Chef-tested recipe
Fresh Filipino vegetable rolls with shrimp, soft crêpe-style wrappers and brown peanut sauce
Lumpiang sariwa is the fresh, unfried member of the Filipino lumpia family. A soft egg wrapper encloses lettuce and a gently braised filling of ubod, vegetables, pork and shrimp. The roll is finished with a glossy sweet-savoury sauce, crushed peanuts and raw garlic, giving every bite a balance of tenderness, freshness and crunch.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 12 servings
- Prep Time
- 55 mins
- Cook Time
- 50 mins
- Resting Time
- 15 mins for the wrapper batter.
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Cuisine
- Filipino
- Course
- Appetizer or light main dish
- Cooking Method
- Sautéing, braising, crêpe cooking and wrapping
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Best Served With
- Extra peanut-garlic sauce, calamansi, light soup, or hot jasmine tea.
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
- Wide sauté pan with lidpaid link
- 20 cm non-stick frying panpaid link
- Medium saucepanpaid link
- Mixing bowlspaid link
- Fine sievepaid link
- Whiskpaid link
- Ladlepaid link
- Chef’s knifepaid link
- Cutting boardpaid link
- Digital kitchen scalepaid link
Ingredients
For the filling
- Neutral cooking oilpaid link: 30 ml
- Garlic: 25 g, minced
- Brown onion: 180 g, finely diced
- Lean ground pork: 250 g
- Raw shrimp meat: 250 g, chopped
- Fresh ubod or heart of palm: 500 g, cut into fine strips
- Carrots: 200 g, julienned
- Green beanspaid link: 150 g, thinly sliced
- White cabbage: 250 g, finely shredded
- Unsalted chicken stock: 250 ml
- Fish sauce: 30 ml Shop paid link
- Freshly ground black pepper: 3 g
- Fine sea saltpaid link: as needed
For the homemade wrappers
- Plain flourpaid link: 160 g
- Cornstarch: 35 g Shop paid link
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 3 g
- Eggs: 2
- Water: 450 ml
- Neutral cooking oilpaid link: 15 ml, plus a little for the pan
For the peanut-garlic sauce
- Water or unsalted chicken stock: 500 ml
- Dark brown sugarpaid link: 140 g
- Naturally brewed soy saucepaid link: 60 ml
- Garlic: 30 g, finely minced
- Cornstarch: 40 g Shop paid link
- Cold water: 80 ml
- Roasted unsalted peanutspaid link: 120 g, finely crushed
For assembly
- Butterhead or green-leaf lettuce: 12 large leaves, washed and dried
- Garlic: 20 g, finely minced
- Roasted unsalted peanutspaid link: 60 g, finely crushed
Preparation Overview
Cut all vegetables into fine, even strips so the rolls close neatly. Wash and thoroughly dry the lettuce. Whisk the wrapper ingredients until smooth, strain, and rest for 15 minutes. Keep the filling ingredients, sauce slurry, garlic and peanuts ready before cooking.
Method
Heat 30 ml oil in a wide pan. Sauté garlic and onion over medium heat for 3 minutes.
Add pork and cook for 5 minutes, breaking it into small pieces. Add shrimp and cook just until opaque.
Add ubod, carrots and green beans. Pour in stock and fish sauce, cover, and simmer for 8 minutes.
Add cabbage and pepper. Cook uncovered for 4–5 minutes until the vegetables are tender but retain texture and excess liquid has evaporated. Taste for salt, then cool slightly.
For the wrappers, lightly oil a 20 cm non-stick pan over low-medium heat. Pour in about 45 ml batter and swirl into a thin circle.
Cook for 45–60 seconds until the top is dry and the edges lift. Do not brown heavily. Transfer to a plate and cover with a clean towel. Repeat to make 12 wrappers.
For the sauce, bring 500 ml water or stock, brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic to a simmer.
Stir the cornstarch with 80 ml cold water. Whisk it into the simmering sauce and cook for 2 minutes until glossy. Stir in 120 g crushed peanuts.
Lay one wrapper on a board and place a lettuce leaf across the centre, allowing the top to extend beyond the wrapper.
Add about 100 g filling. Fold the lower edge over the filling, then fold both sides inward and roll snugly while leaving the lettuce visible.
Spoon warm sauce over each roll and finish with raw minced garlic and the remaining crushed peanuts.
Beginner Technique Notes
Keep the wrapper heat moderate. A browned, crisp wrapper will crack when rolled; lumpiang sariwa wrappers should remain pale and flexible.
Cool the filling until warm rather than steaming hot so it does not wilt the lettuce or weaken the wrapper.
Drain the filling well. Excess liquid is the most common reason fresh lumpia becomes soggy.
Tips and Variations
If fresh ubod is unavailable, use well-drained canned heart of palm or add more cabbage and green beans.
Ground chicken can replace pork, while firm tofu can replace both meats for a vegetable-focused variation.
Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead and loosen it with water while reheating.
Serving Ideas
- Serve one roll as an appetizer or two as a light meal. Sauce the rolls only shortly before eating so the homemade wrappers remain tender rather than wet.
Storage
Refrigerate filling, wrappers and sauce separately for up to 3 days. Stack wrappers between parchment and keep airtight. Reheat the filling and sauce to 74°C, then assemble with fresh lettuce. Assembled rolls are best eaten within 2 hours.
Nutritional Value
Allergen Notes
Contains wheat, egg, shellfish, fish, soy and peanuts. Standard soy sauce may contain wheat. Keep separate utensils and preparation areas when accommodating allergies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is lumpiang sariwa actually raw?
No. The name means fresh lumpia because it is not deep-fried. The wrapper and filling are both cooked.
How do I stop homemade wrappers from tearing?
Cook thin wrappers over moderate heat, keep them covered, and avoid overfilling.
Can I prepare the rolls in advance?
Prepare every component ahead, but assemble shortly before serving for the best lettuce and wrapper texture.
What can replace ubod?
Canned heart of palm is the closest option. Bamboo shoots or extra cabbage offer a different but practical texture.
