Lumpia (Fried Spring Rolls)

Crackly, golden outer shells give way to a juicy pork filling in this Filipino appetizer.

Serves
Makes about 2 dozen
Time
45 minutes

PHOTO: LINDA PUGLIESE • FOOD STYLING: MARIANA VELASQUEZ • PROP STYLING: ELVIS MAYNARD

Updated on February 23, 2024

Hot fried lumpia is one of our favorite global interpretations of a spring roll—the wrapper is crispy, the pork filling delicate and yielding. Instead of the standard sweet-sour dipping sauce, Filipino-American chef Dale Talde opts for the condiment he used growing up—sawsawan is a mixture of vinegar and soy sauce spiked with raw garlic and fiery chiles, which he likens to the salt and pepper of Filipino food. Look for dark, salty Filipino-style “toyo” (soy sauce) brands, like Silver Swan or Datu Puti, in your local Asian markets.

Featured in “Dale Talde Would Like to Show You the Manila of the Midwest” by JJ Goode.

Ingredients

For the rolls:

1 lb. ground pork
½ cup finely chopped carrot
½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp. fine salt, plus more for serving
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
One 14-oz. package 6-in. square spring roll wrappers
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Vegetable oil, for frying

For the dipping sauce:

1 cup white vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sugar
¾ tsp. black peppercorns
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 red bird’s eye chiles, stemmed and thinly sliced

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Instructions

Step 1

Make the rolls: Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a medium bowl, use your hands to combine the pork, carrot, onion, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Position 1 spring roll wrapper in front of you like a diamond (so that a point is facing you), and place 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture on the diamond’s bottom half. Lift the point nearest you and wrap it over the filling. Fold in the east and west corners toward the center, brush the north tip with beaten egg, and continue rolling into a tight cylinder. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. (Save any leftover wrappers or filling for another use.)

Step 2

Make the dipping sauce: In a small jar, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, peppercorns, garlic, and chiles. Shake to mix.

Step 3

Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Into a large heavy pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, pour the oil to a depth of 2 inches. Turn the heat to medium-high, and when the temperature reads 350°F, fry the lumpia in batches, turning occasionally, until the wrappers are golden brown and the filling is cooked, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lumpia to the prepared baking sheet. Season with salt while hot and serve with the dipping sauce.

Make the rolls: Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a medium bowl, use your hands to combine the pork, carrot, onion, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Position 1 spring roll wrapper in front of you like a diamond (so that a point is facing you), and place 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture on the diamond’s bottom half. Lift the point nearest you and wrap it over the filling. Fold in the east and west corners toward the center, brush the north tip with beaten egg, and continue rolling into a tight cylinder. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. (Save any leftover wrappers or filling for another use.)
Make the dipping sauce: In a small jar, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, peppercorns, garlic, and chiles. Shake to mix.
Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Into a large heavy pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, pour the oil to a depth of 2 inches. Turn the heat to medium-high, and when the temperature reads 350°F, fry the lumpia in batches, turning occasionally, until the wrappers are golden brown and the filling is cooked, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lumpia to the prepared baking sheet. Season with salt while hot and serve with the dipping sauce.