Lumpia, all by myself!

I am so proud of this most recent accomplishment! Can you tell by the title?

This fried goodness is a staple at Filipino parties. I had this once for a birthday party and people inhaled it, and then got sick from too much of the fried deliciousness. (Well, and the fact that it was paired with copious amounts of alcohol.) Anyways, I have been meaning to create this dish all by myself and so I think the perfect opportunity presented itself for the Super Bowl.

Confession: You could also look at the situation in the way I originally saw it, which was, "I'm screwed. Mom is home in the motherland and I can't bother the Grandma to make it, so I have to make it myself. Bleh!"

Ok, so I only thought that for a second, but the outcome was glorious! Check it...

Ingredients:

• 2lbs ground pork (from the Asian market)
• 1 pack of wrappers, cut in half (Menlo brand, see below)
• 3 large eggs
  
• 2 carrots, peeled, then grated
  
• 2 medium onions, peeled and grated
• 3 green onion stems, diced
• 1tsp salt
• 1tbsp sugar

Lumpia Wrapper - usually has 30 wrappers, ideal for 2lbs of pork to yield 60 lumpia pieces















You don't need to grate the carrots and onions all the way, just as long as you get most of it. I grated them over the ground pork, then added the diced green onions and the eggs.















Mix all the ingredients together. I put gloves on for mixing, it can get pretty mushy. Then I put it in the fridge to harden, sorta. This effect makes it easier for rolling the lumpia because it's not so soggy. While this is in the fridge, you should utilize this time to peel the wrappers apart from each other, after you've cut them in half. I used a kitchen scissor for accuracy. =)

After refrigeration, it's time to wrap. I use a tagnan, or chopping board if you're not Kapampangan, to place my wrapper on top of so as not to get the table dirty. Also have a mini bowl of water and teaspoon handy for measuring the amount of lumpia mix to put on the wrapper and the water for sealing it when you're done.

Take about a teaspoonful of the lumpia mix and place on the lower half of the wrapper.















Make sure you have a little bit of room at the bottom for folding over so you can tighten the roll and push the mix towards the bottom.















It took a while to get the hang of this rolling business, but I perfected my lumpia size to a little bit bigger than the diameter as my index finger. This is normally the size people go for. It should looked like a taquito or rolled taco. Make sure the mix gets to the edges as well, if not, you may need to add more.















When you're almost done rolling, use the water like you're sealing an envelope, and add a bit to the top. The water will keep them sealed and then place seal down on a platter. Line them up like little soldiers on a platter and stick in the freezer. This is important if you're making mass amounts like my mom. They're easier to package when they're all frozen and hard because they're easier to stack.















Look at how tightly packaged these babies are! LOL!

After being frozen overnight, I pulled them out for the Super Bowl festivities! Let them sit out for a bit and pull them apart. Put enough oil in a pan to submerge the lumpias halfway. You don't want to completely submerge them when frying because in my experience, the lumpia gets over saturated with oil and the wrapper splits open. I personally used vegetable oil, but other oils used for frying will do.















I like to place them neatly organized in the pan so they fry evenly. They take approximately 5-7 mins to brown per side on medium heat. Check on them every once in a while to prevent burning.















I cut them in half to make it easier to plate on the platter for the party.















Viola! Fried pork deliciousness!

Eat them by themselves, or dip them in banana ketchup like Jufran or a sweet & sour chili sauce. Normally, I eat them with a side of white rice and banana ketchup. Mangan na! (Kapampangan for, Let's eat now!)