Everyone’s favorite Chinese egg rolls (Lumpias)
April 23, 2012 80 Comments
Chinese egg rolls
This recipe is lifted from Steamy Kitchen and ever since the first time I tried these egg rolls, I’ve never made them any other way. Being Asian, I love spring rolls and in the Philippines, we have several versions. I’ve been making 2 versions of spring rolls for as long as I can remember, the vegetable version and the minced meat version and both have been very popular. Last year, I’ve decided to be more adventurous in the kitchen by trying out new recipes and new ways of doing the dishes that I’ve learned from way back.
I came across Steamy Kitchen while in search for the recipe of Vietnamese Pho and became so excited when in searching the site, I saw a lot of interesting new recipes. I tried these egg rolls and was amazed at how wonderful the combination of flavors were from the ginger, sesame oil, a bit of sugar, soy sauce, rice wine and shitake mushrooms. Soon, I was making these egg rolls in huge quantities as they became huge favorites of family, friends and colleagues.
Last Saturday, I made huge quantities again and they are now in the freezer, saved for the upcoming family reunion on my mom-in-law’s side of the family. They are big fans of my egg rolls and introducing them to this new version with amazing flavors will surely be a big success no doubt.
Ingredients:
50 Spring/Egg Roll Wrappers (about 2 packages), defrosted unopened at room temperature for 45 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight
1 tablespoon cornstarch (or flour) mixed with ¼ cup of cool water
Oil, for frying
FOR THE GROUND PORK
1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon sugar
freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE VEGETABLES
2 to 3 cloves garlic, very finely minced
½ head of cabbage (about 11 ounces)
3 carrots, shredded
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
10 fresh shiitake mushrooms (or dried black mushrooms soaked overnight), stems discarded
1 tablespoon cooking oil (canola, vegetable, peanut)
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. To make the filling, combine the ingredients for the ground pork together. Marinate at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, shred the cabbage and the carrots using your food processor or by hand. Slice the mushrooms into very thin strips (or you could use your food processer and pulse a few times to get a fine dice.
To the ground pork meat, add the corn starch, soy sauce, sugar, ground pepper, mix well and marinate for at least 10 minutes.
Shred the cabbage using the food processor or by hand.
Shred the carrots using the food processor or cut them in matchsticks size. Other ingredients are finely minced garlic, grated ginger and thinly sliced shitake mushrooms.
2. Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the pork and stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, push the meat to one side of the pan. Add the garlic, cabbage, carrots, ginger and the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and black pepper. Continue to stir-fry for another minute. Scoop out the filling to a baking sheet and spread out to cool. Prop up one end of the baking sheet so that it tilts and will allow all the moisture to drain to one end. Let cool for 15 minutes.
To the hot oil, add the pork to stir-fry.
Stir-fry the pork until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes
Set aside the meat to one side of the pan and add the garlic, ginger, carrots, cabbage and mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute or until the vegetables are softened.
Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, salt and black pepper.
Continue to stir for another minute and then the filling is done. Check the taste and add some more soy sauce or salt if needed to meet desired taste.
3. Discard all of the accumulated juices. Drain in a strainer.
IMPORTANT: Only use 1 heaping tablespoon of filling for each egg roll. These are slender egg rolls, the width of the egg roll should only be 1.25″ diameter.
Discard all of the accumulated juices. Drain in a strainer.
WRAPPING:
Use 1 heaping tablespoon of filling for each egg roll.
Lift the bottom corner up and begin rolling until you reach halfway up.
Fold over the left side, and then the right side towards the center.
Continue folding up with a tuck-roll tuck-roll motion. Dip your fingers into the cornstarch slurry and brush all over the final top corner. Finish up the roll and seal.
The finished egg roll
Keep the rolled egg rolls in neat, single layer and covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. If you want to stack the egg rolls, make sure you have layer of parchment paper in between the layers to prevent sticking. Keep wrappers also covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to fry or freeze.
4. To fry the egg rolls, fill a wok or pot with 2 inches of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) or until a cube of bread will fry to golden brown within 10 seconds. Gently slide in or lower the egg rolls, frying 4 to 6 at a time, turning occasionally until golden brown about 1½ minutes. Place on wire rack to drain and cool.
Frying the egg rolls in a pan
Egg rolls are done when they turn golden brown
Place on wire rack or paper towels to drain extra oil.
Serve with chili sauce (or I make a sauce from combining soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and freshly ground pepper).
NOTE: To fry frozen egg rolls, do not defrost the egg rolls – just add them to the oil frozen, frying 4 to 6 at a time. Add an additional 1½ minutes to the frying time since they are frozen.
About Malou
Expertly done!
Thanks a lot, Moriah.
Yum
Everyone’s favourite indeed!
Yummers!! Awesome instructions thank you
Wow! Beautiful step by step shots. Everything looks so yummy!
Wow, this looks amazing! What a great idea to make a lot and freeze some to fry later.
You always make a lot with this recipe so it is perfect to freeze some for later.
They are gorgeous! Perfectly rolled, that is the problem I have making them! Thanks for the tip on frying them frozen!
Thanks a lot, Jane. Just a bit more practice and before long, it will be automatic that you wrap them well. The tip is in wrapping them tight.
They look great! And you explain everything very well. I’ve never been game to make anything like this, but I might try now.
I love pork lumpia! Thanks for sharing this recipe – I might make a batch this week and freeze some for later:)
Looks yummy Malou but I think I might end up eating it with rice instead of wrapping it into a spring roll
I do that too, eating the filling with rice especially as the sauce also has this very nice flavor that I don’t like throwing it away.
Yay lumpias! My mother made a veggie version for me where I grew up (in Micronesia); we had many transplants from the Philippines on our island who taught her the recipe.
It’s nice to know that your mom learned the veggie version. It is simple actually with just sauteeing the vegetables.
I love Chinese food in general, egg rolls I eat once in a while but are vegetarian type. I’ll ask my wife to see if she wants to try these with chicken of grounded beef. We don’t eat pork. Your egg rolls look so nice and perfect! Thanks for the recipe Malou!
Wow, Malou, these look so professional! I’m excited to try these myself as they are one of my favorite dishes as well. When you freeze them, are they frozen before frying I assume.. but not sure as I haven’t made them before… xo
Thanks a lot, Smidge. They are frozen before frying. After wrapping them, you can freeze them already.
These look so good & very similar to the ones we fell in love with in Vietnam!
Yum! I will try this version. Sarrrrrrrap!
my hubby and i love eggrolls too
Finally, Lumpia! I’ve been looking around for a great recipe and have a date next month with all my Filipino friends who are supposed to teach me. I would love to come “prepared”. Thanks for the step-by-step photos!
I liked the way you present it, Malou… well explained and mukhang ang sarap.
Thanks a lot, Tita Emma.
They look so good and I am so hungry right now. It’s not easy to get good Asian food in Miami (except Thai, for some reason).
Pinned it!
Now, i have known that it just making easy, and i am very hungry now..
Oh yum!!! I love spring rolls soooooooo much!
Malou, These look great! I haven’t had good lumpia since I was a kid
thanks.
*anna
I love lumpia…..I’ll be right over
That is mouth watering..and yummy….thanks for keeping our tummies happy malou…this should be the foodies paradise….
Yummy….being a vegetarian i will go with veg spring rolls
Reblogged this on MOMWHEARINGLOSS.
wow! these look great and I love that you show in detail how to make them! thank you!
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Delicious!! I’d been trying to find spring roll wrappers for ages now… had been scouting all the tiny shops here in Granada, and FINALLY found them at Carrefour. A bit pricey (as most imports are), so I’ve been considering trying to make the actual wrappers from scratch! Thank you for the recipe, I can’t wait to give it a try. I love spring rolls, too!
These look very good. I’ve been making a vegetarian spring roll that uses a lot of tofu, it’s time to try a meaty version. Thanks for the good instructions on folding too, I always have a bit of a problem there.
This looks so good, all I need is for my cook (Mrs) to start making them. Absolutely LEKKER !
Yumm. They look like they will be worth the time and trouble.
I thought making eggrolls was complicated but this I can handle – Thank you! I just had to Tweet this recipe.
I just nominated you for a Kreativ Blogger Award. See details at:
http://celticawitch.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/an-award-omg/
Thank you so much! So happy you have now taught me to make these favorites, and will be to make them also.
These look so great! I’ve been wanting to make eggrolls for my hubby and I for awhile…
This I could do with.. just now – on the bus on my way home. I eat egg rolls cold – great.
Still I don’t think I will make them myself – knowing lazy me. The look so good and I like the picture of the mince in the wok.
These look so good & perfect for lunch. I’ve always been afraid to try making them because they look so complicated but your instructions are great. Thank you.
That looks so yummy! I want one!
Now I have a lumpia craving. Thanks for the recipe!
These look wonderful Malou! And your photographs, as always, are fabulous.
You are so right.. I love a good egg roll but never make it myself. Well that all has changed since this recipe. Perfect for a friday night at home
Well this is definitely on the menu for my class on thursday. The children are going to love making these and then eating them. Thanks for this recipe and the amazing pics.
Looks great, as always!
Yum! Those look SO good!!
Yummy! Can’t wait to share these with my family!
this looks fantastic and not too difficult – nor are the ingredients weird/hard to find! Yum! Must try this.
I could so use a home cooked meal right now!
I have just looked at a few of the food posts. I really have to stop looking at these. I need to go eat…
Again, only the first 4 photos.
I am on ADSL+, so I should be able to see everything. Each post is the same for me – the first 4 or 5 show, then the rest have that little red X in the top left hand corner.
I love eggrolls too! This recipe is very close to my mother’s. She makes them for me every time that I go home. She refuses to give me the recipe though except for extremely vaguely (oh, she’ll say, just some of this, and that, and oh, you know!).
I am so happy that you included the quantities!
These look delicious! I would try it without the pork and maybe baking? I found a great recipe that you just eggwash and bake. OMG yum!!
Very very tantalizing! Your family is so blessed to have your cooking skills!
Happy Cookin’ Days to you!
This looks so good I’m tempted to pack up three kids under 5 and head to the store for wrappers and cabbage!
This is great! I’ve made egg rolls before, but only with moderate sucess! I will try them out for myself! Great pictures!
Delicious!! It takes so much work… I recall my mother would stir fry small shrimp and add to the filling…
I love spring rolls too and I’m going to try your recipe. Anyway to make the wrappers too? Or would that be too much work?
I love spring rolls and will have to give these a try!
These spring rolls look delicious!! Must try this recipe one day.
Yum!!! I’ve “liked” it so I can go back and find the recipe. Hope your family enjoyed them at the reunion!
These look awesome, I’m sure everyone will love them.
They look wonderful and not hard at all to make!!!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe! I will try them ASAP as they look so yummy! Have a great day and again, thanks for sharing!
I absolutely love lumpia and it reminds me of an international May Festival my family would take me to when I was a little girl in our town. There were stands with difft foods (my mother was working at the German booth) and I would follow the delicious smell to the lumpias and get my fill. This post has me craving them again!
I’ve never tried making egg rolls before, but I’m going to try this recipe. They look great!
These look delicious and your photographic steps make it look doable. i will have to give it a try.
I love egg rolls/spring rolls. These sound awesome! I’ve never attempted to make them from scratch but they seem easy enough…I’m a little worried about the rolling part, but I may have to try these!
Siramon maray
Mmmm looks delicious. Many thanks for also following my blog http://www.fishinkblog.wordpress.com Welcome aboard lol
Hi Malou! The lumpias look yummy.. btw, thanks for stopping by on my blog and giving a thumb up to a posting sometime ago..
Beautifully photographed!
I loved Filipino food, and Lumpia were an easy fave. Thanks for the recipe, I’m trying to introduce my family to various Asian dishes, and will have to try this one…and, in a side note, thanks also for staying a loyal follower of my blog. Your support is appreciated!