Lumpiang Shanghai

LUMPIANG SHANGHAI

Like Pancit, Lumpia is one of those ubiquitous party dishes that people can easily identify when talking about Filipino food. It is actually a dish that has many variations but one of the most popular and beloved versions is Lumpiang Shanghai, a cigar shaped Lumpia with a ground meat filling. Despite its name, it does pull from both Chinese and Spanish culture. It early origins are a flour tortilla that evolved into a rice flour wrap as interpreted by Chinese migrants in the Philippines.

The Filipino Lumpia has a thinner wrapper than the typical Chinese egg roll but that nuance is probably not as pronounced in the US as many commercial wrappers found are multi purpose serving a few Asian cultures. You can find the thinner crepe version commercially if you hunt around or you can make it yourself. It is amazing when fresh wrappers are made and are used for a fresh Lumpia or Lumpiang Sariwa. This version is filled with delicious vegetables and is not fried and served with a sweet garlic and peanut sauce. The more common Lumpia I grew up eating is actually a Vegetable Lumpia or Lumpiang Togue. It’s a slightly thicker Lumpia with an amazing vegetable medley that includes mung bean sprouts, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, scallions, green beans and fried tofu. Sometimes it may include shrimp and ground pork to make it more substantial. This was definitely an amazing way to eat vegetables as a kid.

When Jane and I set out to make Lumpiang Shanghai, we didn’t have a formal recipe, because like most dishes you learn from your family by watching and doing. Measurements are hard to come by because they are never written down. Thankfully, we have Tita Lydia who came to the rescue. We did our best to take note and give you a place to start but like most Filipino food, the take away is the method. Feel free to add ingredients and also season to your taste and make it your own.

Regarding dipping sauces, there are many schools of thought on this — from vinegar based to a more Chinese sweet and sour sauce and many more in between. Whether it’s homemade or store bought, there is no judgement here. Making Lumpia is laborious enough. We include a few options in the ingredients below of dipping sauces that we love.

❤️Tricia