Sarah B's Family Lumpia Recipe

For those who don't know what lumpia is, it is the Filipino version of an egg roll or spring roll.  Below I've posted my family recipe, and I have found that pretty much every Filipino family has their own recipe.  So, if you've had lumpia before, that explains why this recipe is so different ... and so delicious! ;)  Hope you enjoy it as much as my family has.  (That's me manning the fryer in the proper fashion ... with a glass of vino!)

Ingredients: 

Lumpia wrappers (50, so 1 or 2 boxes depending on count)

1lb ground beef

1lb pork sausage

1 onion, diced

6 large cloves of garlic, finely diced

1 can French cut green beans, drained well

1 can garbanzo beans, drained well

1 can water chesnuts, drained well and diced OR 1 potato, peeled and finely diced

1 package cole slaw mix (cabbage and carrots)

salt and pepper to taste

For wrapping:

About a tbs of cornstarch and a cup or so of water in a bowl

Use vegetable oil for frying.

Preparation:

In large pan, brown meats and drain grease.  Add onion and garlic; saute for a few minutes on low heat until onion is soft.  Add all other ingredients.  Continue to cook for 5 more minutes, or until ingredients are evenly heated.  If using potato, cook until potato is soft.  Cool.

Wrappers:

A word about wrappers: you can purchase them in any Asian market and can purchase ones that are stuck together (about 50-count per package) or separated with paper (about 30-count per package).  Separating the wrappers can be challenging because they are thin and can stick together if they are not super fresh.  You should also separate and wrap all in the same time block because if you try to separate the wrappers in advance, they will dry up and harden.  

Once filling is cooled (this is important because warm filling will cause the wrappers to tear), you then need to fill and wrap your lumpias.  Lay one wrapper on a flat surface.  Take one heaping tablespoon of filling and spoon onto wrapper at about 2 inches from one edge (filling should be positioned as you would fill a burrito).  Fold closest edge over filling.  Fold outer edges over so ends become closed.  Roll together so you are wrapping the wrapper around.  Using the cornstarch/water mixture, soak the free end in mixture.  Using fingers, smooth wrapper so it adheres to the lumpia.  Set aside.  Once you've finished wrapping, deep fry until wrappers become a medium golden brown.  Cool and enjoy.

For dipping sauces: use Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce (can be bought at same Asian market where you find your lumpia wrappers), sweet and sour sauce, or my favorite, vinegar and garlic sauce. 

Vinegar and garlic sauce is about 1/2 cup vinegar mixed with several diced garlic cloves and some fresh ground pepper.  Let the vinegar sauce season overnight for best flavor. 

This recipe makes about 4-dozen lumpia (usually about 3 inches long and 1 inch in diameter).