Lumpia Recipe for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

One of my favorite foods to make during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is lumpia. Lumpia is a type of spring roll from the Philippines and Indonesia. It can be either sweet or savory and is always delicious. Always.

I like to make savory pork lumpia and sweet banana dessert lumpia. I serve with a side of pancit and sweet chili or soy sauce for dipping. This recipe is simple, and it’s a great way to get the kids involved in the kitchen.

Pork Lumpia Ingredients

1 lb ground pork
1 package lumpia wrappers
1/2 cup medium onion, minced
2 T garlic, minced
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 bag carrot and cabbage mix, chopped fine
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 T butter or oil
1 T cornstarch
Oil for frying
Sweet chili or soy sauce for dipping

Pork Lumpia Instructions

1. Heat butter or oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, cabbage, and ginger. Cook until the onion is slightly translucent, about 4 minutes.
2. Add soy sauce and pork. Cook until meat is done. Drain off excess fat in a colander. Return mixture to pan and stir in salt, pepper, and garlic. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Use a potato masher to chop the mixture so the meat is really crumbly. You can skip this step if you prefer chunkier pieces of meat.
4. Lay out a lumpia wrapper. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture about 1 inch from the bottom and edges of the wrapper. (This is simple enough for a young child to do.)
5. Mix cornstarch with 1.5 tablespoons of water until it becomes a paste. You don’t want the paste to be too thick. Add more water if necessary.
6. Fold the bottom of the wrapper over the meat filling. Then tuck in both ends over the filling, like an envelope. Tightly roll the wrapper to the top. Seal with cornstarch mixture. (Another easy task for the kids to help with. We have an assembly line. My teenager rolls the wrappers, and my younger child seals them.)
7. Transfer rolled lumpia onto a plate and cover with plastic wrap until ready to fry.
8. Carefully place lumpia into the hot oil. Oil should be at least 1 inch deep. Fry each side for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel.
9. Serve hot with sweet chili or soy sauce for dipping.

Soy Sauce for Dipping

I like to jazz up the soy sauce for my lumpia. I pour 1 cup soy sauce and 1/2 cup water into a pot and bring it to a boil. Then I add 1/2 tablespoon of pepper flakes. You can dilute the soy sauce more or less to your liking.

Banana Lumpia Ingredients

Lumpia wrappers (extras from making the pork lumpia)
2 medium ripe bananas
Brown sugar
Honey
Cornstarch mixture

Banana Lumpia Instructions

1. Cut bananas in half then lengthwise into four pieces. Cut wrappers in half.
2. Lay out one half a lumpia wrapper. Place one piece of banana about 1 inch from the bottom and edges of the wrapper. Squeeze honey onto the banana. Then spoon brown sugar on top of the honey. Use as much or as little as you prefer.
3. Fold the bottom of the wrapper over the banana filling. Then tuck in both ends over the filling, like an envelope. Tightly roll the wrapper to the top. Seal with cornstarch mixture.
4. Transfer rolled lumpia onto a plate and cover with plastic wrap until ready to fry.
5. Carefully place lumpia into the hot oil. Oil should be at least 1 inch deep. Fry each side 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel.
6. Serve while hot.

Enjoy!

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