Here’s Another Creative Way to Prepare the Famous Lumpia
The versatility of the lumpia is truly endless as food expert Nina Daza-Puyat shares another version of the well-loved dish
Lumpia—a beloved Filipino dish. Served during casual meals or grand celebrations, lumpia is undoubtedly a staple in every Filipino household. This dish is arguably one of the most loved food items in the country, with countless versions of it in various flavors, paired with different kinds of dipping sauces. With the flexible nature of this dish, it’s only natural for cooks to experiment with its ingredients and mode of preparation. Tossing her culinary know-how into the mix, food expert Nina Daza-Puyat shared with us her special version of the famous lumpia, made perfect even for non-meat lovers.
An inclusive alternative

The traditional lumpia is typically stuffed with ground pork mixed with minced vegetables. For those who cannot eat meat or prefer to eat fish instead, Nina offers another version of the Pinoy favorite. “I wanted to serve a no-meat option for the family one Friday of Lent many years ago,” she explains.
Additionally, the cookbook author also revealed how this was inspired by a popular Vietnamese dish, Cha Gio, which is closely similar to the Filipino lumpia. “I thought of the Vietnamese Cha Gio which uses ground pork and used that basic recipe using bangus meat. It also has the same elements like grated carrots, sliced wood ear mushrooms, and the vermicelli, which gives it a nice texture, added bulk, and also acts as an extender… It was an easy transition because lumpia can be stuffed with almost anything,” Nina shares.
Nina has incorporated vermicelli noodles into the filling, just like the Vietnamese fried spring rolls. In Filipino dishes, sotanghon or vermicelli is usually cooked as a pancit dish but this recipe gives us the clever idea of using it to extend or bulk up the filling by 20 to 25 percent.
An adaptable meal

When asked if other types of fish may be used for this recipe, Nina offers a few alternatives any home cook can try along with a few pointers to keep in mind. “I’m sure you can also use any kind of leftover cooked fish for this recipe such as tilapia or pompano. But it has to be a delicately flavored fish, nothing too overpowering. What also makes this dish unique is the dipping sauce, which is loosely inspired by the Vietnamese Nuoc Cham. If you want to eat it the Vietnamese way, you can wrap the bangus lumpia with lettuce, tuck in some fresh mint leaves, dip into the sauce, then eat it altogether in one bite,” the food expert says.
It’s beautiful how the culinary world continues to adapt and be more inclusive to various diets, without compromise. With enough creativity and curiosity, even the simplest of meals can be transformed into something everyone can enjoy, because good nutritious food should be accessible to all.
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