Lightning Fast Lumpia Rolling

I have rolled a lot of lumpias in my life. I remember rolling hundreds per week with my Grandma Sabado because she brought them to the Fil-Am club in Marina and they sold them during bingo nights as a fundraiser. And I've recently started rolling them again as my boys and their friends have wanted to learn.

Well, lumpia was requested for a Festivus party tonight and two friends wanted to learn. Little did I know that they would be able to roll nearly eight dozen lumpias in less than thirty minutes. Seriously, this rolling crew was lightning fast. I did, however, have the filling ready for them. But that's about all I did. They're hired!

Quick note: you can use any ground meat that you like. I usually do straight pork, but this time I mixed pork and turkey. During Christmas, my cousin told me that her grandmother added fresh shrimp. I'll have to try that soon because it sounds delicious.

Ingredients makes approximately 4 dozen

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 C diced onions
• 2 C diced celery
• 2 C diced carrots
• 2 C chopped green beans
• 1 to 2 T olive oil
• lumpia wrappers (I found ours frozen at a local Filipino market - they told me to get the round ones), defrosted and separated
• water
• oil for cooking (I used a canola oil)

Procedure

In a large skillet, heat 1 T olive oil. Add in the onions, celery, and carrots. Cook until the onions are slightly softened and the carrots are fork tender. Stir in the pork and turkey; cook until no pink remains. Spoon the filling into a colander - over a bowl - and let drain until nothing drips when you press down on the filling. Now you're ready to roll. Keep the lumpia wrappers covered so they stay pliable while you roll and have a small bowl of water nearby to seal the lumpia.

Place a lumpia wrapper on a plate. Place about 1 to 2 T of filling on the wrapper. Fold in the edges and roll it as tightly as you can without breaking the wrapper. But, if you happen to tear one, don't worry. Double wrap it and that one will just have extra crispy goodness around it!

Wet the edge of the wrapper and you complete the roll and place the lumpia, seam-side down, while you finish wrapping the rest.

To cook, heat oil in a rimmed skillet. Use tongs to gently lower the lumpia into the hot oil. Turn them as they brown and crisp. Once they are nicely crisped, remove them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Move to a serving platter and serve with a dipping sauce of your choice.