Recipe: Deep-Fried Lumpia

These tasty Philippine appetizers, filled with chicken and finely chopped vegetables, seasoned with patis and oyster sauce, rolled in delicate wrappers and fried to a crispy, golden brown, are the perfect start for any tropical meal.  

Deep-Fried Lumpia

Lumpia Wrappers

1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 egg
Non-stick cooking spray
 
Combine flour, milk and egg in a mixing bowl and stir to thoroughly blend. Heat a small skillet or crepe pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. Pour a small puddle of batter in the center of the pan, and turn the pan, rotating your wrist to distribute the batter in a thin, even layer. Allow pancake to brown on the bottom, turn the pancake over and brown on the other side. Continue the process with the remaining batter, recoating the pan with non-stick cooking spray for each pancake. Transfer the wrappers to a sheet of waxed paper to cool. Makes about 12 lumpia wrappers.

Stir-Fry Lumpia Filling

1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and coarsely chopped
1 small carrot, julienned into fine matchsticks
4 scallions, finely sliced
3 cups cabbage, finely shredded
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon patis (Asian fish sauce)

Vegetable oil for frying

Heat the sesame oil in a wok and sauté onion and garlic until tender. Add carrots, cabbage, and scallions until just tender. Add chicken, oyster sauce and patis and stir to thoroughly blend. Allow the mixture to cool.

To assemble the lumpia, top each wrapper with a generous portion of the filling mixture. Fold the bottom edge of the wrapper toward the center and snugly roll the wrapper into tight cylinder leaving the ends open. Secure with a toothpick. Fill a frying pan with about 1/2" of cooking oil and place over medium-high heat. Quickly fry lumpia rolls in small batches, turning once to brown on both sides. Drain on layers of paper towels. Serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 lime (juice only)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon sugar

Mix all ingredients in a small jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake vigorously and allow to stand for one hour to marry flavors.