Lumpiang Sariwa ( Fresh Spring Roll)

Lumpiang Sariwa or Fresh Spring Roll; is a light filling meal made of Singkamas (Turnip), carrots, fresh cabbage, ground meat, and native lettuce. Topped with homemade sweet sauce, ground peanuts and minced garlic. Other variations of this dish uses "ubod" (made from the core of a palm tree using the soft part). Green beans or chickpeas can be added as well as strips of sweet potatoes and togue (bean sprouts) for health reasons I omitted using any beans (even tofu) and keep my version simple but

still nutritious and yummy. Other versions prefer not to use lumpia wrappers and just pour the sauce over the cooked vegetables; it is called Lumpiang Hubad or unwrapped fresh spring roll. This is my basic recipe for Fresh Spring Roll and the sweet sauce that goes with it. Tip: Just do not overcook the vegetables and cut it in same portions, a soggy, overcooked lumpia filling is not appetizing at all and makes the wrappers get easily broken. Drain excess juice once cooked. And above all the secret to a good Lumpiang Sariwa always lies on the sauce, so balance the saltiness, sweetness and the thickness of the sauce, and you have a great dish ahead of you. Enjoy.

Singkamas from Zambales

Ingredients:

For the Lumpia Filling:

1 Kilo Singkamas (Turnip) stripped

½ Kilo Carrots, stripped

1 Kilo Fresh Cabbage, stripped

½ Kilo Ground Pork

½ Kilo Fresh Shrimp (optional)

2 Red Onions, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

½ Kilo Fresh Lettuce (native variety)

½ Cup ground peanuts

½ cup water

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil

2 Tbsp. white Sugar (to taste)

 Procedure:

Sauté onion, garlic, and ground pork, until the meat turns light brown.

 Add stripped carrots. Stir well, and then add turnips. Add water, toss well, and add salt and pepper.

Lastly, add cabbage strips and ground nuts.  .

Mix evenly, do not overcook.

Give it a quick stir and it’s done.

For the Sweet Lumpia Sauce:

¼ Kilo Brown Sugar

3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

3 full glass of water

1 tbsp. salt

4 Tbsp. Cornstarch dissolved in 1 cup water (slurry)

Procedure:

Boil 3 full glass of water. Add soy sauce, sugar and salt. Balance the taste according to your preference. I don’t really measure exactly, I taste each time I add something.

 Make a slurry by mixing cornstarch and water, mix evenly before pouring on the boiled mixture. Balance the thickness and taste, add more slurry if the sauce is too thin for your preference.

Toppings:

1 package Peanuts, grounded

1 clove garlic, minced (use a garlic crusher)

To assemble, lay fresh lettuce leaves, place a cup of the cooked filling and ground peanuts. Roll and press the sides. Pour the cooked sweet sauce and top with minced garlic and ground peanuts.

A good Lumpiang Sariwa is crunchy, slightly sweet, a little bit spicy and juicy. Perfect!