SHRIMP & PORK LUMPIA
Lumpia is a popular food found in Indonesia and the Philippines; an adaptation of the Fujianese/Teochew-style fresh spring roll, Popiah. Loosely translated from Hokkien to mean ‘soft cake’, Lumpia is made fresh or fried from a pastry skin similar to a crêpe or spring roll wrapper called easily enough, ‘lumpia wrapper’, obnubilating sweet or savory fillings.
With so many variations of this morsure savoureuse made throughout Southeast Asian regions and cultures to choose from, I glom from the Lumpiang Sariwa style to make my Shrimp & Pork Lumpia; using an eggish crêpe to parcel seasoned ground pork and shrimp which is then fried.
PREP/COOK TIME: 1 Hour 20 Minutes
Makes 15 – 16 Rolls
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups – All Purpose Flour
2 Tb – Cornstarch
1 Tsp – Granulated Sugar
1 Tsp – Kosher Salt
1 Cup – Whole Milk
1 Cup – Water
1 Large Egg for Batter, Plus One, Lightly Beaten, for Sealing Roll
1 Lb – Ground Pork
1 Lb – 50/60 Shrimp, Peeled, Deveined and Roughly Chopped
1 Tb – Finely Minced Garlic
1 Tb – Ground Cumin
2 Tsp – Ground Ginger
½ Tsp – Ground Cinnamon
¼ Tsp – Cayenne Pepper
½ Tsp – Kosher Salt
½ Tsp – Coarse Black Pepper
2 Tb – Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce
1 Tb – Sesame Oil
½ Cup – Finely Chopped Cilantro
½ Cup – Finely Chopped Scallions, Stems and Leaves
Vegetable Oil for Frying, Plus 1 Tb and 1 Tsp
THE NITTY GRITTY
Begin by preparing crêpe batter. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Add milk, water and egg to flour mixture and whisk till a smooth batter forms. Cover with cling film; set aside in the fridge till ready to use.
In another mixing bowl, combine chopped shrimp and ground pork using your hands. Add in garlic, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil, cilantro and scallions. Again, with your hands, combine ingredients till fully incorporated.
In a large pan heat 1 Tb oil at medium high. Add shrimp and pork mixture; stirring occasionally, cook till pork is no longer raw. Remove from heat once done; allowing mixture to cool. Meanwhile, get started on the crêpes.
Heat an 8” non-stick pan, greased with 1 tsp oil, at medium high. Give crêpe batter one last whisk to loosen. Working quickly, add about a ¼ cup of batter; using the back of a spoon, smear batter to cover bottom of pan. Cook till batter releases from sides of pan; work a spatula carefully underneath to flip. Cook other side only momentarily. (NOTE: You will not need to keep adding oil as you continue to make crêpes.) Transfer crêpes to a wired rack to cool; do not stack. Batter should make 15 – 16 crêpes.
ASSEMBLAGE – Add a generous tablespoon of cooled filling to one end of crêpe. Fold opposite sides over and carefully roll lengthwise, just stopping before reaching seam. Add lightly beaten egg to seal seam using a pastry brush or finger; place roll seam-side down on a tray till ready to fry. Continue rolling lumpia.
In a large pan, heat about one inch of oil at medium high till shimmering. Fry lumpia in batches. Add lumpia to hot oil seam-side down; fry for about 1 minute on each side, or till crisp and golden. Transfer lumpia to a baking sheet with a wired rack lined underneath with parchment or paper towels to catch oily excess; keep warm in a 200° F oven while frying next batch.
Serve with sweet chili sauce or red pepper jelly for dipping. For more sweet and less heat, try pineapple marmalade with a pinch of crushed red pepper. I even recommend naturally brewed soy sauce if sweet is not what you’re in the mood for. Enjoy!!
MARCH 13, 2021
