Lumpia is a popular Chinese dish that looks quite similar to spring rolls. Although it’s a Chinese dish, lumpia is quite common in the Philippines and Indonesia. Lumpia is wraps made with vegetable or meat filling. The filling is wrapped in an egg-based or lettuce wrapper. There are a few methods to cook frozen lumpia. We’ll discuss them all here in this guide. So keep reading to find out how to cook frozen lumpia your way.
The taste and ingredients may vary from region to region, and it can be served either fresh or deep-fried. This lip-smacking dish is most people’s favorite, but it can be quite a task to prepare fresh lumpia every time you crave some.
So what do you do now? Make the best use of your freezer to store as many as you like. Cooking frozen Lumpia is very easy and takes just a few minutes. Here we go…
Lumpia: A Backstory
This Chinese appetizer has spread to different parts of the globe and is known by other names. The thin crepes or paper-like wraps are filled with sweet or savory fillings and tastes best when deep-fried.
Some prefer eating it fresh as well. The snack has multiple variations, each with a different name. For example- Filipinos call it lumpiang hubad. It means a naked spring roll with only fresh ingredients.
An Indonesian variant of the lumpia is called lumpia basah. This type has carrots, bean sprouts, and chicken or shrimp as its main filling.
The paper-like wrap is made using a mix of different flours, eggs, and oil. The filling ingredients are chopped or shredded to bring out the best taste.
How to Cook Frozen Lumpia: Three Easy Ways
You have enjoyed eating lumpia in a restaurant, and now you want to have it at home. But preparing the dough and the filling seems like a lot. Don’t worry. You will find frozen lumpia in grocery stores, and all you have to do is take it out from the packet and cook it.
For those who love cooking and want to prepare the filling and wrap at home, there is a remedy for them as well. You can prepare the filling in bulk, keep the uncooked lumpia ready, and store them in the freezer. Then, just take a few out and cook whenever you feel like having some!
Here are some quick and convenient methods to cook frozen lumpia.
Method 1: Frying Frozen Lumpia
If you want to enjoy lumpia just like it’s freshly made, frying the frozen ones may be the best option. Frying the appetizer makes the outer shell crispy while keeping the filling juicy and delicious. Here are the steps to follow:
- Take a pan and pour oil in it enough to make the frozen lumpia submerge in them.
- Leave the oil to heat until it reaches 375° F.
- Now dip the lumpia one by one into the hot oil. Don’t put too many at a time. Two to three lumpia in a single batch will work fine.
- Cook the lumpia for 2 to 3 minutes until they get golden brown.
- Remove from oil and place them in a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- It’s ready to eat.
Method 2: Baking Frozen Lumpia
This method will be excellent for fitness freaks out there. If you want to enjoy lumpia but want a slightly healthier version of it, you can choose baking. Let’s see the procedure:
- Preheat the oven at 425° F
- Take a baking sheet and an aluminum foil or baking paper
- Place the frozen lumpia on the sheet. Try to keep a gap between each of them.
- Place the tray inside the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
- Take out and check if they are crispy on the outside or not. If not, cook them for three to five minutes more.
Tip: Do not thaw the frozen lumpia before microwaving. Doing so will make them chewy and soggy. Cooking it straight out of the freezer will keep them crispy and moist on the inside.
Method 3: Cooking Frozen Lumpia in the Air Fryer
Another quick and easy way to cook frozen lumpia is in the air fryer. The air fryer is again a healthy option to cook the lumpia. It requires no oil or greasing. Let’s have a look at the steps:
- Preheat the air fryer at 375° F.
- Once it is preheated, place the frozen lumpia into the air fryer. Again, don’t overcrowd the basket, and keep some space in between.
- Now cook the lumpia for about 9 minutes.
- After 9 minutes, take out the basket and flip all the lumpia.
- Put the basket back into the air fryer and cook again for 9 minutes.
- They should be nice and crispy. If not, cook them for another 3 minutes.
No matter which method you use, don’t refreeze the lumpia you thawed. If you have taken the frozen items from the freezer and defrosted them or cooked them, it’s best to consume them. Refreezing them will lead to bacterial growth, which is not healthy.
Some people also make the mistake of thawing frozen lumpia before cooking them. However, that is not at all required. To retain the right texture and taste, it’s best to cook them frozen. Thawing lumpia will make them chewy and soggy, which we don’t want.
How to Freeze Uncooked Lumpia?
We will tell you how if you have been looking for correct ways to freeze uncooked lumpia. These are a few simple steps to freeze uncooked lumpia:
- First, take parchment paper on a freeze-proof tray.
- Now place the lumpia one by one. You can coat them using some optional cornflour. People do it to prevent the lumpia from sticking together. If you keep a slight gap while placing them, there is no need to use the cornflour.
- Next, you have to wrap the lumpia using cling film. Make sure to roll them nice and tight so no air passes through the wrapping. Air will absorb the moisture making the lumpia dry.
- Now the lumpia is ready to go inside the freezer.
- You can freeze lumpia for up to three weeks using this method. After that, they will remain nice and moist if you follow the procedure correctly.
How to freeze cooked lumpia?
You can freeze cooked lumpia as well. Let’s find out how:
- First, let the lumpia cool down for some time.
- Once they cool down, wrap them tightly with a cling film.
- Now place the lumpia into a Ziploc bag or an airtight container.
- Now keep in the freezer for later consumption.
Lumpia Recipe
My mouth has started watering after talking so much about lumpia. So I am going straight to the kitchen and making myself a couple of these delicious snacks as I always keep some in my freezer. But before that, I thought, why not share my favorite lumpia recipe with you. So let’s begin…
Ingredients
- 2 cups carrots
- 8 oz mushrooms
- 1 green cabbage
- 2 cans water chestnuts
- 1 teaspoon diced garlic
- 4 to 5 cooked chicken breast pieces chopped or shredded.
- Cooking oil
- Frozen lumpia wrappers (take them out from the freezer and keep in the refrigerator a night before cooking)
Cooking Procedure
Lumpia filling
- Chop all the vegetables, carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, and water chestnuts into tiny pieces. The finer the chopping, the better. If you have a food processor, use it to cut the vegetables.
- Now minced the cooked chicken breast pieces. You can leave out the chicken for vegetarian lumpia.
- Take a pan or skillet, pour oil, and heat it.
- Now put the chopped garlic and add salt.
- Add all the vegetables and stir for some time.
- Continue cooking on medium heat till all the vegetables are cooked nicely.
- Add the chicken and give it a final stir.
- Remove from the mixture heat and let the filling cool down.
Roll the Lumpia
- Take out the lumpia wrappers from the refrigerator.
- Take water in a small bowl to seal them.
- Lumpia wrappers are very delicate, so you need to be careful while rolling them. Also, avoid putting in too much filling, which can also break the wrappers.
- Now take one to 1 ½ teaspoon of the cooked filling and place it on one edge of the rolling paper.
- Roll it until you cover the whole wrapper.
- Now fold both the edges.
- Dip your fingers in the water and run them into the edges. It will ensure that the edges are sealed nicely.
- If you want to keep them in the freezer, you can put them straightway into a Ziploc bag.
- You can freeze these uncooked rolls for up to six months.
Fry the Lumpia
- Take a pan and heat oil.
- Put the lumpia rolls into the oil and deep fry them.
- It will take 4 to 5 minutes to turn golden brown.
- Once done, take the lumpia out on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Serve hot with lumpia sauce.
Lumpia Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- Half cup white, apple cider, or rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
Preparation
- Mix the vinegar and garlic in a bowl and serve alongside the lumpia.
Tip: If you want lovely crispy lumpia, you must cook them in oils with a natural taste and a high smoking point. Frying it with low smoking point oil will make the lumpia taste of burnt oil. Some of the high smoking point oils are- Safflower oil, Cottonseed oil, Soybean oil.
Wrapping Up
Lumpia is a popular snack or a starter that people love munching on. You can keep it in the freezer for up to six months by applying the proper techniques.
Cooking frozen lumpia is also relatively easy, as you have already seen in the guide. Let us know in the comments if you found these tips helpful!
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