Gearing up for a light, meatless weekend with the family? This calorie-light but nutrient-packed dish is your best option.
Instead of using ground meat as filling and source of protein, this Chinese-style fresh lumpia (or lumpiang sariwa/fresh spring roll) makes use of extra-firm tofu (tokwa).
The tofu is grated and sautéed with vegetables such as carrots, Baguio beans and cabbage. It’s then spiced up with ground Chinese peanut bar (available in most supermarkets) and wansoy (or cilantro). Then you roll them all together in lettuce and lumpia wrapper.
“It’s great as an appetizer or snack,” says Dorothy Melencion, a foodie and a weekend market food seller (tel. 0932-6331277). “The lumpia is best eaten right away to enjoy its freshness, or just before the wrapper dries out or gets soggy.”
Melencion learned the lumpia recipe from her mom Siony, whose mom was half-Chinese. The recipe originally called for ground pork, but Melencion had to tweak it to make it healthier and less greasy.
The lumpia’s accompanying sauce consists of water, brown sugar, garlic, peanuts, cornstarch and soy sauce. Simply combine all ingredients in a sauce pan, place over medium heat and cook, stirring continuously until thick.
Chinese-Style Fresh Lumpia
Ingredients
4 squares (approximately 2 x 2 inches each) firm tofu/tokwa, grated
1 ¼ c carrots, grated
1 ¼ c Baguio beans, thinly sliced
2 c cabbage, thinly sliced
1 head onion, chopped
1 head garlic, chopped
1 c water
A dash of sugar
1 pack peanut bar, ground and mixed with 1 tbsp sugar
1 bunch wansoy
2 heads Romaine lettuce
10 pcs lumpia wrapper
- IN A MEDIUM-HEAT pan with oil, sauté onions, garlic and grated tofu. Cook until brown and set aside.
In the same pan, add oil and sauté onion, garlic and carrots. Then add the tofu mixture. Add water. Let it boil.
- ADD beans.
- THEN add cabbage. Season with sugar. Simmer for 5-10 minutes till the veggies are thoroughly cooked.
Transfer mixture into a strainer. Press and drain excess water. Let it cool.
- PLACE wrapper on a plate then arrange lettuce on the edge of
the wrapper. Spoon the filling and place over the leaf.
- ADD 1 tsp of peanut bar.
Top with wansoy.
Roll wrapper according to desired shape, making sure all sides are folded and the filling is sealed. Pour sauce over the lumpia before serving.
E-mail the author at vbaga@inquirer.com.ph