Lumpiang Shanghai

As the name implies, it is the Filipino version of Chinese Spring Rolls. A popular dish which is commonly included in a typical Filipino buffet, may it be weddings, birthdays or a fiesta. It can be a cocktail, a side dish, or when paired with rice, pasta or noodles, the main course itself!

No wonder it's one of our all-time favorites. Even my daughter Ashrie fell in love with this simple dish because of its crisp outer shell and chewy, juicy core.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground pork
1 whole egg
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup onions, minced
1/2 cup carrots grated
1/2 cup prawns, minced (optional)
1/2 cup Chinese celery (flat leaf parsley) finely chopped
2-3 tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
spring roll wrappers
cooking oil (for frying)

Procedure:
1. Mix the ingredients in a bowl (except for the cooking oil and wrappers). Season with a little bit of salt and pepper and mix well. You can do a sampling at this point by taking about a teaspoon of the mixture, forming it into a small patty and frying it in oil. Just to test if it needs adjustment in seasoning.
2. Lay a wrapper on a plate and wrap about a teaspoon of the filling. Brush the end of your wrapper with a little bit of water to seal the roll.
3. Deep fry your spring rolls for about 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Short of spring roll wrappers and you still have the filling mixture? You can pan fry the filling as burger patties or as meatballs. And remember to fry only what you can consume in one serving as it is best served while hot and the wrappers are still crispy.

Cheers,
Jane