Fried Pork Spring Rolls (Lumpiang Shanghai)
Good fried pork spring rolls should be crisp but not greasy. The amount of filling should be generous but not over-the-top to ensure it gets cooked through.
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.
- 500 grams ground pork with a good amount of fat
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 medium carrot chopped or grated
- salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 egg beaten (for sealing the spring rolls)
- 20 spring roll wrappers separated
- cooking oil for deep frying
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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.
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If the filling tastes right, make the spring rolls. For a step-by-step guide on making spring rolls, click here.
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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.
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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.
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Cut the fried spring rolls in halves or thirds. Serve at once with sweet-sour sauce or sweet-chili sauce.
