Fabulous Filipino "Lumpia" Egg Roll Bundles
Fabulous Filipino "Lumpia" Egg Roll Bundles
Lumpia is a beloved staple in Filipino culture, and it’s almost always on the menu for holidays, parties, and family gatherings. The fun begins early as family and friends gather beforehand to prepare the lumpia together, turning the process into a shared experience that deepens connections and keeps the tradition alive.
Growing up in Manila, Evelyn from our team spent weekends with her grandmother, who would prepare lumpia for the whole family. Evelyn recalls how her grandma had a special touch with the seasoning, and she was always eager to help roll the wrappers. Those moments in the kitchen became a meaningful tradition, and even now, the aroma of sizzling lumpia transports her to those times.
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- chop :
to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.
- fry :
to fry in a pan in a small amount of fat.
- grate :
to reduce food, like a carrot, to very small shreds or pieces of the same size by rubbing it on a tool with an outside surface that has holes with cutting edges (a grater).
- roll :
to use a rolling pin to flatten dough; use your hands to form a roll or ball shape; or move a round food, like a grape or a meatball, through another food, like sugar or breadcrumbs, to coat it.
- sauté :
to cook or brown food in a pan containing a small quantity of butter, oil, or other fat.
Equipment Checklist
- Cutting board
- Kid-safe knife
- Medium sauté pan
- Skillet
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
Fabulous Filipino "Lumpia" Egg Roll Bundles
- 2 green onions
- 2 C button mushrooms
- 2 C bagged shredded green cabbage
- 1 C vegetable oil, divided **
- 1 tsp grated ginger root
- 2 carrots
- 1 tsp soy sauce **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY sub liquid aminos; for GLUTEN/SOY ALLERGY sub coconut aminos)**
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- water for rolling the lumpia
- 12 or more egg roll wrappers **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY sub rice paper wrappers)**
Food Allergen Substitutions
Fabulous Filipino "Lumpia" Egg Roll Bundles
- Gluten/Wheat: Substitute rice paper wrappers for egg roll wrappers. Substitute liquid aminos or coconut aminos for soy sauce.
- Soy: Substitute canola oil or other nut-free high-smoking point oil for vegetable oil. Substitute coconut aminos for soy sauce.
Instructions
Fabulous Filipino "Lumpia" Egg Roll Bundles
intro
Lumpia is a Filipino version of the egg roll. Traditionally, these crunchy snacks are filled with pork or shrimp and lots of yummy seasoning and vegetables. These lumpia will be stuffed with a savory mixture of mushroom and cabbage. Let’s get rolling!
chop + grate
Roughly chop 2 green onions and 2 cups mushrooms and measure 2 cups shredded cabbage. Place them into a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Stir the vegetables around the pan for 2 minutes. Measure and add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the pan. Grate 1 teaspoon ginger and 2 carrots and add the grated ingredients to the skillet. Next, add 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 pinch of salt, and 1 pinch of black pepper to the skillet. Stir and sizzle for 5 minutes. Try counting in Filipino (or Tagalog) while you wait: 1 isa (ee-SAH), 2 dalawa (dah-lah-WAH), 3 tatlo (taht-LOH), 4 apat (AH-pat), 5 lima (lee-MAH).
sauté + fill
When the vegetables are finished sautéing, place **1 egg roll wrapper on your cutting board. Then, place 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of the egg roll wrapper. Using a clean finger, you can trace the outer edge of the wrapper with water. After that, it’s time to roll. First, fold one corner of the wrapper over the filling, then roll it over once. Now, take the sides of the wrapper and fold them over the partially-rolled lumpia. Finish rolling until the lumpia is sealed. You might need a little extra water along the way to seal the wrappers. This process is almost like rolling a burrito.
frying safety
Have a lid nearby, and make sure kids are a safe distance away from the fryer. Smoke and splatter are hazardous and need to be treated with care. As soon as you finish using the fryer oil, turn off the skillet so that it cools as quickly as possible. Finally, do not pour hot oil down a sink drain. Dispose of hot oil by letting it cool and pouring it into a disposable heat-safe container. Then, you can place the disposable container in the trash.
roll + fry
Once you start rolling, the first few shapes will be slightly unique, and that's okay! Do your best. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Once you finish rolling, add one layer of lumpia to the pan. Fry for 8 minutes, 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown all over.
dunk + crunch
Dunk these tasty Filipino snacks in Sweet and Sour Soy Dipping Sauce and enjoy! Tagay (TAH-gay) or Cheers in Filipino (or Tagalog)!
Hi! I'm Cabbage!
"I come in a few different colors and shapes, but I'm usually green or red (which is really purple-red) with tightly packed leaves forming a round head. You may be most familiar with me shredded in coleslaw and cooked for a St. Patrick's Day dinner with corned beef."
- Cabbage was likely domesticated before 1000 BCE in Europe, and the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used it in their cuisines. Cabbage was introduced to Asia and the Americas sometime between the 1500s and the 1700s and was considered a staple food in Europe by the 18th century.
- China produces the most cabbage worldwide, but Russia consumes the most per person.
- The word "cabbage" is late Middle English from the Old French (Picard dialect) "caboche" ("head"), a variant of Old French "caboce."
- Cabbage has many relatives (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, collard greens). All of these vegetables are part of a family called "Brassica."
- The cabbage head grows in the center of a cabbage plant. Initially, the plant produces large, broad leaves, but eventually, the inner leaves begin to curl around a short, thick stem at the center. These inner leaves form the head of cabbage we see in markets.
- Green cabbage is the most common type. It has thick green leaves that are packed close together in the head. One head can weigh from one pound to nine pounds! You can cook it as a standalone veggie, add raw cabbage to coleslaw, use it to make cabbage rolls, or add it to soups and stews.
- There are a few varieties of green cabbage, including the pointed cabbage, which is shaped like a cone! Savoy cabbage is a smaller, milder variety with tender, wrinkly leaves that you can use to make cabbage rolls or add to salads and stir-fries.
- Red cabbage is popular in coleslaw and salads because of its color and crunchy texture. You can also pickle red cabbage to serve as a condiment to top burgers or tacos, or serve it as a side, especially with German dishes.
- White cabbage comes from the Netherlands and is also called Dutch cabbage. It is a type of green cabbage with very pale green to white leaves, although there is also a red variety. The Dutch variety is good for making sauerkraut, although you can also use it in the same way as green and red cabbage.
- Napa cabbage, also called Chinese cabbage, is oblong with light green and yellow leaves and has a long, thick, and crunchy stem. It has a mild flavor and is popular in Asian cuisine in soups, spring rolls, stir-fries, and as wraps for pork and seafood.
- Cabbage is high in fiber and vitamins C and K. Vitamin K is good for the blood. A cup of raw cabbage has more vitamin C than an orange!
- Different varieties of cabbages have varying nutritional strengths. For example, red cabbage has more vitamins C and B6 and antioxidants called anthocyanins that help keep your heart healthy, while the green savoy has more vitamins A and B9 (folate).
- Cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables are rich sources of phytochemicals, naturally-occurring plant chemicals that may protect people against some forms of cancer.
What are Lumpia?
- Filipino lumpia are a version of egg rolls generally consisting of a vegetable or meat filling with a wrapper made of flour, water, and salt. They are usually deep-fried in oil, although there are variations of fresh lumpia that are not fried.
- Lumpia originated in China and were introduced to the Philippines sometime during its pre-colonial period, between 900 and 1565 CE, and are considered part of Filipino cuisine.
- A traditional lumpia filling includes ground pork or beef, cabbage, carrots, garlic, and onions. A sweet and sour dipping sauce often accompanies lumpia.
Let's Learn About the Philippines!
- The official name of the country is "The Republic of The Philippines." A person from the Philippines is a "Filipino."
- The Philippines is an archipelago or a collection of islands. In this case, the collection is vast, spanning over 7,000 islands total!
- The history of language in the Philippines is rich and a little complicated! The official languages of the nation are Filipino and English. Filipino comes from Tagalog and is the standardized version. Filipinos speak the language primarily in Manila, the capital, and neighboring provinces. People who speak both languages can understand each other.
- During Spanish rule, the official language of the Philippines was Spanish. There are about 182 languages and dialects throughout the islands of the Philippines.
- Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Philippines in the 1500s and claimed the archipelago for Spain. As a result, the Philippines were under Spanish rule for 300 years until 1898. At the end of the short-lived Spanish-American War, at the Treaty of Paris, Spain handed over the Philippines to the United States. The US had control until 1946, when the Philippines officially regained its independence.
- Rice is a staple, and Filipinos eat it in some form at every meal. "Kamayan" is a family or community buffet of Filipino food. Hosts lay banana leaves on a table and then serve seafood, grilled meats, vegetables, and rice on top. In Tagalog, "kamay" means "hand," so a kamayan feast indicates how you eat the food. First, you put a mound of rice into the palm of your hand, then add lechon (roasted pig), seafood, or other meat, and stir-fried veggies, and bring it all to your mouth to eat. Guests stand side-by-side to eat together at the long table.
- Although a version of the yo-yo has been around since Ancient Greece, a Filipino immigrant who came to the US in 1915 popularized it and started the first yo-yo company. He strung his yo-yos differently, using a loop around the axle rather than a knot, allowing tricks like "sleeping," etc.
- The world's longest snake comes from the Philippines. It's called the Reticulated Python, and it can grow to almost 29 feet in length! Yikes!
- In the Tojoman Lagoon, there are millions of "stingless" jellyfish! The lagoon is located in Sohoton Cove on Bucas Grande Island in the province of Surigao del Norte. The jellyfish aren't technically stingless, but their sting often doesn't penetrate skin or cause a reaction.
- Filipino/Tagalog for "Hello": "Kamusta" (pronounced KAH-moohs-tah).
- Filipino/Tagalog for "Thank you": "Salamat" (pronounced SAH-lah-maht).
What's It Like to Be a Kid in The Philippines?
- Kids play basketball, which is the country's most popular sport. They also play soccer and badminton. Kids may participate in the national martial art called Arnis or Eskrima, which uses blunt, wooden sticks.
- The school year is from June to April, and school hours are usually from 7:30 am to 4 or 5 pm. In some areas, schools may not have cafeterias, so students go home for lunch or eat outside in the schoolyard under the shade of trees. Their lunch may consist of dried fish and rice wrapped in banana leaves.
- One of the sweets Filipino kids eat is "leche flan." It is similar to crème caramel, but sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are used instead of cream. "Tsokolate" (Cho-co-lah-TAY) is a drink that is popular with kids. The word means "chocolate," and the drink is thick hot cocoa made from tablets of ground roasted cacao beans, dissolved in water and milk. It is common to drink "tsokolate" with breakfast and at Christmastime.
Lettuce Joke Around
Why didn’t the cabbage win the race?
He wasn’t ahead of lettuce!
The Yolk's On You
Did you hear the joke about the fungus?
I could tell it to you, but it might need time to grow on you.
That's Berry Funny
Why did the Fungi leave the party?
There wasn't mushroom to dance!
That's Berry Funny
How does a farmer mend his pants?
With Cabbage patches!
The Yolk's On You
Why did the Mushroom get invited to all the parties?
Because he's a fungi! (fun guy)
Lettuce Joke Around
Any leftover cabbage can and will be shredded and mixed with mayonnaise.
That's Cole's Law!
That's Berry Funny
What do you call a cabbage with a body?
Head and shoulders above the rest.
THYME for a Laugh
What do you call a German cabbage that's getting clean?
Shower-kraut!
