What I know about Lumpia

While in Manila on a two-week pass from the Navy, I met a young girl, Auriela Pador in an open air Manila market. She was the attending cashier and speaking better English than I do was so very helpful at offering directions (and pleasant, polite and pretty) I was compelled to ask her out to dinner. On her suggestion we went to Max's Fried Chicken, a pleasant enough sit down restaurant that served fresh food. I guess it is the Filipino version of a pinoy Denny's. After dinner we went for a walk, and then to a movie (a Filipino made combination kung fu / Hollywood starlet romance theme) without subtitles. Auriela kept me informed as to what was going on by whispering in my ear throughout the movie, I instantly became a major movie buff that evening. Although she attended college in the mornings and worked the afternoons, she found time in the evenings to take me on tours of the city, and on the weekend invited me to accompany her home to meet her family. Her family lived in the city of Baguio, some 5000 feet above sea level, and a good 7-hour drive from manila (without traffic, and providing the road isn’t blocked by landslides that is). I say 'good' in the sense that it is thorough, not pleasant; in fact, I would say it's a downright nuisance of a journey--flat, hot, and congested in the beginning, then rocky, hot, and more congested when you get to the provinces that are covered in volcanic lahars from mount Pinatubo, then followed by treacherous, nausea-inducing switchback roads as you climb through the Grand Cordillera mountain range.
As we negotiated our way through the modern industrial City of Baguio, she pointed out the many education centers, the Centermall, Cooyeesan Hotel Plaza, Abanao Square, and the Maharlika Livelihood Center.
Later she would take me to Burnham Park, the Botanical Gardens, the Orchidarium, and the Asin Hotsprings and we would picnic at Mount Kabuyao but for now we continued to travel north.The pay-off as Halsema Road leads you into Trinity Valley is that the landscape is breath taking, full of verdant foliage and colorful flowers. Auriela’s home was located in a little garden provincial barangay nestled amongst pine trees in a tranquil valley settled beneath the Cordillera mountains, and the weather was mild, it is often a good 15-20 degrees cooler than in Manila. The weather there is good enough to provide roses and strawberries almost year-round. Auriela’s family greeted me like an old cousin they hadn't seen in years. Their house was a bahay kubo, or nipa hut, built on great poles with a ladder for the front entrance. Below the house lived a goat, two dogs, and many chickens. Aside from the entrance the house was similar to wooden houses in the old south with an oriental flare. Auri's family included Mom and Dad, two older sister's a younger brother, grandmother and grandfather. (granny would sit in front of the house in a rocker all day and smoke from an ivory handled pipe.) Dad and Grandpa and younger brother were farmers and tended fields all day, Auri's two older sister's worked in a textile mill in Baguio. Mom stayed home and cooked and cleaned and managed household affairs much like many families I have known. Maama Pador taught me to make lumpia, (and later a filipino cook onboard ship helped me perfect the art) and these are the recipes I remember learning.

Lumpia

1 tbs vegetable oil
1 lb ground pork
2 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c minced carrots
1/2 c chopped green onions
1/2 c shredded green cabbage
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp soy sauce
30 ea lumpia wrappers
2 c vegetable oil for frying

1.) Place a wok or large skillet over high heat, and pour in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Cook pork, stirring frequently, until no pink is showing. Remove pork from pan and set aside. Drain grease from pan, leaving a thin coating. Cook garlic and onion in the same pan for 2 minutes. Stir in the cooked pork, carrots, green onions, and cabbage. Season with pepper, salt, garlic powder, and soy sauce. Remove from heat, and set aside until cool enough to handle.
2.) Place three heaping tablespoons of the filling diagonally near one corner of each wrapper, leaving a 1 1/2 inch space at both ends. Fold the side along the length of the filling over the filling, tuck in both ends, and roll neatly. Keep the roll tight as you assemble. Moisten the other side of the wrapper with water to seal the edge. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap to retain moisture.
3.) Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat, add oil to 1/2 inch depth, and heat for 5 minutes. Slide 3 or 4 lumpia into the oil. Fry the rolls for 1 to 2 minutes, until all sides are golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

Lumpia Wraps

1 cup rice flour
1 cup water

Mix the flour and water together and blend well to form a smooth batter. Grease a clean griddle or frying pan very lightly. (The best way to do this is to use a piece of clean cloth or paper lightly moistened with oil and wipe the surface of the pan). Using a paint brush, paint batter thinly over the griddle or pan, working quickly. Remove the wrapper with a pan cake turner as batter dries.