If you’re at all familiar with the Filipino treat lumpia, you’re probably imagining spring rolls filled with veggies or ground meat, deep fried to a crisp… and you wouldn’t be wrong! Being Filipino myself, I’ve had my fair share of those yummy treats. This spring, however, I decided to veer away from the deep fryer and revisit one of my mom’s personal favourites – which is lumpiang sariwa, or, translated, “fresh lumpia.”

These types of lumpia have the filling fully cooked first before wrapping it in delicate egg crepes and eaten fresh. They’re lighter and must be eaten immediately after making them, lest they get too soggy. I personally prefer these – while they’re not as easy to transport or eat singlehandedly, I find that I appreciate the flavours of the filling more because they’re truly the star of the show here.

The best part is that once you get the hang of making this once, you can change up the filling and be as creative as you want! I know some folks put beans and other veggies in the roll and it’s just as delicious. Enjoy making these treats for yourself and your friends – it’s the perfect filling lunch or dinner that’s an absolute snap to make.

Wrapper Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 3 eggs

• 1-½ cups water or milk

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp oil

Filling Ingredients

• 1 lb heart of palm, julienne

• ½ lb carrots, julienne

• 1 small onion, minced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ lb ground or thinly sliced pork

• ½ lb shrimp, diced (optional)

• Fish sauce and cracked black pepper, to taste

Sauce Ingredients

• 3 cups water

• ¼ cup soy sauce

• ¾ cup brown sugar

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• ¾ cup roasted peanuts, crushed

• 3 tbsp peanut butter

• 3 tbsp corn starch

Method

1. To make the wrappers, whisk the water or milk in with the flour until a thick batter consistency is reached.

2. Add the eggs, oil, and flavourings, and whisk until combined. The batter will be very runny.

3. In a non-stick pan or oiled frying pan, pour ¼ cup of the batter and spread it throughout the surface of the pan by tilting the pan around. When the middle begins to bubble, gently flip the wrapper over and cook for a few more seconds. You do not want the wrappers to brown!

4. Set aside until assembly.

5. For the filling, sauté the onion and garlic in a bit of vegetable oil.

6. Add the pork and stir fry until browned.

7. Add the shrimp, then the hearts of palm and carrots, and continue cooking. Pour a little bit of water in and cook until the hearts of palm are tender but still to the tooth – you still want there to be texture in your filling, not mush!

8. Season the filling with fish sauce and pepper to taste, and set aside.

9. For the sauce, combine 2 ½ cups of the water, soy, and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

10. Add the garlic and peanuts and stir through.

11. In a separate bowl, whisk the cornstarch together with the remaining water until dissolved, then whisk it into the sauce, letting it thicken.

12. Finally, stir in the peanut butter until it melts through. Allow the sauce to cool before use.

13. To put it all together, simply fill the egg wrappers with the cooked filling and tuck the ends in first before rolling it up (much like a burrito). For some optional colour and crunch, you can also lay a lettuce leaf down on the egg wrapper before filling.

14. Serve with the the peanut sauce poured over or as a dip, and eat immediately. Enjoy!