Dynamite Lumpia

Dynamite lumpia is a flavor-packed springroll appetizer that’s perfect for any party or get-together!

I’ll admit, I’ve never actually heard of dynamite lumpia until very recently during one of my Tita’s get-together celebrations. She had this whole tray full of this stuff mixed in with the standard lumpiang shanghai.

At first I thought its name was derived from the flavor-bomb that it gives when you bite into it. It’s meaty, slightly spicy, but with a mellow flavor thanks to the melted cheese on the inside. But looking more closely, it clearly did look like an actual dynamite stick, with the pepper’s stems appearing as the dynamite’s wick!

What is Dynamite Lumpia?

Dynamite lumpia is a variant of the traditional Filipino lumpia, mainly through its addition of green chilis and cheese. The chilis are essentially hollowed out, stuffed with the lumpia filling and cheese, and wrapped with spring roll wrappers before being deep-fried until golden and crispy.

Traditionally, the chilis used in the Philippines for dynamite lumpia is known as “siling haba”, which are light green, skinny, chilies. Living in the west, finding these are a tad more difficult, so I found that serranos and/or jalapenos made perfect substitutes.

And don’t worry, even though we’re using whole chilies for this recipe, the spice level itself is fairly mild. Removing the pith and seeds, as well as the addition of cheese, both aid in lessening the overall spice of the chilies.

Ingredients

Green chilies: Any green chili of your choice should work for this recipe, ideally ones that are longer and skinnier in shape so that they’re able to be wrapped completely with the lumpia wrappers. My favorites to use are either serranos or jalapenos.

Spring roll wrapper: You can purchase spring roll wrappers in almost all Asian groceries, mainly in the freezer section. This will give our lumpia that crispy, golden look when fried.

Ground pork, onion, garlic, celery, cornstarch, salt, fish sauce, black pepper: These are the classic ingredients to make any lumpia recipe. Feel free to substitute the ground pork with any other ground protein of your choice (e.g., beef or chicken).

Instructions

Prepare the filling:

In a food processor, combine together the onions, garlic, carrot, and celery. Pulse until finely minced.

Add the minced veggies to a bowl. Combine with the ground pork, garlic powder, onion powder, cornstarch, salt, fish sauce, and black pepper. Mix until evenly combined.

Prepare the dynamite lumpia:

Cut a slit through the centre of the chili. Using a spoon, carefully scrape out the pith and seeds until hollowed. Repeat with all remaining chilies.

Fill each chili with the lumpia filling and place a slice of cheese in the middle.

To roll the lumpia, fold one corner of the wrapper inwards and place the stuffed pepper in the centre with the stem sticking out. Fold the bottom corner to the center to cover the pepper. Then roll the entire pepper, tightly enclosing it with the wrapper, and sealing it with the cornstarch-water mixture.

Fry for 5-7 minutes or until the lumpia is golden and crispy and the inside is cooked all the way through. Let cool slightly. Serve with sweet chili sauce, if desired. Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might love some of these Filipino classics:

• Pancit Bihon (Filipino Rice Noodles)
• Bistek (Filipino Beef Steak)
• Chicken Adobo
• Tortang Talong (Filipino Eggplant Omelet)