Lumpia is a very popular Filipino spring roll. There are many different recipes for it – some recipes call for ground pork, ground beef, chicken, or a combination of the meats. If you wish, you can make vegetarian lumpia. The first time I had lumpia was at a little food shack outside the doors of the Exchange at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. The place was just a little hut that only served lumpia, pancit, and chicken on a stick, but it was so delicious!
For this recipe, you will need one pound of ground beef, 1/2 pound of ground pork, one small onion, one green bell pepper, carrots, one package of lumpia wrappers, and vegetable oil.
To prep for this recipe, chop your onion, green bell pepper, and one carrot into small pieces. If your lumpia wrappers are frozen, let them thaw before starting this recipe.
On a clean, dry surface, lay out the lumpia wrappers, but cover them with a damp towel to keep them from drying out. Combine the one pound of ground beef, 1/2 pound of ground pork, 1/3 cup of chopped onion, 1/3 cup of chopped green bell pepper, and 1/3 cup of chopped carrot. Mix well then place two tablespoons of the mixture onto the center of a wrapper. The mixture should be about the size of your thumb or smaller. If you put too much in, the wrappers will burn before the meat is cooked. Fold one edge over the other. Fold the outside edges together then roll the wrapper into a tube. Wet your finger and press the edge to seal. Finish the remaining wrappers until all are done.
Heat a fryer or skillet with vegetable oil to 365 degrees. Fry three or four lumpia for three minutes on each side. The lumpia should be brown when done. Remove and drain the lumpia on a paper towel. Once they are cooled, you can serve them whole or cut them in half.
We like to eat our lumpia with a chili garlic sauce, but you can also eat it with sweet and sour sauce.