Lumpiang Shanghai — Filipino Spring Rolls

Mix the ground pork, onion, carrot, garlic powder, black pepper, parsley, salt, sesame oil and eggs in a large bowl until evenly combined.

💡 Mix until it just comes together. Working ground pork too long makes it dense and bouncy rather than tender.

Fry a teaspoon of the filling in a small pan, taste it, and adjust the salt before you roll anything.

💡 His recipe builds this in and it is a good habit generally. Once fifty rolls are wrapped, an under-seasoned filling is unfixable.

Lay a wrapper flat, put about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of filling in a thin line near one edge, fold both sides in, roll tightly, and seal the far edge with beaten egg.

💡 Thin, tight and dense is the target — about the thickness of your finger. A fat, loose roll steams itself from the inside and stays soggy no matter how long you fry it.

Heat the oil to 165°C (325°F). Fry in batches, turning now and then, for 3 to 4 minutes until deep golden and cooked through.

Drain on a wire rack. Cut each roll into two or three bite-sized pieces and serve with sweet chili sauce or spiced vinegar.

💡 Crowding the pan drops the oil temperature and gives you greasy, pale rolls. Six to eight at a time in a home pot is the honest maximum.