Philippine Beef Lumpia (Lumpiang Baka)

No Filipino party is complete without the traditional Philippine lumpia (egg roll). The most important thing to remember about cooking authentic lumpia is to ONLY USE the extra thin, Philippine-made wrapper (balat ng lumpia). If you're going to use the thick, square Chinese wrappers, you are sacrificing both flavor and health. Flavor, because those wrappers are too starchy and don't crunch as well, and health, because they serve as sponges to soak up oil. Oil is for cooking, not consuming. Yes, the thick Chinese wrappers are easier to pull apart, but the extra two seconds is really worth the effort. You are worth those extra seconds!

I don't mean to advocate this particular brand, but here are examples of Philippine-made lumpia wrappers. They should say "product of the Philippines" and be extra thin like Greek filo (or phyllo) dough. You can buy them by the box: pre-separated (about 30 pieces), or "separate yourself" (50 pieces).

Make sure after the beef is cooked with the vegetables, that it is as dry as possible to prevent liquid from creating holes in the lumpia wrappers. I use a strainer to remove the excess liquid created from the cooking of the vegetables. You should also remove the excess grease from the cooked beef before adding the vegetables.

This award winning recipe for Philippine beef lumpia won first prize in a cooking competition in Bethesda, Maryland. Want to try this recipe? Here is the shopping list: Ground beef, garlic, corn, mung bean sprouts (do not use soy bean sprouts), carrots, cabbage, onion, snow peas (sitsaro), and lumpia wrappers (balat ng lumpia). Some people also add raisins and/or jicama (singkamas). We don't.

To learn make and wrap lumpia, watch the video here. And remember, NO MSG is needed for this dish.

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Maraming salamat po sa inyong pananangkilik.
Chef Rafi
chefrafi.com