Lumpia Shanghai Recipe

At Filipino gatherings, towering stacks of small, crisp lumpia Shanghai can be found next to party favorites like pancit. I often bring a large tray of lumpia to potlucks in my neighborhood, and I’ve made many friends thanks to the tiny egg rolls’ crunchy appeal.

Lumpia Shanghai are deep-fried, bite-sized egg rolls filled with pork, shrimp, and vegetables and served with a spicy sweet-sour sauce. They are so scrumptious they’ll be gone from the platter in minutes, whether served as an appetizer at a party or main course at a family meal.

What Are Lumpia?

Fried egg rolls are of Chinese origin and are popular in Asian cooking. The Filipino lumpia (pronounced loom-pyah) comes from Chinese Hokkien words—lun pia, meaning sliced vegetables in spring roll wrapper. “Lun” means spring, and “pia” is pastry. In the Philippines, there are two basic versions: a crepe wrap called lumpiang sariwa, or fresh vegetable lumpia, and pritong lumpia, a fried version that has several sub-varieties with different fillings. 

According to the late food historian Doreen G. Fernandez, lumpia Shanghai were introduced into Filipino cuisine by Chinese merchants who migrated to the Philippines and later opened panciterias (restaurants). Although Filipinos popularly call the dish lumpia Shanghai, there is no such egg roll in the Chinese city itself. A few years ago, The Shanghai News featured lumpia Shanghai and I’m proud to say they thanked me in the newspaper.

The Best Wrappers for Lumpia

Lumpia wrappers are paper-thin, crepe-like, and made with a combination of wheat flour, water, and oil. They are usually store-bought, but there are Filipino vegetable lumpia recipes (not deep-fried) that call for made-from-scratch egg wraps.

There are two kinds of store-bought wrappers I use to make lumpia, and either will work for this recipe:

• Filipino brand lumpia wrappers are round, white-colored, and used for wrapping meat, vegetables, seafood, and even fruit fillings. They are sold in the frozen section of Asian supermarkets.
• Chinese brands, called spring roll wrappers, are crepe-thin, beige-colored, around 8-inch squares, and sturdy. They’re also found in Asian markets and large supermarkets.

Leftover wrappers are best stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days and tightly wrapped in the freezer for up to 1 month. Do not thaw in the microwave, but let the wrappers come to room temperature before using.

Tips for Deep Frying

• For deep-frying, I use 1 1/2 to 2 inches of oil in the pan; this is about 3 cups of oil for a 14-inch wok. 
• I recommend vegetable oil, which has a neutral flavor and a high smoking point, but peanut oil is a good alternative. 
• Fry the lumpia in batches. Do not overcrowd the wok or skillet, or it will bring down the oil temperature.
• In Asian homes, a wok is the common vessel for deep-frying. A flat-bottomed, 14-inch wok works for electric ranges, while a round-bottomed wok is good for gas cooking. An alternative is to use a heavy 12-inch skillet.

How to Store and Freeze Lumpia

Wrap the lumpia Shanghai egg rolls ahead of time. Store them in the freezer, uncooked, in airtight plastic containers or resealable plastic bags. Keep the lumpia frozen in the desired serving amount for family meals. On busy days, you can simply take out one plastic container of lumpia to deep fry for dinner.

When ready to serve, deep fry the lumpia straight from the freezer. In fact, I recommend making a double batch and freezing them. They always disappear quickly.

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