Lumpia… I first had lumpia as a little child at Sonny & JR’s house across the street from us on 46th Avenue in San Francisco.  Auntie Auring would have plates piled with it.  I ate plates of it when I was in The Philippines while with Uncle Sam’s Yacht Club. Later in life, when I worked at UCSF, one of my employees, Abundia, would make huge batches and give it to me for the cost of the ingredients.  It is by far the best little egg roll around.

There are as many lumpia recipes as there are families in The Philippines. If you have the good fortune to have a Filipino friend, ask where they get theirs.

Filling

• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ lb ground pork
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup diced turnip
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 sweet potato, pared and diced
• ½ cup green beans, julienne
• ¼ lb small shrimp
• one egg, lightly beaten (optional)

Wrapper

Frozen Chinese spring roll wrappers or Lumpia wrappers (available at Asian groceries)

1. Saute garlic and onion in hot oil. Add pork, sauté until fat comes out, add water, cover and simmer10 to 15 minutes or until pork is tender. Season with salt, fish sauce and pepper.

2. Add rest of ingredients and sauté for another 5 minutes or until vegetables are done.

3. Let cool to room temperature.

To wrap:

Place the wrapper diagonally so that a corner is pointing at you. Place two tablespoonfuls of filling near the corner of the wrapper that is facing you. Shape filling like a mini log, making sure to leave at least 1.5 inches edge space all around. Fold corner facing you over the filling, then tuck the sides and roll neatly. Seal the roll by moistening edge with water or egg that is lightly beaten.

To cook:

Deep fry lumpia rolls until golden brown, around 5 minutes.

Serve with banana ketchup or sweet and sour sauce