Don’t let the name scare you, these delicious morsels are the Filipino version of an egg roll and they are DELICIOUS. When people think of San Diego, they think “Mexican,” but there is such a huge variety of different backgrounds and cultures in California, I couldn’t even begin to describe them all to you. When I think of lumpia, I think of October. I know it doesn’t seem like a seasonal food, and indeed, none of the ingredients are seasonal, But I used to have this tasty meal at our former parish’s Fall Festival every year. I grew up going to Guardian Angels parish, and the feast day for Guardian Angels is in early October hence the festival. The Filipino women of our parish spend HOURS making these, months ahead of time. They would freeze their hard work, and them bring them out at festival time, fry them up, and serve them to raise money for the church. That is why lumpia = October to me.

It has been probably over 5 years since I last went to Guardian Angel’s fall festival. I haven’t attempted to recreate the recipe until this year, and I was wildly successful. The only hard part is rolling them as tight and as skinny as they are supposed to be. Unlike egg rolls, these are not supposed to be fat. In fact, they are supposed to resemble more of a taquito.

Besides that, they are surprisingly easy to make. Here’s what you need:

• 1(20 count) package egg roll wrappers
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 cup white onion minced
• 1cup carrot, minced
• 1cup celery,  minced (same as above)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• ¹⁄₂teaspoon ground pepper

1. Brown beef  in a skillet over medium heat until almost completely cooked. Drain the fat, cool, and then process in food processor or chop up into fine pieces with fork.
2. Combine meats, vegetables, egg, sauces, pepper in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour for flavors to set in (I made mine an hour ahead of time)
3. Prepare wrapper (by separating) and place on a separate plate. Place 1 to 2 T of filling in the center of the wrapper.
4. Fold left edge over all the way, then bring down top and bottom, then roll the rest of the way to the right, making a roll. (see picture above to get started)
5. After you have assembled all the lumpia, heat your oil to 375 degrees (you can do this in a deep fryer, or just heat oil in a skillet and take the temp with a meat thermometer). Cook until golden brown, turning often, approximately 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
6. Serve with sweet and sour sauce, I personally like La Choy which can be found in any grocery store 🙂 Enjoy!