Vegetable Lumpiang Shanghai

Vegetable Lumpia vs Lumpiang Shanghai

In Philippine cuisine, there are two kinds of fried lumpia: Vegetable Lumpia and Shanghai. To tell which one is which, you can see the differences in their size, filling, and dipping sauce. As far as size, the Shanghai rolls are usually small bites whereas Vegetable Lumpia rolls are big and thick. For the filling, the Shanghai version has ground pork while the vegetable lumpia has mostly vegetables. Usually, Filipinos enjoy Lumpiang Shanghai dipped in banana ketchup while they enjoy Vegetable Lumpia in vinegar.

Although the two rolls have very distinct features, my aunt, was able to combine the two- Vegetable Shanghai, which is vegan. Ironically, she didn’t create this vegan recipe for any vegans including me. Instead, she meant to cook this for her biggest meat eaters, her son, and grandson.

My aunt, Mommy Henya

My aunt, Mommy Henya has told me that her son and grandson love eating Lumpiang Shanghai and all things meaty. Unfortunately, she said they love meat and hate vegetables so much that they would pick out even the tiniest minced carrots from a spaghetti sauce.

To make her family eat vegetables, she thought of disguising Lumpiang Shanghai using sweet vegetables like kabocha squash, sweet potatoes, jicama, potatoes, and carrots. And to further her trick, she wrapped them as she would wrap the Shanghai version.  And just like the Shanghai version, she fried them in deep oil and served them with banana ketchup. Surprisingly, her kids and grandkids couldn’t even tell there was no pork and that all they were eating were vegetables!

Mommy Henya's Vegetable Lumpiang Shanghai

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Serves: 50 pieces

Ingredients

• 1 cup of each, all cut in matchsticks shape: 2 carrots, 1 sweet potato, 1 jicama, ⅛ kabocha squash, 1 potato
• About 1 cup chopped cilantro or Chinese celery
• pinch of salt
• a teaspoon of organic sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 pack spring roll or Lumpia wrapper (comes in 25 pieces, make sure it doesn't have eggs in it)
• a bowl of water to seal the wrapper
• 3-4 cups canola oil

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine all vegetables, salt, sugar, and cornstarch. Mix well.
2. aligncenter size-full" title="astig-vegan-vegetables-for-vegan-shanghai" />
3. Using a pair of scissors, cut the Lumpia wrapper diagonally in half. You should have two sets of triangles. To keep the wrapper from drying, place a clean damp towel on top.
4. aligncenter size-full" title="astig-vegan-cutting-lumpia-wrapper" />
5. Peel off one sheet of the wrapper and place on a plate, with the base of the triangle on bottom and tip of the triangle pointing to the top of the plate.
6. Add about one teaspoon of the vegetable filling on the lower center of the wrapper, leaving about ¼ inch of empty space below the filling.
7. aligncenter size-full" title="astig-vegan-to-wrap-shanghai" />
8. Fold the left side of the wrapper toward the center then fold the right side toward the center. Follow up with folding the bottom part then roll up until it reaches the top tip.
9. Seal the top with a little bit of water. Finish rolling. Repeat steps until all lumpia are rolled.
10. 
11. 
12. Heat a small size pot in high heat for about 3 minutes.
13. Pour cooking oil and heat for another 5 minutes.
14. Test if the oil is hot enough by dropping a piece of lumpia wrapper. If it bubbles quickly, it's ready.
15. Gently drop 5-8 pieces to deep fry. Lower down the heat to medium heat.
16. aligncenter size-full" title="astig-vegan-shanghai-frying-in-process" />
17. Fry until all sides of the wrapper are golden brown. Repeat steps to fry the rest of the lumpia. If you're feeding only a few people, fry only the amount you desire and store the rest of the wrapped lumpia in the freezer for later use.
18. Place fried lumpia in a colander or on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.
19. Serve hot with a sweet sauce like ketchup.
20. 

Notes

Not all lumpia wrappers are vegan. Some have eggs. Double check by reading the ingredients list. You may find lumpia wrappers at Asian grocery stores.

To prevent the lumpia wrapper from drying, place a clean, damp paper towel or cloth on top during the rolling process.

Make sure you add the cornstarch directly to the vegetables. Do NOT mix the starch with water before adding to the mix. Doing so will tear up the wrapper.

If you're feeding only a few people, cut back the ingredients serving in half. Or wrap all 50 pieces and store them in the freezer. The next time you want an instant meal, just grab the frozen lumpia and deep fry.

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Thankfully, Mommy Henya was kind and generous enough to share her recipe with the rest of us. Believe it or not, she is my dad’s eldest sibling -out of 10! Out of all siblings, she loves to cook the most, not only for her husband, kids, and grandkids but also for the entire extended family. With all these cooking, you could just imagine how big the family parties could get.

Whenever there’s a family party, there’s Mommy Henya’s food. You can totally bet she cooks all kinds of Filipino food from the easy ones to the most intricate.

With this recipe, it goes to show that even seasoned Filipino cooks can come up with something vegan. Furthermore, this recipe proves even the pickiest kids and meat eaters like her kids and grandkids can enjoy something that has all vegetables.

Kain na, let’s eat!