Once upon a time, there was a cook who wanted to find a recipe for Filipino lumpia. She stumbled upon this post that had the familiar name “lumpia” in the title, but the photo looked nothing like the lumpia she wanted.
You may be familiar with the addictive, deep-fried sensation called “lumpia shanghai”. “Lumpia” is a spring roll with origins from China, and “Shanghai” is – well – is the city of Shanghai.
When we say “lumpia”, the default meaning is “lumpia shanghai”. If you were looking for that delicious crispy roll, I’m sorry to inform you that this recipe is far from being deep-fried and crunchy.
“Sariwa” translates to “fresh”, and this recipe is the lighter, healthier variant of that lumpia you were most likely thinking about. What it lacks in crispiness, it makes up for in flavor.
When I was younger, I had the privilege of living with my grandparents. This meant getting spoiled with delicious Filipino food every single day, and one of the things my grandma would make frequently was Lumpiang Sariwa.
Lumpiang Sariwa is comprised of three parts: the wrapper, the filling, and the sauce. The filling is a mishmash of vegetables, which you can improvise based on what you already have in your refrigerator.
The filling is contained in a lettuce leaf, encased within a thin crepe-like wrapper. The sauce is a sweet and garlicky peanut sauce, slathered all over the fresh lumpia.
Although this recipe has multiple pieces, it’s very simple to make at home! Follow the step-by-step cooking video below, and you’ll have dinner whipped up in no time.