October is Filipino American History Month, and it feels only fitting to close out the month with a recipe for something that's considered a staple for any gathering.
The name Shanghai Lumpia likely originated centuries ago with Chinese traders and settlers who brought egg rolls to the Philippines, which changed over time to suit local palates. And now we get to enjoy these fried delights pretty commonly here in the islands.
The recipe and bonus folding diagram come from The Second Plantation Village Cookbook. It was compiled by the Friends of Waipahu Cultural Garden Park and published in 1987.
Waipahu has a history of being a sugarcane plantation town on O‘ahu. Laborers from around the world were employed to work there over the decades. The park has a plantation village with buildings that give examples of life during the time. The buildings are replicas of various plantation structures found throughout the state. The Chinese cookhouse and the Inari Shrine are the only historic structures.
The recipe book celebrates the many ethnicities that came together to work in the area. The book is split up into sections for Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Puerto Rican. There's also a Cosmopolitan section, where the dishes are a multicultural mix.
Some recipes for lumpia have a lot of ingredients for the filling, but this one only has five that are easily found at grocery stores. And you can easily buy pre-made dipping sauces if you don't feel like making your own. If you don't want to deep-fry the lumpia, you can spritz them with cooking oil and use an air fryer instead.
This Foodie Friday is sponsored by Aloha Tofu.
Foodie Friday is a segment in the Akamai Recap newsletter that's a place to talk story and connect over food.
