An updated version of a recipe originally published in July 26, 2003.
When Speedy was first learning how to make pork spring rolls, he’d simply put some filling across the middle of the wrapper then roll. Then, he’d fry the rolls. And we’d complain that his spring rolls were too oily — with both ends of the wrappers open, the filling got soaked in oil during frying.
Well, that was a long time ago. Speedy cooked pork spring rolls, lumpiang shanghai to Filipinos, for lunch today and, my oh my, were they gorgeous. Non-greasy, crisp outside, juicy inside and very tasty.
The filling is a mixture of ground pork, chopped onion, garlic and carrots, seasoned with salt and pepper — a mixture different from what I use but which is just as delicious so that just proves that you can prepare the filling in many ways and still come up with delicious spring rolls.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients, except the wrappers, to make the filling. To determine if the seasoning is just right, take a small amount of the filling, form into a small patty or ball and fry. Taste and make the necessary adjustments, if needed.
- If the filling tastes right, make the spring rolls. For a step-by-step guide on making spring rolls, click here.
- Heat two to three cups of cooking oil in a wok or frying pan until it emits fine wisps of smoke. The exact amount depends on the size of your pan but, as a guide, the oil should be at least two inches deep.
- Fry the spring rolls, a few at a time to avoid overcrowding and temperature drop, rolling them in the hot oil until golden brown. Scoop out and drain. Placing them vertically on a strainer is a good trick to force excess oil to drip out.
- Cut the fried spring rolls in halves or thirds. Serve at once with sweet-sour sauce or sweet-chili sauce.
If you cooked this dish (or made this drink) and you want to share your masterpiece, please use your own photos and write the cooking steps in your own words.
Hello and welcome! I'm a retired lawyer and columnist, wife for 28 years, mom of two, and a passionate cook. What is this blog about? Recipes for dishes 
Grilled ox tongue with sesame seeds
Your lumpiang shanghai just look yummilicious. I have to learn how to wrap it. Again, my thanks.
How hot should the fire be when frying lumpiang shanghai? If the lumpia wrapper turns golden brown and crispy already, does that mean that the meat inside is already cooked? I’m always afraid that meat is not cooked thoroughly, like in the case of fried chicken legs.
Dear folks,
I visit Pinoycook regularly and read that quite a few asked how to get the shanghai crispy, so here it is.
Do not put the fried shanghai on a plate with paper towel (bec. the lumpia will absorb the oil), instead, put the lumpis on a cooling rack and let the oil drain (this is how Chinese do it). Also, do not cover the fried lumpia; otherwise it’ll limp. Hope this helps.
Hi,
I was just cooking lumpia today but I had always used tomato ketchup for the sauce. And since naubos na tapos walang mabilhan dito, I decided to surf for the sweet and sour recipe. Thus here I am! Thanks for the recipe!
BTW, re wrapping the lumpia, make sure the roll is tight. The reason why it becomes soggy is that a lot of oil goes to the space inside. Try it.
Have been searching, but can’t seem to find it: have you even posted the lumpia WRAPPER recipe you mentioned two years ago (“I’ll repost the lumpia wrapper recipe within the day.”)? If not, could you please post it soon?
Thanks!
Thanks for the reminder, Rob. Been dying to make lumpiang ubod, as it turns out. :)
Ms. Connie, pansin ko lang po.. sa procedure mo sa paggawa ng sweet & sour sauce, mejo ibang recipe ata yung nailagay mo…
Ahhh kasi sweet and sour sauce yun para sa sweet and sour pork. Will correct that.
Hello again! you are my kitchen savior!!!! my mother is not online all the time because of the time difference between philippines and kuwait(5 hours), and whenever i don’t know what to cook, and my mom is not online, i always turn to your website! and the results are always POSITIVE! take care! keep posting more delicious and easy to understand recipes!
hello.
just wanna share my version of lumpiang shanghai. I put kinchay in it para me certain oriental flavor sya. i add finely chopped singkamas, it adds a natural sweetness and crunch.
i always love to COOK………….
Hi Ms. Connie! Thank you for your recipes…My dad is celebrating his birthday on Sunday and we’ll have around 100 guests!! I am the one in charge of doing lumpiang shanghai…I was asked to do 6kilos and when my dad tasted it…wow he liked it a lot!! Thanks to you…though I have a huge problem now and I badly need your advice. After I finished mixing everything I asked our helper to put the meat in the freezer so we can wrap it later as I still need some shopping to do but unfortunately instead of putting it in the freezer nilagay niya lang sa ref sa baba! When I came back 4 hours later naku!! medyo umasim ng konti nilagyan ko kasi ng eggs just like how my mom used to do it, sabi nila wala naman sila malasahan pero maselan kasi panlasa ko kaya alam ko na nag-iba na yung lasa although konti lang talaga yung asim masarap pa rin siya. Sira na kaya yun? Pinalagay ko muna ngyon sa freezer kasi sumakit ulo ko sa nangyari. Nanghina ako talaga 6kilos masasayang lang?!! What can I do? Sabi ng tita ko try to add a little sugar but I don’t know itatapon ko na lang ba?..please help!!! thanks so much and God bless!! hope you can answer me asap, thank you very much!!
Four hours in the fridge shouldn’t turn beat bad. BUT if in doubt, I advise that you get rid of it. You’re feeding a lot of people and spoiled meat can cause food poisoning. 100 guests… that’s a lot of hospitals bills to pay for.
Thanks for answering back…been really waiting for your reply. This also happened to my cousin before but in her case overnight niya daw naiwan sa fridge kaya sa amoy pa lang sobrang asim na talaga. But 4 hours lang naiwan yung sa akin kaya nagtaka din ako :-( Yung mga kumain last night ok pa naman sila ngayon…nakakalungkot lang na masasayang lahat and I have to do it all again. Thanks so much Connie you’re such a great help. May God continue to bless you and your family!!
Re your cousin: if the meat was not very fresh to start with, well, the shelf life — even in the fridge — is shorter.
I tried this actually last thursday, i just forgot to post a comment immediately but i must say it really rocks, hehe. Although it’s kind of impossible to find lean pork here in uae, still yummy pa rin kinalabasan. may distict flavor yung ginger eh, which my cousins who ate it couldn’t point out why it tasted different (or likely better) from the usual lumpiang shanghai.
thanks so much!!
hi ms connie!i’m a big fan of your blog!i’ve tried some of your recipes and it was a hit with my kids and husband!!!love you….
i’m having a hard time looking for light soy sauce…can you please tell me where do you get yours?the name of the store or grocery where you buy would be a big help…thanks!
Hi, Ms. Connie,
I have tried this recipe and masarap sya. I just have one problem though, hindi ko mapalutong ung wrapper, soggy ang outcome ng shanghai rolls ko. Saan kaya ako nagkamali? matubig kaya ung aking filling dahil sa water that i added to my dark soy sauce (naubusan kasi ako ng light soy sauce at that time).
Hope you can shed some light to my predicament coz i am planning to make this recipe again.
thank you so much!
Hi Ms: Connie,
The lumpia filling is really delicious. Do you have a recipe for the Filipino sweet and sour sauce, specifically for lumpia. I found your sweet and sour sauce but it’s got strawberry jam in it, so I’m not sure.
Thank you for sharing this recipe and more power to you and your site.
I don’t know what you mean by “Filipino sweet and sour sauce.”
ask ko lng kung ano pedeng remedy sa timpla sa lumapiang shanghai na mejo maalat…
please help…
Gawa ka ng bagong batch.
Hi, Ms Connie, I’ve been following you since I’ve been here in Dubai. Pork is not allowed here, so is ground beef, okay? Thanks.
Try chicken or turkey mince rather than beef.
Hi, Ms Connie. I’ve boiled the ground beef in water this morning before mixing them with the veggies. Is it okay? Thank u.
Boiling the meat will make wrapping a headache and the lumpia soggy.
spring rolls!!! i love spring rolls! there’s a Chinese restaurant here in Atlanta called Orient Pearl and my wife and I always order spring rolls!
Hi Ms. Connie!
I’ve done both recipes (yours and your husband’s version) and they were both a hit! I even kind of combined your recipes one time (when i didnt have all the ingredients for your recipe) and it still turned out delish! also, it helps that ginger paste and light soy sayce can be found easily here in japan.
i have a problem and i hope you can help. my husband wants to bring some lumpia to work to give to his coworkers. i know lumpia is best eaten after it’s just been cooked. any suggestions how to prepare one for a Bento?
Thanks!
Naku, the wrapper will get soggy. Perhaps, minimal filling (less moisture), then cool before packing?
why does the lumpia shanghai from Chinese restaurants taste different that the ones we make at home?
Why does lumpiang shanghai from Restaurant A taste different from the lumpiang shanghai in Restaurants B, C, D, E… X, Y, Z? :)
Hi Ma’am. I recently tried Speedy’s version of the lumpiang shanghai and my family loved it so much! The rolls were indeed very tasty. Thank you very much!
Speedy will be so happy to know that. :)