Over the last ten years, I’ve written several times about Rebecca’s egg rolls. They are most likely my favorite food I’ve ever eaten. If you’ve never had them before, they’re well worth the effort.
First published February 17, 2012
Last February, I wrote about these delicious nibbles on my blog.
It’s a funny story about how egg rolls became such an important part of my life.
Let me give you the cliff notes version of this recipe’s history: Rebecca and I met in 1994 while working in the same department at Kohl’s Department Storeand we became the best of friends through our mutual hatred of Levi Bendover pantsand flatulent customers (long story).
In December 1996, my ex-husband and I were invited to Rebecca’s home for a Christmas party, and let me tell you, you haven’t lived until you’ve attended a party within a Filipino home. I’ve never met so many lovely people in one place in my life. We felt like family from the first party, and each party has felt like a family reunion.
However, the true star of the party was the Filipino egg roll, also known as lumpia. I’ve requested her egg rolls for a variety of occasions since that party, including but not limited to:
birthday parties
birthday gifts
baby showers
baby shower gifts
Christmas parties
Christmas gifts
summer get-togethers
random Friday dinners in the spring
Until Rebecca sat down with my mother and me one day in 2006 and taught us how to make lumpia for ourselves.
I thought I could render these into a four-ingredient recipe for a Super Bowl celebration.
So, without further ado, here’s Rebecca’s four-ingredient Filipino egg rolls.
I’ll include her original recipe at the end of the post as well.
Rebecca’s Egg Rolls (Lumpia) (Four Ingredient-Style)
1- egg roll wrappers (spring roll wrappers) only used one package for two pounds of pork, so adjust the amount to your needs. I get my wrappers from the Asian grocery store down the street, but if you don’t have one nearby, you can try your local grocery store, usually in the produce section because they are refrigerated.
2- ground pork Here is my math: one pound for a family of 2-3; two pounds for a family of 4-6; anything larger and I would get 3-4 pounds.
3- 1 large onion Diced tiny.
4- 2 Tbsp. of oyster sauce and a dash of garlic powder
Rebecca adds sweet potato if desired.
Also, our friend Yvette suggested that I could make this a vegetarian recipe by omitting the meat and replacing it with potatoes, green beans, garlic, and onions.
The egg roll wrappers must be thawed for 30 minutes before use. Remove them before browning the pork. Or you couldbrown the pork the day before and refrigerate it before assembling the egg rolls the next day. I’ve tried both methods and believe that making the pork ahead of time is preferable.
So, assuming you browned the pork first, add the onion when the pork is completely browned, followed by a dash of garlic powder and 2 tablespoons oyster sauce. Cook for a few minutes longer to allow the flavor to settle in. Allow to cool before storing in Tupperware in the fridge overnight.
After the wrappers have thawed for 30 minutes, take out a sharp knife, a cutting board, two dampened paper towels, and your pork. I’ve also prepared a plate to place the egg rolls you’ve already assembled on. This is how your setup will look:
The damp paper towel is covering the egg roll wrappers
As shown above, you cut the wrappers on the diagonal.
The wrappers will then be divided into two triangle pieces.
Next, line up a tablespoon of the meat mixture parallel to the bottom line of the egg roll wrapper.
When you look at your wrapper, it will resemble a triangle with the point at the tip.
Tuck the right and left sides in and roll up.
Wet the edges to seal with water (I keep a little in a dish next to me).
Place on a plate, as shown above, and repeat until you are finished.
Then I put them all in a Ziploc bag and put them in the freezer until you’re ready to fry them.
When you’re ready to make the egg rolls, heat three cups of vegetable oil in a frying pan for a few minutes to heatthe oil.
Once the oil is hot, add five to seven egg rolls to the pan and fry until golden and crispy.
You can eat these plain, but we prefer to dip them in apple cider vinegar, thanks to a tip from Rebecca’s husband, Bernie.
Rebecca is shown here with her family.
Or, as we like to refer to them, our family.
I absolutely love those four people.
Rebecca’s Original Recipe
- 1- egg roll wrappers
- 2- ground pork
- 3- 1 large onion, diced tiny.
- 4- 2 Tbsp. of oyster sauce and a dash of garlic powder
- The only thing extra that Rebecca would add would be sweet potato, diced small
- Also, you could make this a veggie recipe for omitting the meat and using potatoes, green beans, garlic, and onions.
- You will need to thaw the egg roll wrappers before you use them (at least that is how my wrappers come from the store) for 30 minutes. So bring them out before you brown the pork. OR you could brown your pork the day before, put it in Tupperware in the fridge and assemble the egg rolls the next day. I have done both ways, and I think it works better to make the pork ahead of time.
- So assuming you browned the pork first, add the onion when the pork is completely browned, then add a dash of garlic powder and 2 tbsp. of the oyster sauce. Mix and cook a little longer to let the flavor set in. Set aside to cool, then put in Tupperware in the fridge overnight.
- After the wrappers have thawed for 30 minutes, get out a sharp knife, a cutting board, dampen two paper towels and get your pork out. I also have a plate ready so you can put the egg rolls you already assembled onto.
- Cut the wrappers on the diagonal so you have two triangles. Take a tablespoon of the meat and line it along the bottom of the wrapper opposite the pointy angle. Roll it up and fold in the sides, kind of like folding a burrito. Place on a plate and repeat.
- I recommend you freeze these before heating. You can freeze in a giant freezer bag.
- When ready to cook, heat about two cups of olive oil in a frying pan. Once the oil is hot, place four to five egg rolls in the pan. Fry until both sides are golden. Place on a paper plate to drain the grease.
- Serve with vinegar.
