A vegetarian version of a classic Filipino recipe
Prep Time: 35 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins | Yield: 25 spring rolls
Hello, everybody! I am back at it, cooking up more recipes - both Filipino inspired and otherwise. I took off the first three months of the year to plan for and celebrate some important life events: getting married, celebrating a milestone birthday, and some traveling. Now that I have had time to recuperate and reflect on these important milestones, Kat is back in the kitchen!
We recently celebrated Easter which meant I spent the last couple of months sans meat, as I generally give up meat during Lent season. At a wedding I attended recently, an old friend told me she could use a good vegetarian lumpia recipe. Here's my version of the fried food party favorite. I make a huge batch of the filling and any leftovers could easily be used as filling for dumplings, as vegetables with stir fry, or even in fried rice - the possibilities are endless. But if you happen to have more wrappers, you can always make more than you need and freeze the rest for future consumption. Just make sure you defrost completely before frying! Enjoy!
Notes: To make life easier, you can also the bigger side of a box shredder to shred the carrots and cabbage. This will also ensure uniform sizes.
It takes a lot of time and tries to perfect the lumpia roll. I have been making them for years and as you can see from the pictures below, still have not mastered the 'Filipino Tita' way of super tightly rolled sticks. Needless to say, as long as the wrappers are folded in a way the filling won't spill, you're doing fine.
Traditionally, veggie lumpia has bean sprouts, which could be swapped for the onions. I didn't happen to have bean sprouts handy so I worked with what I had!
Ingredients
• Half a small cabbage
• 1/4 lb green beans, diagonally cut into about 1/2-inch long slivers
• 4 small carrots, julienned to match the size of green beans
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• Half a large onion, cut into thin slices
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (alternatively, use salt - start with 1/4 teaspoon and increase to taste)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon water
• 25 spring roll wrappers
• Vegetable oil for cooking
Instructions
1. Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Sauté onion and garlic first, until fragrant and soft. (If not using onions, just sauté garlic).
3. Add in the cabbage, green beans, and carrots (and bean sprouts, if using). Stir fry for about 3 minutes.
4. Add in water, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Combine well.
5. Cover and let cook until all vegetables are softened, about 7-10 minutes.
6. Let cool until you can handle the mixture by hand. (Or, chill overnight).
7. Place spring roll wrappers tilted into a diamond shape. Place about a teaspoon and a half of vegetable filling about 2/3 of the way down. Fold the bottom cover over the filling, roll until halfway point. Fold in the two sides, and continue rolling until you reach about an inch from the top point. Moisten the top point and roll to seal.
8. Heat about 1/2 an inch deep of vegetable oil in a deep pan or pot for frying.
9. Once the oil is heated (tip: I use a chopstick in the oil to test readiness. If bubbles form around chopstick, the oil is ready), place the rolls seal side down. Turn the rolls on each side to cook thoroughly. Cook until golden brown.
10. Serve with your favorite sauce and rice. Enjoy!