Cheeseburger Lumpia with Burger Sauce
A Filipino-American party favourite: seasoned beef, cheddar and pickles rolled in lumpia wrappers and fried crisp, with a tangy burger sauce for dipping.
Method
Heat a 24 cm frying pan over medium-high heat, add the beef and break it up finely with a spatula as it browns. Once no pink remains, add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, mustard, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and cook everything for . When the liquid has almost gone, tilt the pan and spoon off the fat; leftover fat makes the wrappers soggy.
Add in this stepMinced beef 240 gOnion, finely chopped 60 gGarlic, minced 1Salt ½ tspBlack pepper ¼ tspYellow mustard 1 tspKetchup, for the filling 2 tspWorcestershire sauce 1 tsp
medium-high heatSpread the beef on a large plate and cool for , until just lukewarm, then mix in the cheddar and pickles. If you add the cheese while the beef is hot, it melts early and tears the wrappers when you roll.
Add in this stepCheddar, coarsely grated 80 gDill pickles, finely chopped 30 g
Lay a wrapper as a diamond and spread about 2 tbsp of filling in a line 3 cm above the bottom corner. Roll a little fatter than classic lumpia (about 2.5 cm), folding the sides in tightly so the cheese cannot escape, and seal the end with water.
Add in this stepSpring roll wrappers (lumpia wrappers), about 20 cm square, thawed 10Water, for sealing 1 tbsp
Stir the mayonnaise, sauce ketchup, pickle brine and smoked paprika together in a small bowl to make the burger sauce.
Add in this stepMayonnaise 3 tbspKetchup, for the sauce 1 tbspPickle brine 2 tspSmoked paprika ¼ tsp
Pour oil 3 cm deep into a deep 20 cm pan (no more than a third of its height) and heat over medium-high heat for , to 175°C. Turn the handle inwards, keep a lid nearby and pat the rolls dry.
Add in this stepOil for frying 500 ml
medium-high heatSlide the rolls in gently, away from you, and fry in 2 batches for each over medium heat, rolling them around. The filling is already cooked, so you only need the wrappers deep golden and crisp; if cheese starts to leak, lift them out at once. Drain upright on a rack.
medium heatLet them sit for 1 to 2 minutes, then cut in half and serve with the burger sauce. The cheese inside is extremely hot, so give it a moment.
Cook's tip
Beef with 15 to 20% fat stays juiciest. Swap the pickles for jalapeños for a spicy version. The filling must be fully cool to roll neatly without bursting, so it is handy to cook it the day before and chill it.
Cooking it at camp
Cook the filling at home, cool, mix with the cheese and pickles and carry in a sealed container. At camp, roll them and shallow-fry in a wide pan with 1 cm of oil over medium heat, turning, for 4 to 5 minutes. With the filling already cooked, it is an easy, safe camp snack.