How To Make The Best Tasting Lumpiang Shanghai

The lumpiang shanghai is one of, if not, the most popular lumpia recipe. This is probably because Filipinos love pork, and these crispy fried rolls stuffed with a savory ground pork filling are irresistible. Plus, these little rolls are super easy to eat since these are also common party finger food.

Recipes for the lumpiang shanghai can vary but what is common among all the recipes is what the filling is. The main ingredient is ground pork that may or may not be mixed with finely chopped shrimp. This is actually commonly done. Other ingredients include grated carrots which are a must. It not only adds color but sweetness to the meaty mix. Then, it’s either finely shredded cabbage, a classic Chinese addition, or grated singkamas or jicama and finely chopped onions. These are tossed in the meaty mix to give it more texture as well as flavor. 

The seasonings are basic: salt, pepper, and sometimes, someone adds a spoonful or two of liquid seasonings to make it even more delicious. This can be oyster sauce or soy sauce or a combination of both. Finally, there is the egg. This binds the ground meat and veggies together, so the meaty mixture will not only stay juicy when fried but also makes it easy to form and make into the rolls. Then, it’s just a matter of cutting these into serving pieces and frying them. Frying these rolls can be a little tricky since these need to be cooked so it’s crispy on the outside and still tender and juicy on the inside. You can do this easily if you cook over medium heat, instead of high heat.

Photo by Bianca Laxamana

These are the basics that many know. However, those who follow recipes and are new to cooking may be at a disadvantage because they may trust too blindly. 

How do you make delicious lumpiang Shanghai? 

Simple. You need to taste it. 

It’s important to know that taste is relative, and what recipes don’t always tell you is to taste your food, adjust the seasoning, and then taste it again. When it comes to seasoning, everyone has an opinion. This is why the only way to know that the filling tastes good or even right is to taste it. The only way to do this is to cook a tiny piece of the filling and eat it. This needs to be done even before you roll the filling in the lumpia wrapper. After all, it will be harder to unroll all those lumpia and waste the lumpia wrappers. 

If you taste a cooked piece and it tastes perfect, you’re ready to roll them up. If not, you need to adjust your seasoning and cook a tiny piece again before you are satisfied with the taste of the filling. You may need to cook, taste, and adjust your seasoning a number of times, so it might be best to write down your adjustments to any recipe you try. Until you have memorized a recipe that you can recreate perfectly every time without writing it down, there’s the danger that you can under season or overseason your filling. Fixing these cooking mistakes can prove frustrating.  

However, once you have your filling, you should be ready to roll them up. Here are lumpiang shanghai recipes to try:

Photo by Lilen Uy

1 Classic Lumpiang Shanghai Recipe 

When it comes to classic lumpiang shanghai, this recipe is the one to turn to. Ground pork and ground shrimp are stuffed into these rolls but to add a lightness to these rolls. These also include some carrots, celery, carrots, kinchay, and singkamas, too, for a flavorful and crunchy bite. You can even add some heat to the meat mix or add cheese to give even more umami. 

Photo by Bianca Laxamana

2 Easy Lumpiang Shanghai Recipe

Did you know you can ditch all that chopping and mincing with the push of a button? You can! Making lumpiang shanghai can be a tedious recipe with all the ingredients that are in it but you can avoid doing all that work by using either a food processor or a grater. 

Photo by Aldwin Aspillera

3 Beef Lumpiang Shanghai Recipe

When it comes to meat, beef surely is the king of meatiness. For this recipe, it’s just as meaty and flavorful as your usual pork lumpiang shanghai but the beef adds another flavor that no other meat can compete with. Certified carnivores will love this beef version!  

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