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Filipino

Lumpia Shanghai

Lumpia Shanghai is the Filipino version of the Chinese spring roll — thin rice paper or wheat flour wrappers filled with a mixture of ground pork, shrimp, carrots, water chestnuts, and aromatics, rolled into tight cylinders and deep-fried until shatteringly crisp. The name 'Shanghai' acknowledges the Chinese origin of the technique, brought to the Philippines by Fujian Chinese immigrants (the Hokkien community, known as Tsinoys) who have been present in the Philippine archipelago for centuries. The Filipino version is thinner and more tightly rolled than Chinese spring rolls, with a higher surface-area-to-filling ratio that maximises crunch. The filling should be densely packed and completely free of moisture before rolling — any wet filling causes the wrapper to steam from the inside and soften.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
ServesAbout 24 lumpia
Sourced1of 15 in BC
Cook
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

For the filling
500 g
ground pork
Your own market
150 g
shrimp
shelled, deveined, finely chopped
Your own market
100 g
carrots
finely grated, moisture squeezed out
Your own market
100 g
water chestnuts
finely chopped
Origin · ChinaWismettac · Vancouver →
1 tsp
sesame oil
Your own market
2
eggs
1 whole egg for filling; 1 white reserved for sealing
Your own market
3 cloves
garlic
minced
Your own market
1 medium
white onion
finely minced
Your own market
1 tsp
salt
Your own market
½ tsp
ground black pepper
Your own market
For rolling
24 sheets
thin lumpia wrappers
rice paper or wheat flour, kept under a damp cloth
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For frying
1 litre
neutral oil
for deep-frying
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the dipping sauce
120 ml
sukang maasim (cane vinegar)
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 cloves
garlic
minced
Your own market
1
red chilli
thinly sliced
Not yet stocked in British Columbia

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Grate the carrots finely, then bundle them in a clean cloth and wring out all liquid. Do the same with any other vegetables releasing moisture. The wrung vegetables must feel dry to the touch — no moisture should transfer to the hand when pressed.
2
Combine the ground pork, chopped shrimp, carrots, water chestnuts, garlic, onion, one whole egg, sesame oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix firmly until the mixture coheres into a single mass. It should hold its shape when pressed between the fingers and release no liquid onto the bowl.
3
Lay a wrapper flat. Place a compact log of filling — approximately 1 tablespoon — along the lower third of the wrapper, forming a tight, even cylinder with no gaps. This is where the dish lives or dies: rolling must be firm and without air pockets, as any gap between filling and wrapper will expand in the hot oil and burst the lumpia. Fold the lower edge over the filling, tuck the sides in, and roll forward under firm pressure to the top edge. Seal the final edge with egg white and press to bond. The finished roll should feel uniformly solid along its length.
4
Combine the sukang maasim, minced garlic, and sliced chilli in a small bowl. Set aside at room temperature. The sauce should smell sharply acidic with a raw garlic edge.
5
Bring the neutral oil to 175°C in a deep, heavy pan. A finished lumpia lowered into the oil must sizzle loudly and immediately on contact — a weak or delayed sizzle indicates the oil is too cool and must be raised before frying proceeds.
6
Fry the lumpia in batches at room temperature — never from the refrigerator — turning once, until the wrapper is an even, deep golden brown and the surface sounds hollow when tapped lightly with tongs. Remove and drain upright or on a rack. The exterior should shatter, not bend, when broken.
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — Freshly ground pork shoulder with a visible fat marbling; live or fresh-caught shrimp; hand-peeled water chestnuts from fresh corms; sukang maasim from a traditional Ilocos cane producer.
02
Estate — Good-quality ground pork from a butcher; fresh shrimp from a reliable fishmonger; canned water chestnuts thoroughly drained; commercial cane vinegar.
03
Market — Supermarket ground pork; frozen shrimp, thawed and patted dry; canned water chestnuts; standard white vinegar seasoned with garlic and chilli.
04
House — Any ground pork; any shrimp; filling made without water chestnuts; any mild vinegar as dipping sauce — still a coherent dish provided moisture control and tight rolling are observed.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Touch. Wrung vegetables transfer no moisture to the palm when pressed.
◇Touch. The finished raw roll feels uniformly solid along its entire length with no soft or hollow sections.
◇Sound. The lumpia sizzles loudly and immediately on contact with the oil at 175°C.
◇Sight. The fried wrapper is an even, deep golden brown with no pale or bubbled patches.
◇Touch. The finished lumpia shatters cleanly when broken — it does not bend.
◇Where it lives or dies. The roll must be firm and airtight — any gap between filling and wrapper expands in the hot oil and bursts the lumpia.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Blandy's Sercial Colheita Madeira
Blandy's · Madeira
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Fortified wine
From British Columbia

Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.

Without alcohol

No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

Wismettac
Vancouver · water chestnuts
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