What is Fresh Lumpia?
Before we left for our trip one of the last things I asked my mom to make was Fresh Lumpia. Lumpia is one of those dishes that is synonymous with Filipino cuisine. The wrap is made with a simple flour and water mixture and cooked like a crepe. It's then filled with some lightly sauteed veggies and fresh crisp lettuce. What makes it not so healthy is the brown sauce that it's served with. It's brown sugar that has been seasoned with some soy sauce and thickened with corn starch.
How to Make Fresh Lumpia
The filling is my mom's recipe and she is willing to share it with all of you. What she used in this version was some butternut squash, green beans, carrots and some prawns. It's simply seasoned with just garlic, onion and salt and pepper.
For the wrap we used some turmeric and malugay (moringa) flavored coconut wraps from nucoco. This makes the fresh lumpia more nutrient dense and filling.
Cashew Date Sauce
For the sauce that is where I wanted to change it up. Instead of just using sugar as the base of the sauce I used cashew butter instead and sweetened it with date syrup. It still had that sweetness I remember, but such a better sauce to have instead.
I hope you enjoy this fresh lumpia recipe. It's really accessible and versatile. For other healthy-fied Filipino recipes you can also try my Champorado, Halo Halo, Palitaw or Pancit. If you make any of them don't forget to tag me on Instagram. I love seeing the recipes out in the wild.
Ingredients
The Filling
- 1 Cup Prawns cut into one cm pieces
- 1 Cup Butternut Squash peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 Cup Green Beans cut into one inch slivers
- ½ Cup Carrots sliced into thin sticks
- ½ Cup Diced Onion
- 2 Garlic Cloveds crushed and minced
- salt and pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
The Wrap
- 1 Packet Turmeric Coconut Wrap
- 1 Packet Moringa Coconut Wrap
- 1 Head Green Leaf Lettuce washed and dried
The Sauce
- ¼ Cup Cashew Butter
- ¼ Cup Warm Water
- 1 Tablespoon Date Syrup
- 1 Clove Garlic Minced
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Chopped Cashew Nuts
Instructions
Make the Filling
- In a wok or large fry pan stir fry the prawns with about a teaspoon of oil and some season with salt and pepper just until it turns pink. Take out and set aside.
- In the same wok add in all the oil and the onions and garlic. Cook until fragrant and then add in the butternut squash and cook until it's soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Then add in the beans and carrots and cook for another 2 minutes to heat through. It's nice to keep them crunchy for texture. Add the prawns back in and stir fry for a minute.
Make the Sauce
- In a large bowl place in all the ingredients except for the chopped cashews. Mix well until fully incorporated. You can also use a mini blender to make it easier.
Put it all together
- Take a wrap and place a lettuce leaf on it and spoon about 2 tablespoons of the filling. Then take the bottom corner and fold it up and fold the corners over. You may need a tooth pick to secure it. Sprinkle some cashew nuts on top and serve with the sauce on the side.
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