Lumpiang Shanghai

I love lumpiang shanghai. It’s my favorite food-snack to munch on. It’s even my most-ordered fast food item in one of the leading fast food chains in the country. This is perfect to serve as an appetizer.

Lumpiang Shanghai

You will need:
•    1 lb ground pork (I like to use the lean kind since this is a fried dish, it decreases the fat content)
•    1 egg
•    3 cloves garlic, crushed
•    ½ cup onions, minced
•    ½ cup carrots, minced
•    ½ cup cilantro leaves, chopped finely
•    ½ cup celery, minced
•    2 tablespoons soy sauce
•    3 tablespoons cornstarch
•    salt
•    pepper
•    lumpia wrappers
•    vegetable oil

How to do it:
1.    Mix everything except the lumpia wrappers in a bowl.
2.    Add salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well.
3.    I usually fry a little bit of the pork mixture without the wrapper to taste test.  I then adjust the seasonings accordingly.
4.    To make the lumpiang shanghai, place a wrapper on a flat surface like a plate or clean chopping board.  Then get a spoonful of the pork mixture and put it on top of the wrapper placing it near the bottom.  Fold the bottom part of the wrapper over the pork making sure the mixture is wrapped tightly.  Fold both sides of the wrapper to the middle.  Then roll up making them like cigars.  Slightly wet the end of the wrapper with water (or egg wash) to seal the lumpiang shanghai.
5.    Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan and fry the lumpiang shanghai in low to medium heat until golden brown.
6.    Place the fried lumpiang shanghai over a paper towel to remove excess oil.
7.    You may serve these tasty rolls by cutting it on the diagonal in the middle and with your favorite store-bought sweet and sour sauce.  

Photo from flickr.com