s special lumpia filled with cheese, green onions and shrimp. I like it with Del Monte ketchup and of course, lots of rice.

    I’ve tried taco lumpia from a stall selling all sorts of lumpia located near our office. Sarap!

38. I was never fond of lumpia because I’ve been served with soggy ones most of the time. But my mom makes a really good lumpiang Shanghai and I like her lumpia using bamboo shoots rather than palm. She sautes it with pork, chili, carrots, etc. and some coconut milk and lets the coco dry.

39. I’ll eat anything that comes in a lumpia wrapper. The house favorite is all-veggie with basil pesto thrown in after the vegetables are cooked, then a dollop of crunchy peanut butter is spread onto the wrapper before putting in the filling. Yum!

40. the best for me is chowkings lumpia shanghai.

41. We love to cook lumpia filled with ground pork, tofu, carrots, green beans and camote for sweetness. We saute it first with magic sarap before wrapping. Favorite dip is vinegar mixed with soy sauce and blended garlic and onion. We cook this at least once a week. Hmmm it’s really so yummy.

42. I love the lumpiang ubod of Max’s , either way, fried or fresh. I love the Vietnamese Spring rolls too! My brother in law bought one package from Macro. I can have it anytime of the day. I love also the fresh lumpia from Salcedo Market and the lumpiang hubad from Sta Rosa which my sister per bilao. It is composed of togue, camote and a lot more. I also like the Shanghai from Chowking. Lumpia is always good especially if it is served hot and with alot of sauce.

43. my wife would use medium size peeled shrimp with tail on, salt and pepper and chopped green onions to taste, then wrap a piece of bacon around shrimp, then wrap this with lumpia wrapper.

44. MM, have you ever tried ngo hiong? That was my favorite growing up, but I’ve only ever eaten it in Cebu…There was a resto across Cebu Doctor’s Hospital that made it, I don’t know if it’s still there. If someone knows how to make it, PLEASE post your recipe…
    Aside from ngo hiong, I love fried lumpia with mostly togue, and cha gio (viet spring rolls) drenched in spicy nuoc cham and wrapped in a lettuce leaf —- this post is making me so hungry!

45. Here’s my favorite deep fried lumpia filling: sauteed with garlic only chopped shrimp, bean sprout, chopped Chinese celery (kinsay), oil on oil – deep fried cubed camote or potatoes, deep fried cubed tokwa/tofu and sliced water chestnuts. I have to dunk my piping hot fried lumpia into tamed distilled white vinegar with water, ground black pepper, finely minced garlic and the ever reliable Rufina patis.

46. Chopped left over lechon is also a good filling for deep fried lumpia – only the trimmed meat though no skin please with sauteed onion and chopped Chinese celery with vinegar, garlic, ground black pepper and patis as a dipping companion.

47. I love my wife’s tuna lumpia. She use century tuna mixed with garlic, onion, carrots & lots of celery, hmmmm, sarap!

48. My co-worker here in toronto brought in some lumpia a few years ago… They don’t eat pork so it’s made with Ground turkey, onion, garlic powder and relish. The combination may sound gross but it was actually really tasty.

49. what i usually do when the lumpia gets a little bit soggy before frying is to roll them on flour, so that the starch would absorb the liquid… then fry them…
    ykmd, i believe ngo hiong means “five spice”…the key ingredient used when i cook pata tim…

50. I used to make these lumpia when I had more time to cook, oh so long ago… I used ground chicken, seasoned the usual way, and threw in chopped walnuts. I also added a little bit of sesame oil just for fragrance, and chopped and soaked bihon noodles. I also want to mention for the new/young cooks out there: after mix up your filling, especially mixes that involve meat, fry a bit of the filling, without the wrapper, to test your seasonings. Imagine what would happen if you wrapped up all your lumpia, then found out it was matabang, or too salty, or to spicy! (it’s the voice of experience speaking…. :))

51. Oh my god! I forgot to include that delicious lumpia that they have at Fig and Olive along HV dela Costa Street, resto formerly called by a different name. It’s an adobo lumpia with a very slight hint of melted cheese and a sliver of green mango as added twist. YUM! YUM! YUM! This is my favorite of all!! I am craving for it this very minute!

52. Hmmm..I like what my mom does which is a mixture of ground pork with bits of onion, garlic, kinsay and tuna flakes! yumyum!

53. A friend of mine taught me a short cut for cooking veggie fried lumpia. This eliminates cutting all those veggies in some pieces. She uses the frozen mixed veggie (peas,carrots, green beans and lima beans. I take out the lima beans, though, coz I don’t like them.) Then I just add in pre-fried potatoes (cut very thin and short) and raw togue. I saute chopped shrimps (lots of it) first with garlic and onions then add the frozen mixed veggies. I add in the togue after the veggies have thawed in the pan and most of the water had evaporated, but only for a little while. I don’t like the togue to get too soft since they will still cook when you fry the lumpia. Turn off the fire then mix in the fried potatoes (cut very short and thin). Put the mixture in a steel collander and let drain overnight in the fridge. The next day, wrap the lumpia and freeze. I still pat the mixture with paper towel to make it drier before wrapping. When you are ready to cook, deep fry them without thawing. The only problem that I can’t solve till now is how to keep them crunchy for a longer time? Any one knows the secret?

54. i like:

    lumpiang toge and lugaw (in place of tokwa)
    lumpiang toge and rice (kala ko kme lang nag-uulam ng lumpia sa kanin)

    streetside lumpia looks so yummy!

    I usually saute the veggies first…toge, carrots, kinchay, onions, tokwa, ground pork.

    my son prefers shanghai with ketchup

    my mom has a version where she uses flaked fish(steamed galunggong) instead of pork then the usual veggies…carrots, kinchay, onions

55. my dad prefers his to have lots of kamote but not for me

    singkamas is OK.

    I remember a cousin of mine who was planning on having friends over for a birthday party but was short on cash. he made lumpiang shanghai from 1Kilo of ground meat and 4Kilos of carrots.

    the funny thing was that he was forced to grate all the carrots by hand using a cheese grater because he did not know how to operate the food processor and cannot ask anybody. he did not know that I was just in the next room reading. hehe.

56. We were stationed in North Carolina (US Marine Base) for about 2 1/2 years, and most of the people there (especially the veterans) upon knowing I am a Filipino ask me if I can make “lumpia” (that is how much they are familiar with Philippine), and I said yes. And so came the request or challenge of cooking some. Over the months (we stayed in the outskirts area), I experimented on what was available (since the store is far away) and what the neighbors gives me. One in particular is using fresh “deer meat” (caught from the nearby field), and sauteing it with home grown sweet potatoes, cabbage, & onions * garlic. The only thing I add which did not come from the nearby farm is the canned wter chestnut or store bought “jicama” imported from Mexico or Florida. It was a hit. Somebody askem me to try wild rabbit, and I said no, but told them how to cook it themselves.

57. My favourite lumpia fillings:
    for shanghai: minced pork (about 20%fat: 80%lean meat), chopped prawns, minced garlic, minced onion, chopped re-hydrated wood ear fungus, chopped carrots, chopped water chestnuts, minced Chinese celery (kinchay), salt and pepper. roll in wrapper to make thin 4-inch rolls. Shallow fry. Dip in sweet and sour sauce.
    for veggie (my version of lola’s recipe): “french” fried sweet potato (or regular potato); julienned carrots and green beans, diced and fried pork belly, chopped prawns, thinly-sliced onions, chopped garlic; handful of bean sprouts (remove tail-end and wash thoroughly to eliminate some of the funny bean sprout smell); thinly sliced cabbage; salt and pepper to taste. Saute ingredients except fried sweet potato. When everything is cooked, add sweet potato and mix carefully. Drain and cool in a colander. Wrap in lumpia wrapper to form a fat roll about 6in. long by 1.5 in. thick. Shallow fry.Dressing: cane vinegar, minced garlic, freshly ground pepper and dried sili flakes
    fresh lumpia: saute diced pork belly, chopped prawns, diced hard tofu, minced garlic, minced onion, julienned bamboo shoots. Add salt, pepper and sweet paprika to taste. Drain and cool completely (preferably in the fridge). Wrap in egg wrapper with cos (romaine) lettuce. Dip in sweet brown sauce with freshly minced garlic. (based on Recipes of the Philippines by Enriqueta David-Perez,@1973, Cinco Hermanos Publishing). This cold fresh lumpia is really good for summer.

58. This is my all-time favorite! I make fried lumpia with minced pork, onions, garlic, carrots, singkamas, egg, salt, pepper and a dash of ngo hiong (5 spice powder). I inherited the recipe from my mom. The ngo hiong makes the lumpia taste different (and delicious) from the usual lumpiang shanghai.

59. i love my grandmothers version of ubod and chicken!

60. I make mine the fast and easy way. I buy all the vegetables frozen like the french cut green beans, mixed vegetables, corn, and the only fresh veggie i add are the beansprout, saute them with ground pork, onions and garlic, Let it drain overnight inside the fridge, wrap them the following morning and freeze it. I found that freezing it before frying makes the wrapper crispier. Vinegar with garlic, tabasco chile, salt and pepper as dipping sauce.

61. I love making cheesy chili tuna lumpia! I usually use spicy tuna in can, finely chopped garlic, onions and carrots, a generous amount of grated cheese and hot sauce. No need to saute the ingredients and no need for any dippings! Yummmy!

62. We all do love our fried lumpias, but for those who also like the fresh options, if you haven’t tried one yet, look for the chinese (Amoy) lumpias. It’s sort of tradition in many fil-chi families to have it on special occasions, but it’s available all year round. My favorite fillings in it include the vegie base (usually cabbage, carrots, tofu and onions), then topped with your choice of dried seaweed, ground peanuts, hot chilli, slivers of an egg omelette, and a sweet fried rice noodle, and a sprinkling of toasted sesames. It’s like a massive burrito, and at parties, usually a make your own buffet line. Yum! Oh I nearly forgot, a dollop of hoisin sauce.

63. lumpia = togue + carrots! yum! *thinking of cooking lumpia this weekend..hmmm..* :D

64. My Lola, who’s now 96 yrs old, used to make the yummiest fresh vegetable lumpia with shrimps and ground pork served with a sauce she calls “paalat” that has lots of ground peanuts and garlic. Whatever is leftover, if there is any, my Lola fries then serve with a vinegar-soy sauce and garlic mixture. At our home, lumpia is almost always eaten with rice at any time of the day. At my Lola’s age, it’s understandable that she forgets about our names, recent events etc but it is so amazing that when you ask her about how to cook a certain food, she immediately goes over the process step by step. I grew up watching her cook without following a specific recipe and without prescribed amounts. She said you’ll know if what you’re cooking will taste good by just the smell of the food!

65. A tip I learned from my mother-in-law is to stack the lumpia upright (in a standing or leaning position) after frying. This makes the excess oil go to one end instead of spreading through the bottom side of the lumpia, making it soggy. This way, lumpia stays crisp longer.

66. Hi Marketman,
    I love your blog. I’ve been watching my diet and have been very succesful eating “clean” and exercising. I live vicariously through you for culinary experiences. You are my source of inspiration for days I feel like cheating !! I’ve been lurking for a while but am now compelled to comment as i looooove lumpia. As we speak, I just had a Goldilocks (Vancouver) veggie lumpia . I had to get one after reading your entry. It was a well deserved splurge. Well worth a few hundred minutes on the bike. This got me thinking about healthy alternatives.
    When I was little, my dad used to make lumpiang shanghai…baked. He would make them with the usual fillings… pork, cabbage, what have you, and roll them with lumpia wrapper into medium sized pieces and bake them in the oven after having sprayed a cookie sheet with Pam. Works for my family. Not too oily. We never felt the difference. For Christmas, I will try to make the gigantic short and stout lumpia with togue, tokwa and veggies. Has anybody else tried a baked version of fried lumpia?

67. I find the commenters’ ideas quite interesting…although I really am vegetarian when it comes to lumpia—simply sauteed togue. But the secret is in the sauce! That’s where I experiment—from thai vinegar mix to peanut sauces, even catsup with toyo :-D. When the market vendors have no lumpia wrappers to fry them in then I make my own crepe-like wrapper ala Goldilocks’.

68. my best lumpia is streetfood lumpia, sold by vendors right outside rizal memorial. near the orange shuttles to CCP. with orange suka. it’s just togue and other bits. throw in some amoeba, why dontcha.

69. Wow! So many variations! I’ve tried using, togue, singkamas, potatoes, tuna, cheese, chicken, carrots. With all i’ve read, there so many version i’d like to try. Thanks for sharing! :)

70. I like crunchy pork version with lots of ketchup. And weirdly, I prefer if vegetable version is slightly soggy- still with ketchup.

71. WHen there is plenty of leftover bihon or sotanhon guisado, i stir fry cabbage/beans/carrots/celery then dump in the leftover noodles. A quick stir and I have recycled it into fresh lumpia filling! The lumpia will be medium stout as the noodles bulk up the filling. Use the thai sweet n sour chili sauce for perfect combo!

72. THIS IS THE BEAUTY OF A BLOG WITH ACTIVE AND INTERESTED COMMENTERS…THE SUGGESTIONS ARE FABULOUS. REALLY COOL I will try several of them, and the tips like standing the cooked lumpia on its side are brilliant! THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all for your great suggestions, and this gives me a great idea to do a LUMPIA BUFFET one day soon…

73. Have you tried lumpiang galunggong or tulingan? I remember during Marcos time when life was not that easy for us, My mom prepare lumpiang galunggong or tulingan to save money. We still do and we love it to this day.

74. Oh I love lumpia! Haven’t had this for quite a while now.. As a kid, I’d only eat the Shanghai version, but now, I have also developed the fondness for lumpiang gulay.. Yum Yum..

75. danney, when we have leftover fish (bangus, galunggog, tilapia or what have you) my grandmother would at times use them into lumpia filling..

76. this was my lunch yesterday and everyone in the office pantry was green with envy.hehe.i put camote in my lumpia to make it a little more sweet and i like the bean sprouts with shorter root, they call it buto in the market.

77. I have not found my luck in bamboo shoots. Laging maamoy na yung nakikita ko sa groceries and palengke. I’ve tried this hard rice wrapper sold in SM grocery (Fat and Thin brand)before and it is similar to the ones I find in Vietnamese restaurants. Kaso it’s difficult to use and fry. Akala ko fried na pero pag kagat ko makunat pa yung loob ng wrapper.

    Minsan naghahalo ako ng pork floss or mahu pero malilit lang na lumpia yung tipong siomai wrapper yung size para mas magandang kaiinin.

    Meron akong nakaing fried lumpia dati na merong hoti (seaweed), ground pork and crushed peanuts. Masarap naman, di ko lang alam kung ano yung ibang hinalo.

78. I love the fried lumpia of the hawkers in UP…I think it’s just togue with a bit of carrots, onions, ground pork. But super sarap…or is it the taste of the forbidden that makes it so good?? hahaha. Anyway, I also love the fresh lumpia from Roxas, Capiz. Has anyone tried that? We usually ask relatives to have some flown to us. Cheap but super super yummy! Super thin rice wrapper with ubod and other stuff I cannot identify. That’s the only fresh lumpia I like. I dont like the thick wrappers here in Manila.

79. For flavor, i use shredded daing na isda, the labahita is meaty and real nice once the bones have been carefully removed.. The veggies I use are like most – cabbage, carrots, singkamas, onions, garbanzos, kamote, baguio beans, sometimes ubod… And here’s my little twist – instead of togue I use brocolli or alfalfa sprouts.. real healthy

    And if my friends don’t like the daing, I use spanish sardines, but I put it on top of the mixture only when ready to roll the wrapper…

80. ratacutie, I was waiting for somebody to mention the fresh lumpia of manong maglalako in UP. grabe, i graduated a long time ago and am still craving that lumpiang toge… dreaming of Manong breaking the still smokin’ lumpia in two, then pouring in lots of that spicy vinegar. mm mm mm HEAVEN!!!
    MM, your pics made me hungrier than ever. and to think i just ate dinner. grabe! ‘kakagutom. i could just imagine biting into those perfectly fried lumpias!!!!!!!! sama ko sa lumpia buffet. hehe.

81. Thanks kongwi, I did read somewhere that ngo hiong and five spice powder are one and the same. I’m just not sure what else goes into ngo hiong the lumpia, I think it might be ubod or bamboo shoots… I guess I’ll have to experiment since I do have the powder :)

82. whatever filling, pritong lumpia is always a favorite, but lumpiang togue is tops for me. and yes, i do eat it with rice.

    to make crunchy shanghai: saute the meat filling to remove most of the moisture from the meat. cool the filling completely before wrapping. for those who do not have time to pre-cook the meat filling, deep fry the shanghai in low fire until it browns and floats to the surface of the oil.
    and as Carol has said, drain the excess oil by stacking the lumpia upright over paper towels.

83. Tikoy and kondol. A family favorite.

84. Lumpia buffet! Heaven!!

    I seriously am in love with lumpia. A friend of mine, one who used to think lumpiang shanghai is just so-so, learned to love it because of my version (which is similar to some foodies out here).

    I love this post, and all of the comments!

    My Lumpia list is also long and winding, and also depending on leftovers.

    1. Filling: I agree with some of the comments, putting cheddar cheese cubes in lumpiang shanghai lifts it a notch higher.
    State: Fried.
    Dip: Vinegar, lemon juice, chili sauce, brown sugar, diced capsicums and tomatoes, mango cubes. Simmer in saucepan until slightly thicker.

    2. Filling: Ground meat, and soft tofu.
    State: Double fried.
    Dip: Cane vinegar, lots of ground pepper, brown sugar, salt to taste.

    3. Filling: Cheese log wrapped in Ham ala cordon bleu.
    State: Fried.
    Dip: Sour cream, garlic powder, s+p.

    4. Filling: Flaked chicken fillets, cabbage, carrots, cucumber.
    State: Fried or fresh.
    Dip: Mayo, mustard, garlic powder, onion, s+p, sugar.

    5. Filling: Hashed Corned Beef with cubed potatoes, grated cheese.
    State: Fried.

    6. Filling: Adobo flakes.
    State: Fried.
    Dip: Thinned-down-by-broth lechon sauce. Or adobo sauce into gravy, add coconut milk for variation.

    7. Filling: Fried-til-crisp sinigang pork, cubed.
    State: Fried.
    Dip: Tomato Ketchup, s+p.

    8. Filling: Lechon flakes, cucumber.
    State: Fried or fresh.
    Dip: Lechon sauce. Mayo-mustard. Or Light Soy, vinegar, diced onions, sugar.

    9. Filling: Tomato, Mango, Cucumber, Jicama, Cabbage, Carrots.
    State: Fresh.
    Dip: Thousand Island. Mayo-mustard, s+p. Or just drizzle with balsamic vinegar/cider-VOO emulsion.

    I think I’ve got more but I’mana run and eat now.

    Growling. Tummy.

85. hi mm,
    there’s way too many posts on this topic, we pinoys are obviously lumpia-crazy whether its ulam or miryenda. one of the comments mentioned this really great lumpia from a hole in a wall in ongpin. if i remember correctly said lumpia is known as ‘globe lumpia.’ masarap ito. also worth mentioning is the lumpia ni manang who plies her stuff in up diliman, specifically the main lib/sunken garden area. its crunchy togue stuffed goodness is made more delicious by its sweet/sour/spicy suka dip. yum. i wonder if she’s still there.:-)

86. I wonder if you have tried adding grated kamote to your lumpiang prito. It adds a little sweetness to the fried lumpia. And instead of cubed pork, I use minced pork in it. Also, I sprout my own toge because I like them when the “tail” is just a couple centimeters long. At this stage, the sprouts are still nutty and not fibrous as when the tail has grown long. This is one Filipino fare my Kiwi husband enjoys very much. And the sawsawan is of course, freshly ground black pepper, minced garlic, a pinch of salt and lots of vinegar.

87. My favorite is the big and fat Piniritong Lumpiang Ubod. I was thinking if someday I cannot find ubod for my lumpia, I will try using thickly shredded coconut meat instead to substitute for the ubod. The sauce I like with it is vinegar with lye (like the vinegar dip they use for ukoy)mixed with freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of sugar!! Slosshy delish!

88. lumpia is an “emergency” ulam in my household. i make them from scratch pag sinisipag ako using either ground pork,carrots and onions or togue, shrimp and tofu. i then wrap each one in saran wrap and freeze them. everytime i have unexpected company for dinner, i just whip out my stash. i noticed though that the lumpia stays crunchy longer if i deep fry it using a deep fryer. i dont know why but it really does as opposed to just frying it using a regular kawali.

89. Like proteinshake, we bake our togue&tofu filled lumpia instead of frying it. Just brush a little oil or butter and pop in the toaster oven.

90. this is a technique that i learned for lumpiang shanghai from my husband’s old kapampangan yaya: mix ground pork with grated carrots and minced onions, salt and pepper and 1 egg; take 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the mix and spread very thinly over the entire lumpia wrapper (think very thin butter over a pancake); fold very thinly from the end closest to you working the entire length of the wrapper; closing the two ends is optional and may be done while rolling the lumpia onto itself. seal with water. the ideal size should be no fatter than a lady’s index finger. fry in about an inch of oil and stand upright to drain. it should keep crispy longer or may be revived in the oven toaster sans additional oil. the size of the wrapper is crucial. she prefers the smaller round ones instead of the big ones usually used for turon.

91. I usually dislike fried lumpia, and I makes a conscious effort to not out one in my plate every handaan. however, there is one type of filling that gets to me- fish. Fish lumpiang shanghai is a good appetizer in itself beaus its less greasy, more flavor and it gets you appetite going. Perfect with ketchup. This happens in our house whenever we find ourselves abundant with leftover fish like bangus. It also happens when we get to order bulks of rellenong bangus and the honest maker gives us the excess meat.

92. I like adding tofu,or the firmer tokwa to my standard lumpia filling. My late mother, an American, used to make lumpia with mashed potatoes. They were hot,filling, and a great way to use leftovers. Talk about fusion!

93. I love lumpiang togue with carrots,cabbage,wansoy and tokwa. I can eat it with rice, goto or just an appetizer. Ang sarap!
    As for lumpiang shanghai, i like it bite size and not too stout. I don’t dip it in catsup or sweet & sour sauce but in Mustard ( just love mustard):)

94. lumpia with sauteed ground pork, shrimps, garlic, onions, carrots, shredded green beans, cabbage, and lots of fried camote and tofu cubes is my favorite. Dip in vinegar with some soy sauce, lots of garlic and black pepper. Best eaten with steaming goto lugaw.

95. Simpler is better for me! Mostly toge, some shrimp, some ground beef, perfectly fried and dipped in garlicy, peppery vinegar! Yum!

96. definitely with singkamas or water chestnut for crunch, whether it’s the meat-filled or vegetarian kind. Black muhsrooms too make it tastier for me. And green beans! Then lots of vinegar for dipping. I love the Shanghainese versions here in HK, the ones that are perfectly even in color, with a black or red vinegar dipping sauce. Yum!

97. We always have shanghai in the freezer for a quick snack or meal even. After reading all these comments I think I must make some vegetable lumpia tomorrow! We make peanut butter and jelly lumpia too, although I don’t know if thats a variation of turon and not lumpia. Another favorite is cheese (kesong puti) tomatoes and basil.. again not sure if it falls into the “lumpia” category. Maybe more of a cheese stick variation.

98. in my home, fried lumpia is one of three “garbage can” dishes, the two others being omelet and soup. this means that leftovers are easiest to recycle into any of these three “cooking styles”. my family generally likes lumpiang shanghai, but we have made fried lumpia out of the following leftovers: grilled, baked or fried fish is flaked, mixed with the usual lumpia veggies or the usual frozen mixed veggies, parsley of scallions, and whatever else is on hand; corned beef or longganiza is mixed with boiled cooked potato and carrot cubes; crabmeat, shrimp, clams/mussels are mixed with singkamas, baguio beans, carrots, etc….the possibilities are endless!

    no, MM, don’t stand the cooked lumpia on its side but on one end. immediately after frying, i place the lumpia over a colander vertically – that way, the oil drains from the whole lumpia and does not pool on one whole side.

99. Thank you, proteinshake and mackenzie, on the revelatory tip on baking, instead of frying, lumpia. And in a toaster oven to boot! Having drastically cut down on my intake of deepfried food, I shall experiment one of these days.

100. For a quick, no-fuss meal, I used to buy a pack of frozen ready-to-fry, pre-rolled lumpiang ubod from the Ilocos Empanada outlet in Katipunan, along with some Vigan longganisa. Initially I expected the lumpia to be a bastardized, inferior version of the home-made thing, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the rolls generously filled with good quality ubod that retained its natural flavor despite freezing. Vigan longganisa, fried lumpiang ubod dipped in vinegar, and steaming rice– ah, that’s a taste memory I’m savoring right now.

101. I also drain my lumpia semi-upright on the sides of a colander, so all the excess oil drains towards the center. Gosh, I really must make more lumpia soon! Decent lumpia shanghai is easily bought here in the Seattle area, but I have yet to find a good togue-filled lumpia.

102. Its Like Being in Lumpia Heaven on This POST!!

     MM you sure did fired up our taste buds..

103. OMG – YUM! One of my very favorite foods except I really really hate the frying part. Mine’s pretty basic – half beef, half pork browned in sauteed onions & garlic. I use store-bought cole slaw mix for my veggies – a great time saver! I add bean sprouts, water chestnuts, and here’s a culture crossover I learned from the Vietnamese. Instead of draining the meat mixture and losing all that flavor, I throw in enough bihon noodles until all the juice is soaked up. This not only keeps the mix dry but all that wonderful flavor is retained in the noodles!

     Like you, I like to cut mine open and drown it in vinegar and garlic!

     How does everyone fry their lumpia? Any tips to make it less messy? And how does one successfully fry frozen lumpia without all those hot fat explosions? Did I already mention that I HATE frying?

     YKMD, whereabouts are you in Seattle?

104. Chi, when you freeze lumpia, make sure you wrap them in saran wrap and then put them in brown paper bag, so that the moisture does not go into the lumpia, the fat explosions you get are due to not draining the filling overnite prior to wrapping them.

105. what to do with all those left-over filling?

     for shanghai,we fry it in patties

     for the veggies, we do Okoy…

106. My grandmother used to make lumpia from sauteed giniling na baboy and garbanzos and deep fried in lumpia wrappers. Sauce is finely diced hardboiled egg, onion, vinegar and s+p if vinegar is too maasim add a touch of sugar … :-)

107. In the countryside of North Carolina, a US Marine veteran hunted in the nearby farm/ranch and gave me his catch, deer meat. I was challenged to make “lumpia” out of it, adding home grown vegetables (I did not plant them, neighbors did), cabbage, carrots, sweet potatoes, onions & garlic. The only thing that came from the can is Water Chestnut. My experiment yielded 200 pcs. of petite Shanghai eggrolls which devoured by the community. Somebody asked me if he can give me “wild rabbit”meat, I said NO!

108. Hi MM =D my aunt used to make fried lumpia with just two ingredients:
     young buko strips
     corned beef
     it was surprisingly good.

109. How about adding a bit of crispy crumbled longganisa- garlicky & non-sweet – to an ubod lumpia filling? :-)

110. Here at home in Brisbane Australia, Lumpia (so called by my Filipina wife and friends)/Spring Rolls (so called by other family and friends) is just about the most popular finger food at our dinners, parties and other occasions. We make them pretty much as you describe which seems to be the all purpose – use what’s at hand – recipe.

     However, when we are at home in Makati with family and friends we invariably leave the Lumpia cooking to others who make them of the thin Pinoy variety.

     In any event we enjoy them very much.

111. Hi!I just found this site a few days ago and i’m addicted to it!Anyway…I Looooooooooove lumpia! Any kind of lumpia!Fried, fresh, veggie or meat filling. My sister Issa gave me this great idea that is now a staple in my freezer for unexpected guests or merienda munchies. We slice maling (maybe you can use spam too) into thick, 3-inch matchsticks and add thin strips of any easy melt cheese and use it to stuff our lumpia wrappers. Suprising how many can be made with a big can of maling!yummy with sweet chili sauce or banana ketchup.

112. I recently made pritong lumpia as one of the viands for dinner with my in laws, it has been a staple na and the “crowd favorite”. I usually put in shrimps, togue, carrots, potatoes and pechay. The sauce is vinegar, little soy sauce, sugar and onions.

113. My favorite is fish lumpia wherein the inside is made with either a daing or refried ginanga. God, just thinking of it makes my mouth water!! X3

114. I love lumpia. I like it with some kind of meat in it. But, for lumpia to be good, it must have ubod!

115. KittyM, I read somewhere that Ma Ling was taken off the supermarket shelves due to some chemical that’s not suitable for human consumption.

116. Wow! I read all the posts and i love all the ideas (familiar and otherwise). =) We do the usual. For special occasions, we peel and devein a shrimp, “coat” with seasoned cream cheese (s+p+garlic+chives+calamansi) then wrap with tail out. White rice, please!

117. pork with shrimp and the usual veggies yum yum!

118. My gosh, there are so many awesome suggestions here!!! I love all kinds of lumpia. I always make lots of them at a time and freeze them right after. When needed, I cook them in the deep fryer straight from the freezer (no thawing!). That makes the skin extra crispy while keeping the inside moist. Same as how we cook lechon kawali–straight from the freezer also to make the skin crispy and the inside moist and tender. Then they are drained standing on their sides coz if the oil seeps in, it will kill the crisp from the skin!

119. With mayonnaise…yes, I enjoy fried lumpia, the kind that has bean sprouts, shrimp, etc., with mayonnaise. I haven’t met anyone who eats it this way (if the topic or situation ever comes up) and have received comments like “Huh?” or “With mayo? Yuck!” As to size, any will do as long as there are several layers of crispy, crunchy fried lumpia wrapper to sink my teeth into. Lumpia Shanghai is my safe fave when not quite sure of what to have in a Filipino/Chinese restaurant. I like it with the sweet-sour dipping sauce and salted fish fried rice…or yung chow fried rice will do too.

120. How To make your lumpia crispy?–Deep fry in hot oil and cook in batches so as not to lower the temp of your oil.And right–you drain it on paper towel standing up on one end.And please do not cover or you’ll make it soggy.And yes–the Thai rice paper wrapper is “makunat” when fried that’s why I use it only for fresh vietnamese spring rolls.For crispiness,nothing tops our local lumpia wrapper!

121. I have a tip when wrapping lumpia: No need to fold in the ends of the wrapper. Just roll the filling in the wrapper, seal with egg wash then snip off the ends and dip the ends in flour. Lumpia is neat and even in size. (But works only for Shanghai or chicken lumpia. Baka if veggie lumpia, the filling will fall out.)

     Easy peasy chicken lumpia: buy the chicken lumpia mix from Magnolia chicken station, add some sesame oil and wrap. Serve with a sweet sour sauce made from vinegar, sugar, water, starch and garlic. My kids love it.

     I’m a lumpia person myself. The globe lumpia one reader mentioned is so named cos the hole in the wall is located at the side of the old Globe theater near Raon (not Ongpin.) It’s chinese style lumpia in fresh wrapper and has veggies, crushed peanuts and sugar and garlic and a sweetish souce.

122. Our family had dinner at La Mesa Grill last Sunday and we ordered the Tinapa roll and Crispchon.
     The Crispchon, is their bestseller. It is lechon wrapped in pandan creepes, wansuy, cucumber and leeks garnishes with choices of 3 sauces: garlic, curr y mustard, spicy pork, rikki’s choice, wansuy infused and sweet chili. The sauce comes in 3’s. I loved the garlic sauce though the others were also good. The crispy tawilis is also good.
     They have an ongoing promo. My sister bought the brochure in which there are discounts offered. It was sold at I think 300+. We got 50% discount from the order of cripschon and another coupon of 1,000 order with a discount of P500.00. There are many discount coupons in that brochure specifically for La Mesa Grill. If you dont know, it is Senator Kiko and Sharon who owns this place. The place is jam packed. We ordered others but what I mentioned were served lumpia style. How creative Filipinos are and it is something different.
     I also ate there Christmas time last year and we had the best place in time for the fireworks. Now their shedule is Friday and Saturdays! I thought it was on a Sunday.

123. oops, typo: sauce not souce! Heehee!

124. masarap pag mainit at malutong na mi siling labuyong sukang sawsawan at chicharon pag dating ng hapon sa nag lalako ng balut pag ka gabi. sa umaga bote garapa naman ha ha haa ang daling yumaman noon.

125. I got this recipe from a restaurant back home, they mix equal amounts of vinegar, sugar, and banana ketchup for the dipping sauce for the lumpia. I just love lumpia !!!! :) :) :) :)

126. bonggang-bonggang lumpia!! masarap ba yan??

127. thanks sa lahat ng nag comment dito, nagkaroon me tuloy ng idea to cook lumpia in different ways. sobrang fave kasi ng husband ko ang lumpia, especially lumpiang toge and lumpiang ubod.

128. hey guys have you tried doing fresh anchovy rolls? same size they use for “kinilaw”… only difference with our lumpia is instead of chopping all the ingredients ( some celery strips of about 2 in. kinchay leaves, carrot strips, camote strip, tinapa flakes, & togue) the deveined & cleaned dilis is soaked in achuete oil for about an hour, veggies are laid ON STRIP together with the dilis (of about 3 in length)- wrapped in thin lumpia wrapper of about two folds – then chilled for about an hour before frying— this should yield a crip-smokey flavored lumpia (due to tinapa flakes), mid-orangey brought by the achuete oil— and a lil hint of tangy celery & sweet potato strip. dipped in your choice of sinamak or ketchup… YUM YUM!