If you aren’t familiar with Filipino food, you are in for a treat! One of the most quintessential Filipino dishes is lumpia. Lumpia are similar to Chinese fried spring rolls. Lumpiang Shanghai are filled with seasoned ground pork and veggies, and usually served with a dipping sauce. Make this simple lumpiang shanghai recipe in 20 minutes.
Every family has their own version, but I've made this as easy and simple as possible. My lola (grandma's) recipe has much more ingredients which I'll add in the notes. Lumpia are often served at parties or celebrations. At my house we have them in our freezer ready to cook! They are perfect to serve at events because they are easy to grab and go, and they are filling. They are a crowd favorite, so if you plan to serve them at your event, make extra!
Why You'll Love This Lumpiang Shanghai Recipe
- Under 30 – These lumpia can be prepared in just 20 minutes. If you have never made them before, it might seem daunting, but this recipe is actually really fast and easy!
- Everyone’s Favorite – In the Philippines, lumpia are so well-loved that people look forward to having them on special occasions, and the enjoyment translates across cultures. And since you roll each one individually, you can tweak the recipe if you prefer to do some without onions, or prepare half using a mock meat for vegetarian guests.
Lumpiang Shanghai Ingredients
- Green Cabbage – Cabbage adds a really nice texture to these rolls. It is a little but crunchy and a little juicy, but it really absorbs the flavors that surround it.
- Onions – You will need both green and yellow onions for this dish. You only need ⅓ cup of each, but I recommend dicing your whole onion, and freezing the rest for easy use in your next recipe!
- Carrots – You need ½ cup of shredded carrot. It is important to shred it, rather than using any other kind of cut, as other cuts will yield an unpleasant texture for your lumpia filling.
- Soy Sauce – A tablespoon of soy sauce adds just enough saltiness and umami to your lumpia.
- Garlic – You only need ½ tsp of garlic powder for this dish. You don’t want an overwhelming garlic presence, but just enough to season your filling.
- Ginger – ¼ tsp of ginger will be enough to season your filling while still leaving room for each ingredient to shine on its own.
- Meat – Lumpiang Shanghai always as ground meat as its filling. Traditionally, you would use ground pork, though you can also use ground beef or turkey. If you want to make a vegetarian version you could use unseasoned ground mock meat crumbles. My family does half pork and half beef or pork entirely.
- Lumpia Wrappers – If you plan ahead, you can make your own homemade lumpia wrappers. If you plan to buy them from your local Asian market, look in the freezer section, as they are often kept frozen. You will want to defrost them before you get ready to cook. If you can’t find any labeled for lumpia, pick up a pack of spring roll wrappers.
- Oil – Lumpia are fried, so you will need plenty of oil for frying. It should take about 2 cups. Canola is a great choice, but you can substitute with peanut oil, or any oil that has a high enough smoke point for frying.
How to Make Lumpia
- Over medium high heat, sauté the green cabbage, yellow onion, green onion, carrot, soy sauce, garlic powder and ginger powder in 1 tbs oil.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften, and stir in the ground meat. Cook for another 5 minutes and no pink remains. Set mixture aside to cool.
- Peel the lumpia wrappers apart by first gently bending them in different directions to loosen and then slowly peeling them apart. Keeping a damp hand towel over the lumpia will help them to remain pliable and not brittle.
- Set the lumpia wrappers in a diamond shape and place 2 tbs of the filling into the bottom corner of the wrapper.
- Fold the corner over and upward making a log shape with the filling. Fold the side corners inward and roll the lumpia up and seal the edges with water.
- Bring about a ½ inch of frying oil to approximately 350F and fry the lumpias for 1-2 minutes or until evenly golden brown.
Step by Step Instructions
First, make your lumpia filling. To start, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium-high. Sauté your green cabbage, yellow onion, green onion, shredded carrot, soy sauce, garlic powder, and ginger powder.
Cook until your vegetables begin to soften. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Then, add your ground meat to the pan and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until there is no more pink on the meat. Once your filling is done, remove it from the heat and set aside to cool. Next, separate your lumpia wrappers. Gently peel them apart. To avoid breakage, you can bend them to loosen first, and then peel to separate. Place a damp tea towel over the lumpia wrappers once they are separated.
Now it is time to assemble your lumpia. It is helpful to keep a small bowl of water nearby for this step. Take one wrapper and position it in a diamond shape. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling in a line near the bottom corner of the wrapper. Fold the corner upward, so that the filling is covered. Then bring the side corners in. Roll your lumpia up. Then dip your finger in the bowl of water and wet the outer edges of your wrapper to seal it shut. Take care not to drip too much water on the edges.
Heat your oil to about 350 degrees. You want the oil to be about ½ inch high to adequately cover your lumpia. Once the oil is hot enough, fry your lumpia for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown all over.
Set aside to cool on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve as is, or slice at an angle. Serve with a dipping sauce, my favorite is a sweet and sour bottled sauce or if you're adventurous make your own.
Cook's Tips
- Store your leftover lumpia in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. You can fry them again, or reheat leftovers in the air fryer or microwave.
- You can freeze your lumpia for up to 3 months. I've frozen them unfried before, but I do prefer them frozen after frying. You want to make sure they are cool before sticking them in the freezer. Reheat frozen lumpia in the microwave, or air fry at 375 for 4-5 minutes.
- Lumpia are best served with a dipping sauce. Some popular suggestions include sweet chili sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or banana ketchup. You could also try peanut sauce, fruit chutney, or any vinegar based sauce.
FAQ
These two dishes are essentially different cultural takes on a similar dish. Egg rolls are fatter than lumpia. Egg rolls and lumpia also have slightly different wrappers. Lumpia use a wrapper like traditional Chinese fried spring rolls, which is thinner than egg roll wrappers.
If you can’t find lumpia wrappers at your international market, you can make your own at home with just a little flour, cornstarch, eggs, and water. Otherwise, you can use spring roll wrappers. Note that spring roll wrappers are different from egg roll wrappers. Use egg roll wrappers as a last resort, however know that they won’t taste exactly the same as traditional lumpia.
There are several different kinds of lumpia popular in Filipino cooking. Lumpiang shanghai is just one type. Lumpiang shanghai are different than some other types of lumpia because they are smaller, fried, and filled with cooked meat.
Yes, you can. In my humble opinion it is never the same texture, but if you're looking for a healthier option it's your best bet. Depending on your air fryer 370F for 12 minutes is how I make it. It's a good time to pull out your meat thermometer to check doneness.
Looking for more Filipino and Asian inspired dishes? Try these:
Japanese Chicken Katsu and Curry
If you have tried this Lumpiang Shanghai recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below! For more inspiration follow us on Instagram or like us on Facebook to find more easy meals.
Lumpiang Shanghai Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Green Cabbage thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup Yellow Onion diced
- ⅓ cup Green Onions sliced
- ½ cup Carrot shredded
- 1 tbs Soy Sauce
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Ginger Powder
- 1 lb. Ground Pork Turkey or Beef (PORK IS BEST)
- 1 Package Lumpia Wrappers defrosted
- About 2 cups Canola Oil may sub any oil with a high smoke point for frying
Instructions
- Over medium high heat, sauté the green cabbage, yellow onion, green onion, carrot, soy sauce, garlic powder and ginger powder in 1 tbs oil.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften, and stir in the ground meat. Cook for another 5 minutes and no pink remains. Set mixture aside to cool.
- Peel the lumpia wrappers apart by first gently bending them in different directions to loosen and then slowly peeling them apart. Keeping a damp hand towel over the lumpia will help them to remain pliable and not brittle.
- Set the lumpia wrappers in a diamond shape and place 2 tbs of the filling into the bottom corner of the wrapper. Fold the corner over and upward making a log shape with the filling. Fold not the side corners inward and roll the lumpia up and seal the edges with water.
- Bring about a ½ inch of frying oil to approximately 350F and fry the lumpias for 1-2 minutes or until evenly golden brown.
Notes
May be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated by either air frier at 375F for 4-5minutes or microwaved.
Do not deep fry a frozen Lumpia.
My Family's Additions: a strip of cheddar cheese and sometimes we add jicamas or raisins. As mentioned, everyone has different family recipes, but I kept the above basic.
Hi. Do i freeze after frying? Thanks in advance.