Lumpiang Shanghai

Medium·30 min

Thin, finger-length Filipino fried spring rolls packed with seasoned ground pork, finely minced carrots, and onions, rolled tightly in wrappers and deep-fried until shatteringly crisp. They are cut into bite-size pieces and served with a sweet-chili or banana ketchup dip, a fixture at every Filipino birthday and fiesta.

A Filipino adaptation of the Chinese spring roll brought by Fujianese migrants, nativized over generations into a thinner, meatier roll; the name references Shanghai though the recipe is now distinctly Filipino.

A loud, glassy crunch gives way to a juicy, savory pork center flecked with sweet carrot and onion. Dunked in sweet chili, each two-bite log is salty, sweet, and impossibly more-ish.

Rolling the filling thin maximizes surface area so the wrapper crisps fully before the pork overcooks. Deep frying at a steady 175C flash-sets the wrapper into a rigid, blistered shell while sealing in the meat's juices.

Variations

ground beef or chicken filling, added water chestnut or shrimp, cheese sticks (dynamite), bite-size cocktail version

On the Palate

Where Lumpiang Shanghai sits in the Filipino flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 6

500 gGround Pork

1, finely mincedCarrot

1, finely mincedOnion

3 cloves, mincedGarlic

25 sheetsSpring Roll Wrapper

2 tbspSoy Sauce

for fryingOil

How it's made

8 steps · 30 min

1
8 min
In a bowl combine ground pork, finely minced carrot, onion, garlic, soy sauce, salt, and pepper; mix until tacky.
2
4 min
Optionally fry a teaspoon of the filling to taste and adjust the seasoning.
3
5 min
Place a spring roll wrapper as a diamond and spoon a thin pencil-line of filling near the bottom corner.
Watch out
Spoon only a pencil-thin line of filling near the corner — overstuff and the wrapper can't crisp through before the pork overcooks.
4
6 min
Fold the bottom over the filling, fold in the sides, then roll up tightly, sealing the edge with a dab of water.
Watch out
Roll each one tight with no air pockets and seal the edge with a dab of water — a loose roll bursts open and drinks oil in the fryer.
5
12 min
Repeat to make thin, even rolls, keeping finished rolls under a damp cloth.
6
10 min
Heat oil to 175C and fry the rolls in batches until deep golden and crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Watch out
Fry at a steady medium-high until deep golden and crisp, about four to five minutes — too cool and they turn greasy instead of shattering.
7
4 min
Drain on a rack, then cut each roll diagonally into bite-size pieces.
8
1 min
Serve hot with sweet chili sauce or banana ketchup.