There is no better time to eat spring rolls than now.

A foodie friend, Joseph Tiu, says it has become his family’s tradition—one shared by many Fujian Chinese families—to give a spring dish of paper-thin flour pancakes filled with vegetables (with or without meat and seafood).

The filling variations of this auspicious Chinese New Year treat are many—to each kitchen its own special and secret recipe.

The fresh spring rolls are handed out as gifts to relatives on Chinese New Year, as spring presents and blessings. “Fresh spring rolls are different from fried ones because fresh symbolizes new beginnings, just like spring, which is a new beginning,” Tiu says. “The fresh ingredients are a welcome relief from the preserved vegetables eaten in winter months.”

My geomancer friend Aldric Dalumpines adds: “Spring rolls are symbolic, meant to attract luck and money. Its shape is reminiscent of a gold bar, a status symbol of good fortune. Spring rolls are enjoyed by believers in this tradition in the ensuing half-month celebration of the beginning of spring.”

This year, he says it’s best served with mustard sauce for the yellow element or earth dog factor.

Here’s an authentic Xiamen Fresh Lumpia recipe by chef Lu Liong Yu of the Chinese Culinary Arts Center.

Xiamen Fresh Lumpia

Wrapper:
40 pc lumpia wrapper

Separate the lumpia wrapper piece by piece.

Filling:
1 c oil
10 bulbs shallots
10 oz lean pork
6 pc pressed bean curd
8 oz dried unsalted sole fish
½ k carrots
½ k cabbage
½ k singkamas
½ k Baguio beans
½ k bean sprouts

Shred carrots, Baguio beans, cabbage, singkamas, pressed bean curd and the lean pork. Slice the shallots.

In a wok, heat 1 cup oil and fry the dried unsalted sole fish or bonito. Pulverize. Set aside.
In the same oil used in frying the fish, fry shallots until golden.

Add carrots, Baguio beans, cabbage, singkamas, pressed bean curd and the lean pork. Lastly, add bean sprouts.
Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the seasoning below and dried sole fish.

Seasoning:
3 tbsp rock salt
1 tbsp MSG
1 tbsp sugar

Condiments:
8 oz garlic, minced
Put minced garlic in a bowl.

Greens:
4 oz coriander
½ k native lettuce
Wash coriander and large leaves of lettuce. Arrange separately in plates.

Peanut mixture:
4 oz sesame seeds
4 oz peanuts
1 c sugar
Toast the sesame seeds and fry the peanuts in oil. Let cool.

Combine sesame and peanuts and pulverize. Mix in 1 cup sugar. Put in a bowl.

‘Hoti’ mixture:
4 oz rice vermicelli (bihon)
4 oz green moss (hoti)
Toast the hoti in dry wok. Do this quickly so as not to burn it.

Fry the bihon in boiling oil until puffed. Slightly crumble bihon and add 4 oz toasted hoti. Put in bowl.

Brown sugar sauce:
1 c brown sugar
2 c water
Mix cornstarch slurry, 1 tbsp water. Combine sugar, water and cornstarch slurry in a pan. Mix well.

Bring to a boil until slightly thickened.

Tip: To make your lumpia extraordinary, instead of brown sugar sauce, serve it with strawberry sauce:

8 oz strawberry jam
Mix water enough to achieve desired consistency. Warm in saucepan. Or blend ½ punnet of strawberries.

In a saucepan combine berry purée with 1/3 cup water, sugar to taste and cornstarch slurry.
Simmer until slightly thickened.

You may also serve spring roll with Asian style chili sauce.

To serve:
Put 1 piece lumpia wrapper on a plate, put a leaf of lettuce, add some garlic, sesame sugar, hoti-bihon mixture and enough cooked vegetables.

Wrap and eat with your sauce of choice.

Chef Lu accepts private tutoring (tel. 525 2720).

I wish you love, good health, prosperity, joy and peace! Kung Hei Fat Choi!