I had a better picture but apparently didn’t capture it on my phone like I thought. Shame! 

Lumpia, pronounced LOOM-pee-uh, is a fried food from the Philippines. This is an island-style lumpia, which is larger than the Filipinio version, which is small and packed only with seasoned meat. The recipe below is a vegan take on my mother’s recipe that is absolutely delicious. Please make these for yourself or to bring to a potluck. Warning: I know they say “2-3 appetizers per person” but you’ll need to make SIX per person and I’m not kidding…they go THAT quickly. 

Don’t let the length and pictures here fool you, it’s just to show you how to wrap them. This is a ridiculously easy dish to throw together!

You’ll Need

-lumpia wrappers, spring roll wrappers or egg roll wrappers (see Notes, below)

-chopped mushrooms, about 1 pound (or 1 pound ground vegan “meat” of your choice)

-1 bag (about 16oz) shredded cabbage/carrots (coleslaw mix, minus the dressing) OR shred cabbage/carrots yourself

-vegetarian oyster sauce (it’s mushroom-based…check for possible soy content if you’re watching your soy) 

-a flour water paste (add a little water to flour to make a thin paste, see Notes)

-sweet chili sauce for dipping

-oil for frying (I add enough to the pan to cover half the lumpia…you use less oil that way)

To Do

Step 1: Combine cabbage/carrots and mushrooms (or veggie meat) in a bowl. Add enough oyster sauce to lightly coat, but not drench, the mixture. If you’re scared of screwing it up, don’t be: just add in 2 tablespoons at a time, mix thoroughly, and if you need more to lightly coat then add in more by the tablespoon. Still worried? Just taste it as you go. No big deal, this is stress-free cooking, trust me and trust yourself!

Step 2: Lumpia wrappers and spring roll wrappers are sold frozen and must be thawed a little bit before using (egg roll wrappers are sold in the refrigerated section and can be used immediately). . They should never be completely thawed to room temperature because they’ll crack. You can tell when they’re ready because they’ll peel apart easily. 

Step 3: Set wrapper on a flat surface so it looks like a diamond. 

Step 4: Add some of the mixture, about 1 tablespoon, on the tip nearest you.

Step 5: Roll the tip nearest you over the mixture, tucking it. 

Step 6: Roll the wrapper up halfway.

Step 7: Fold the left and right sides in.

Step 8: Roll it the rest of the way up, placing the flour paste on the remaining tip. This will help create a seal. It’s just flour and water, if you put “too much” it’s not going to hurt anything. It’s just flour and water!

And the completed roll:

Your fabulous stack of lumpia:

Step 9: Now comes time to fry. In a pan or pot on medium high heat add enough oil (like corn oil, vegetable oil, walnut oil, grapeseed oil or any other high-heat oil) to cover the lumpia halfway. Test the oil with a piece of the lumpia wrapper to see if it’s hot enough. If it bubbles as soon as it enters the oil, it’s the right temperature! Add in your lumpia to fry it:

Flip after the first side is golden brown to cook the other side. If the oil is at the right temperature, this should take about 30 seconds per side:

Set atop paper towels when done cooking, serve with sweet chili sauce and watch it disappear!

Variations

-Try making your lumpia sweet by mixing peanut butter, a mashed ripe banana and some kind of chocolate (cocoa powder, chocolate syrup or chocolate chunks) and frying that in the lumpia wrappers. They’re really delicious and great for breakfast.

-I like using different dipping sauces…you should experiment to find what you like. Sweet chili sauce is the classic deliciousness, but I also enjoy BBQ sauce or even ketchup.

-NEW: Make it GLUTEN-FREE! A friend with Celiac’s asked if she could use the rice/tapioca wrappers (like for spring rolls), so I gave it a go. You can, but ensure the outside is as dry as you can get it without ripping it so you don’t put water into hot oil. Also, swap out the vegetarian oyster sauce (which has wheat) for a mix of tamari and a sweetener you like (to taste), with pureed shiitake mushrooms if you’d like to throw those in. These will fry to a very, very light brown color (no where near a deep golden brown) and make a very delicate wrapper. Very crisp and does taste like the bits of rice in fried rice that get a little crunchy. I really liked it!

Notes

-Lumpia wrappers, as mentioned earlier, can be found in the frozen section of some stores and almost all Asian markets. Spring roll wrappers are the same thing, just a different name. Egg roll wrappers, as the name implies, are made with egg so I highly suggest avoiding them but you will find a couple that are vegan-friendly. These are found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, near the tofu. I don’t care for these because they’re thick and bubbly when fried; lumpia wrappers and spring roll wrappers fry thin and crisp. Many lumpia wrappers include the color orange. Here is a brand I’ve used:

-If you make too much filling, keep it in a container until ready to use. Only roll lumpia that you will fry immediately. If you pre-roll it and store it in the refrigerator, the oyster sauce will seep through the wrappers and they’ll burst when frying.