This version of fried spring rolls is new to me. I picked up the recipe from my mother who had learned it while working overseas as a cook. This version shares a few common ingredients with the Filipino lumpia, namely; shrimp, onions, and dried wood mushrooms. What makes it stand out for me is the use of a different type of wrapper. It is delicious when used in fresh spring rolls but it really stands out when fried.

Ingredients
200 grams rice vermicelli or sotanghon
100 grams chopped spring onions
100 grams finely sliced (julienned) carrots
200 grams dried wood mushroom or "dried fungus"
200 grams shelled shrimps
250 grams ground chicken meat
100 grams minced garlic
200 grams minced onions
Fish sauce (patis)  and pepper to taste

Procedure :

1. Sauté onion and garlic in a small amount of pork lard or cooking oil.

2. Once onion is translucent, add shrimp and mix well.

3. Once shrimps are cooked, add ground chicken and cook until slightly browned.

 4. Soak dried mushrooms and rice vermicelli in two separate bowls of hot water.

5. Once dried mushrooms are tender, drain them and slice into strips then add it to the ground chicken mixture. Stir well.

6. Season with fish sauce and pepper to desired taste.

7. Drain softened sotanghon and add to ground chicken mixture. Stir well and remove from heat. Set aside

8. Soak the stiff spring roll wrappers in water for about 5 seconds.

9. Place wrapper on a clean plate and scoop 2 tablespoon of filling near the bottom end.

10. Roll wrapper around the mixture securely and seal on either side. The wrapper will be soft and sticky at this point and will adhere easily. If not just brush it with a little water.

11. Set aside spring rolls.

12. Heat oil in a pan, there should be enough oil to cover a whole spring roll.

There should be enough mix to make at least 10 rolls.

This batch turned out quite well especially when eaten while the wrapper is still crunchy. Once the spring rolls cool down, the rice wrapper tend to soften up faster than local lumpia wrappers. I would recommend that you only cook a small batch for each serving. There is also a more elaborate version of the dip. The recipe for that easily available online, but some of the recommended ingredients are not that common in Philippine groceries.

I will be try using rice wrapper in lumpiang sariwa. I'll have that posted soon.

Ka Fredo