Filipino Shrimp, Meat, and Vegetable Spring Rolls

Name: Filipino Shrimp, Meat, and Vegetable Spring Rolls
Yield: makes 18 to 20 rolls, serving 4 to 6 as a light main course, 6 to 8 for a snack
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons canola oil; 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 pound ground chicken or pork, coarsely chopped to loosen; 2/3 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into pea-size pieces (9 ounces net weight); 3 large dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted (see page 13), stemmed, and cut into fine shreds (about 1/3 cup); 1 carrot, coarsely grated (scant 1/2 cup); 1/4 pound green beans or yard-long beans, trimmed and diagonally sliced into long thin pieces; 3/4 teaspoon salt; Generous 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar; 2 teaspoons fish sauce; 18 to 20 Shanghai Spring Roll Skins (page 81); 1 large egg, beaten; 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice or distilled white vinegar; 3 tablespoons regular (light) soy sauce; 1 large clove garlic, finely minced; Canola or peanut oil, for deep-frying

December 9, 2011

Many Asian cooks have incorporated Chinese spring rolls into their repertoires, but those of Filipino descent have embraced the rolls with the most zeal and flair. Derived from lūnpiá, a term from the Fujian (Hokkien) Chinese dialect, lumpia are one of the quintessential foods of the Philippines. In fact, I’ve seldom been to a Filipino celebration where there isn’t a platter of crisp lumpia, whether it be large ones like these or the diminutive finger-size lumpia Shanghai, which is obviously named after its Chinese parent. Banana-filled lumpia is a deliciously popular sweet snack called turon (page 194). Unfried lumpia sariwa are made by rolling up a lettuce leaf and filling of vegetables and meat in a spring roll skin. Fillings for fried lumpia vary from cook to cook, but they often have trademark Filipino touches, such as lots of fried garlic and onion. Simply seasoned, the meat (pork, chicken, or beef), shrimp, and vegetable mixture is precooked but not bound by cornstarch. Thinly sliced green beans are particularly pretty in the rolls and a touch of patis (fish sauce) adds another Filipino note. Vinegar is a favorite seasoning in the Philippines, so it’s apropos to dip the finished rolls in a tangy soy and garlic sauce. But if you’d like extra tropical flair, dunk the rolls in the Sweet and Sour Sauce on page 217 made with pineapple juice, ginger, and chile.

Recipe notes