Lumpiac

Vegan Lumpiang Shanghai (Filipino Fried Spring Rolls)
Here in the Philippines we have a famous dish called Lumpiang Shanghai that’s basically fried spring rolls (lumpia) in a ‘Shanghai’ style as we call it because of Chinese influence in the past. Lumping Shanghai is commonly filled with meat and some vegetables but for these spring rolls, I made some tofu mince to go with mixed veggies.

Traditional Lumpia
Classic lumpia (aka. lumpiang shanghai) is always a hit in any party or get-together! Paired with some sweet chilli sauce, don’t be surprised if you end up going past your limit with these.

Fresh Lumpia

The other kind of lumpia is the fresh lumpia, otherwise known as the lumpiang sariwa. The fresh lumpia is not fried. Instead, the lumpia wrapper is a tender thin pancake-like wrap that is used to enclose a filling. Since this kind of lumpia isn't cooked again, the filling is commonly already cooked or otherwise ready-to-eat before it's placed in the wrapper. This wrapper is unique in that while it's cooked similarly to a normal lumpia wrapper, it's actually thicker and softer than the firm wrapper you use for the fried versions. It's this wrapper that distinctly differentiates the fresh lumpia from the fried lumpia.

Dynamite Lumpia

dinamita, or Dynamite Lumpia, is a street dish I discovered while traveling in the Philippines. It’s a form of lumpia made with long green chilies known as siling haba that are stuffed with an aromatic ground pork filling and cheese. The chile is wrapped in a lumpia wrapper, then fried until crispy. It’s reminiscent of a jalapeño popper but with a light, crispy shell and a deeply savory filling. It was love at first bite.

Since I returned from my trip, I adapted this concept to a dish I can make in the United States. If you have access to siling haba, I encourage you to try that chile. But here, I use a jalapeño because of the lumpia’s similarity to a jalapeño popper and how easy they are to find.