Lumpia

You can fill lumpia with anything you want. I’ve made different varieties filled with ground turkey and vegetables, ground pork and vegetables, cheese, pastele, and bananas.

This recipe below is for a ground turkey and vegetables filling.

I have been craving this savory type of filipino lumpia for a while now.  There are filipino restaurants that serve this in Honolulu, where I reside, but the places I've been to have it sitting around and are soggy.

The sauce also doesn't come with as much garlic as I'd like or any garlic at all.  I am a garlic lover, so I put a lot in my version.  Also, my doctor recommended that I eat garlic raw or lightly cooked as it helps regulate blood pressure.  That's a win-win for me. The saying goes "If you want it done right, do it yourself."  So this way I do it is right for me. Do what's right for you.

My mom used to make these in large batches as appetizers for family gatherings.  I was her prep cook.  She would prepare a sample of how she wanted the vegetables cut, while I observed.  Then I'd follow and prepare the rest the same way as she moved on to cook another dish.  The carrots were cut into julienne strips and the cabbage was sliced into strips.

My mom taught us how to wrap the lumpia and keep it tight.  If you wrap it loosely, it will likely fall apart when cooking.  I have tried several brands of lumpia wrapper in round and square shapes.  My favorite is the Menlo brand because it is the easiest to peel apart.  It comes with pictures and instructions on how to wrap on the back of the package.  You can also watch my Instagram and YouTube videos to see how I wrap it.  The links are below.

My recipe makes about 100 lumpia.  I have never made a smaller batch but you can divide it if you want to make less.

Ingredients:

• 1 package ground turkey (16 oz)
• Sprinkle of salt to taste
• Sprinkle of pepper to taste
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 package bean sprouts (9 oz)
• 2 large carrots (cut into julienne strips)
• 1 medium cabbage (sliced into strips)
• 3 packages lumpia wrappers (peeled apart)
• Water for sealing lumpia
• Oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Prepare ingredients as indicated above. (Rinse all, julienne carrots, slice cabbage, peel wrappers)
2. Brown ground turkey.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Remove meat from pan.
5. Stir fry vegetables.
6. Add soy sauce and mix well.
7. Add cooked ground turkey to cooked vegetables and mix well.
8. Put entire mixture in colander and put a bowl or pot underneath to catch excess liquid.
9. Let it cool completely.   If it's still warm, the wrapper will break.  I got impatient and made this mistake.
10. Wrap lumpia.
11. Fry in oil until crispy and golden brown, about 6 minutes.
12. Serve with sauce.

Ingredients for Sauce:

• 5 cloves garlic, chopped (DO NOT use preserved garlic.  This needs to be fresh)
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• Sprinkle of ground pepper

Instructions for Sauce:

1. Peel and chop garlic and place in serving bowl.
2. Add vinegar. 
3. Add ground pepper and stir.
4. Serve.

Ground Turkey & Veggies Lumpia

IG: @abundanceofvegetables

IG post of this video: Lumpia (sped up to fit IG time limit)
YouTube post of this video: Lumpia (regular speed with captions)

Ground Pork & Veggie Lumpia

YouTube short: https://youtube.com/shorts/oNh1eguMme0?feature=share

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/58xFao20jTY