The 'Secret Lumpia' Recipe

My oldest son who's home for the summer, pleasantly surprised me with his request of learning how to make lumpia. The fact that he appropriately used the Filipino word for egg roll delighted me. He claimed he told his college friends that Filipino egg rolls are the best so he wants to cook it for them when he returns to school in the fall. I had to pull out a recipe handed down to me by a friend who has been a part of my sons' lives growing up. A truly inspiring woman, she has left an indelible impression most especially on my oldest son who remembers her fondly. When my son was young, I recall him referring to this recipe as my 'secret egg roll recipe.' He has always been a fan of this recipe that he would eat a plateful if you'd just let him! I tweaked it a little bit over the years, and I have my friend's permission to share it here:

My oldest son proud of the 'lumpia' he made.

Tita Alma Mariano's Lumpia Recipe

handful of vermicelli or bean thread noodles, soaked in a small bowl of water

1/2 small bag of baby or julienne-cut carrots

1 can of water chestnuts, drained

1 lb ground pork (may use ground chicken or ground turkey for healthier version)

1 egg, beaten by fork

2 tbsp chopped dried onions

2 tbsp oyster sauce

dash of pepper ( I don't add salt anymore due to the oyster sauce)

1 bag of thin spring roll wrappers

1 egg white

1 to 2 cups canola oil for deep frying

1. Allow bean thread noodles to soak in a small bowl of water until softened. Drain.

2. Using kitchen shears, cut noodles into small pieces and set aside.

3. Chop baby carrots and water chestnuts using food processor.

4. Mix chopped vegetables with the meat.

5. Add beaten egg, onions, oyster sauce and pepper and thoroughly mix.

6. Scoop a spoonful or two of the filling and distribute evenly in egg roll wrapper.

7. Top with pieces of cut bean thread noodles.

8. Roll wrap and seal with egg white.

9. Deep fry until golden brown.

During this lumpia-making session, I felt a much deeper connection with my oldest son whose transformation from a tentative teen to a confident young man, proud of whom he is, embracing the other half of his heritage progressed in a span of less than a year. In his teen years, he was somewhat ambivalent of his Filipino side. There isn’t a lot who look like him after all in southeast Iowa. The conversation during this learning session led to his query on why I didn't teach him Tagalog. I had to explain that first of all, Cebuano is the language of my birth. Frankly, I'm more comfortable speaking English than Tagalog. Secondly, I didn't want him to feel any different than his peers and that I want him to feel he's as American as they are. The content of that conversation would be the topic of another blog. Meanwhile, enjoy making Tita Alma's Lumpia Recipe. I thank her for this recipe, but most of all, for her friendship over the years.

Learning to roll. :-)