''Lumpiang gulay'', also known as vegetable ''lumpia'', is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

appetizer An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the m ...

consisting of

julienned Julienne, , or french cut, is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is cut into long thin strips, similar to matchsticks. Common items to be julienned are carrots for , celery for , potatoes for julienne fries, or cucumbers for . Trimmi ...

or cubed

vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...

with ground meat or shrimp in a thin lumpia wrapper made from rice flour that is deep-fried. A notable variant of ''lumpiang gulay'' is ''lumpiang togue'', which is made mostly with ''togue'' (

mung bean sprout Mung bean sprouts are a culinary vegetable grown by sprouting mung beans. They can be grown by placing and watering the sprouted beans in the shade until the hypocotyls grow long. Mung bean sprouts are extensively cultivated and consumed in Eas ...

s). Its origin is of both Spanish and Chinese influenced. ''Lumpiang gulay'' is a Filipino version of

chimichanga A chimichanga (; ) is a deep-fried burrito that is common in Tex-Mex and other Southwestern U.S. cuisine. The dish is typically prepared by filling a flour tortilla with various ingredients, most commonly rice, cheese, beans, and a meat such ...

. Despite the name, ''lumpiang gulay'' is not a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetariani ...

dish by default, though vegetarian ''lumpia'', a vegetarian variant, can be created from the basic recipe.

Description

Typical ingredients in ''lumpiang gulay'' include carrots, ''kamote'' ( sweet potato),

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onio ...

s, garlic,

shallot The shallot is a botanical variety (a cultivar) of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with '' Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the ...

s, cabbage or

lettuce Lettuce (''Lactuca sativa'') is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable, but sometimes for its stem and seeds. Lettuce is most often used for salads, although it is also seen in other kinds of food, ...

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

es, ''singkamas'' (

jicama ''Pachyrhizus erosus'', commonly known as jícama ( or ; Spanish ''jícama'' ; from Nahuatl ''xīcamatl'', ) Mexican turnip, is the name of a native Mexican vine, although the name most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root. Jícam ...

), ''sitaw'' ( green beans), ''sayote'' (

chayote Chayote (''Sechium edule''), also known as mirliton and choko, is an edible plant belonging to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. This fruit was first cultivated in Mesoamerica between southern Mexico and Honduras, with the most genetic diversity ...

), and ''togue'' (

s). It is mixed with a small amount of ground meat, meat strips, and/or shrimp. Fish flakes can also be used. The meat is simmered for a few minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. They are then wrapped in

lumpia wrapper ''Lumpia'' are various types of spring rolls commonly found in the Philippines and Indonesia. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crepe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or sweet fillings. It is often served as an a ...

and deep-fried. The vegetables can alternatively be stir-fried. The ingredients of ''lumpiang gulay'' are roughly the same as the ingredients of '' lumpiang sariwa'' variants, except that ''lumpiang gulay'' is fried. It is traditionally eaten dipped in vinegar or '' agre dulce'', but other types of dipping sauces can also be used. It is sometimes also known as ''lumpiang prito'', a generic name for any fried ''lumpia'' versions. ''Lumpiang gulay'' is distinguished from other types of ''lumpia'' (especially '' lumpiang Shanghai'') in that it has a greater ratio of vegetables to meat. It is also typically thicker in diameter than ''lumpiang Shanghai'' because it has more fillings. Other types of ''lumpia'' like ''

lumpiang ubod ''Lumpiang ubod'', also known as heart of palm spring rolls, is a Filipino appetizer consisting of julienned ''ubod'' (heart of palm) with various meat and vegetables in a thin egg crêpe. It is commonly served fresh (as '' lumpiang sariwa''), ...

'', '' lumpiang labong'', and '' lumpiang singkamas'' are generally regarded as different dishes, as they can be served fresh or fried, unlike ''lumpiang gulay'' which is always served as ''lumpiang prito'' (deep-fried).

Variants

Lumpiang togue

A popular variant of ''lumpiang gulay'' is ''lumpiang togue'', also known as "bean sprouts ''lumpia''" or "bean sprouts egg roll". It is prepared roughly the same as ''lumpiang gulay'' with mostly the same ingredients. The main difference is that ''lumpiang togue'' uses more ''togue'' (mung bean sprouts) as the main ingredients, replacing the main filler of ''lumpiang gulay'' (usually cabbage).

Vegetarian lumpia

Despite the name, ''lumpiang gulay'' is typically not vegetarian. However, vegetarian versions can be made from both ''lumpiang gulay'' and ''lumpiang togue'' which do not use meat at all. They typically also include

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...

s or ''tokwa'' (

tofu Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super f ...

). These are differentiated as "vegetarian ''lumpia''", which can be served fresh or fried. A

pescetarian Pescetarianism (; sometimes spelled pescatarianism) is the practice of incorporating seafood into an otherwise vegetarian diet. Pescetarians may or may not consume other animal products such as eggs and dairy products. Approximately 3% of adults ...

version can also be made with just chopped shrimp or fish flakes. Unlike ''lumpiang gulay'' and ''lumpiang togue'', vegetarian ''lumpia'' can be served either as ''lumpiang prito'' (fried) or ''lumpiang sariwa'' (fresh).

Vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

versions of ''lumpiang gulay'' can also be created. Though the lumpia wrappers used will need to be the vegan versions (without eggs).

In popular culture

The vegetarian lumpia was featured on the Netflix TV series ''

Street Food Street food is ready-to-eat food or drinks sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or at other public places, such as markets or fairs. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumpt ...

'' in the

Cebu, Philippines Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the P ...

episode.

References