How to wrap lumpia (spring rolls)
November 19, 2009 • Hello. I am currently out of the country and unable to respond to comments and e-mails. Rest assured, however, that future posts have been scheduled so new recipes will go live almost everyday during my absence. I'll be back soon with lots of stories and photos. Ciao for now! ~ ConnieYou might think it’s just wrapping and folding but there are a few tricks you might want to learn to make fantastic fried lumpia (spring rolls).
First, you need to seal in the filling so that the juices and flavors don’t drip into the cooking oil. Second, if the filling consists of raw ingredients (especially raw meat), you can’t put in too much filling because the cooking time is short — just long enough to brown the wrapper — and a thick filling will not get cooked through. Third, the temperature of the cooking oil has to be just right so that the spring rolls don’t brown too fast, which might leave the filling raw, nor too slowly which will make the wrapper absorb too much oil. Fourth, never crowd the frying pan. The spring rolls must be able to move around a bit and the cook must have room to roll them over for even cooking. But no matter how perfect the temperature of the oil is, and even if the pan isn’t crowded at all, you can’t have perfectly fried spring rolls unless you prepared them well.
Below, a step-by-step guide. Click on the first thumbnail to begin.
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- Place a teaspoonful of filling at the center of the wrapper.
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- Fold the edge of the wrapper nearest you over the filling
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- Fold one side inward
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- Fold the other side inward
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- Brush the farthest edges with egg wash
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- Brush with egg wash
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- Start rolling the spring roll away from you
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- Keep rolling
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- Seal the edges
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- Uncooked spring roll
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- Spring rolls ready for frying
Ready to cook some? Try these recipes:
- Tuna lumpia
- Bean sprout lumpia
- Lumpiang shanghai
- Smoked fish and mango spring rolls
- Turkey spring rolls
- Fish spring rolls with coconut milk
For tips on reheating leftover fried spring rolls, click here.
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This post is a must-learn for everyone! Thanks for sharing this one. I really need to learn this.
And regarding the oil… how would you know if it’s ready already? The Pioneer Woman recommends investing on a cooking thermometer. Do you have one? Any tips about the temperature thing?
I’ve read somewhere that the Chinese dip wooden/bamboo sticks to determine the temperature – more bubbles coming out of the wood, the hotter it is. But I haven’t tried this and I don’t know if it works.
Not sure where my comment has gone, but I’m typing again.
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Anyway, this is a very very helpful guide! A must for everyone, especially me.
My main concern though is the oil temperature. How do you know when is the right time to put your to-fry food? The pioneer woman recommends investing on a food thermometer. Do you have one too?
How do you do this, or is it just some intelligent guesswork?
I’ve read somewhere that the Chinese do it by dipping a bamboo/wooden stick. More bubbles will come out of the wood as the oil gets hotter. I haven’t tried this however, and I’m not really sure whether this works.
Comment is under moderation. Too many freeloaders advertising their copycat sites.
Anyway, I’ve never used a food thermometer in my life. LOL I judge the temperature by the amount of smoke emitted by the oil. With spring rolls, “slightly smoking” means the right temperature.
Or, you can drop a piece of wrapper in the oil. If it sinks and does not float after 2 to 3 seconds, the oil isn’t hot enough. If it floats immediately and browns too fast, too hot. Ideally, the piece of wrapper should sink then come up after 2 or 3 seconds and brown gradually for 7 to 8 seconds.
Another important factor for good and well -wrapped spring rolls, if I may suggest Ms Connie… is to make sure that your wrappers are freshly made. I found out about the truth of this tip when I happened to buy a tad too old lumpia wrapper at the supermarket. When I rolled the wrapper, it broke in so many parts and was kind of “unyielding”… sometimes, the best ones are the freshly made wrappers at the wet market… yung mainit-init pa…;-)
Thanks again for the wonderful tips, Ms. Connie!
Oh, that is so true, Crisma. The wrappers must be soft and pliable. I’ve had the misfortune too of having the wrappers tear while preparing lumpia. After that, I’d always get the package with farthest expiration date.
sorry about the double comment and thank you for the valuable tip! I will be remembering that one, it sure is handy and worth knowing!
Hi Connie,
Thank you for sharing how to wrap lumpia. Sa totoo lang mahirap magbalot ng lumpia, pero masarap lalu pag may sasawang suka with garlic. This tip is very useful, i will try. I’d like to ask please share how to make your own lumpia wrapper yung pwede sa lumpiang sariwa. Thanks.
Susan, that’s already in the archive. There are two, actually, plain and with chopped herbs. You can use the search box on the sidebar.
It would be nice to use fresh lumpia wrapper…however..if you buy the frozen wrappers…steam the wrapper for few minutes and it’ll be soft and easier to manage..
hi connie. home cooking really rocks!
i’m married for a year now but i and my husband got to live together only in april this year. to get used to being a housewife i started cooking at home, experimenting on pinoy dishes first and hopefully would try other cuisine in the future.
thanks for this post. i did pick up some techniques on spring roll wrapping, which is really a pain to prepare specially for a beginner home cook like me. i’d definitely try this one.