Lumpia Shanghai

Philippines (Hokkien Chinese-Filipino Tsinoy tradition)

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.

• Directly descended from Chinese chūn juǎn (spring roll) via Fujian immigrants; shares technique and structure with Vietnamese chả giò and Indonesian lumpia — all are the Southeast Asian localisation of Chinese fried wrappers.

Spiced vinegar (sukang maasim with minced garlic and chilli) is the canonical dipping sauce — the sharp acid cuts through the fried wrapper fat and resets the palate; sweet chilli sauce is the contemporary alternative.