First of all I need to say, I LOVE eggplant, its my favorite food lol. I've loved any dish I try with eggplant in it. So today I'm sharing my Eggplant Lumpia Recipe for all my eggplant lovers and vegetarians out there. Who said you couldn't be vegetarian and not still enjoy the comfort of Lumpia haha. Here is my recipe, and pictorial on how to make my Eggplant Lumpias!
Ingredients
1 Large Chinese Eggplant
1 Egg - Scrambled
1 tsp Garlic Powder
3 tbs minced Yellow Onion (optional, but so good in it!)
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable Cooking Oil
Lumpia/Eggroll Wraps
Instructions
1. Preparing the eggplant: Rinse your eggplant before anything. Set aside and wrap your stove top (just the area you're going to use) in foil, but you don't have to if you don't mind it getting dripped on and messy! On High, lay the eggplant directly on (if you're using a gas stove, lay it over the flame suspended on what would normally hold the pot up, and if electric just lay it completely flat on the burner). Using a pair of tongs hold the eggplant across the burner and get an even black char on the eggplant's skin, remember to continuously rotate the eggplant. Make sure not to miss a spot, this step is very essential and is what gives it the real flavor. It takes some patience this step is not that quick. Once you feel like you got the skin all evenly black and burnt take off heat.
2. Gently run your eggplant under cold water. Then begin carefully peeling your eggplant's skin off. Be careful not to take any of the eggplant's 'meat' off with the skin. If you burnt/charred the skin well, this step should be a breeze. Once you're done, rinse the eggplant off with cold water lightly to get all the little charred crumbs off.
3. Place in a bowl, and remove the stem, making sure you get all the eggplant off, not wasting any attached to the stem.
4. Using a fork mash the eggplant, making sure you are separating and breaking down all the stringy pieces, your end result should look almost like a puree.
5. Seasoning the eggplant concoction: Take the onion and slice off a section, mince the section you cut off, and measure about 3 tbs and throw it in the bowl with eggplant. Add a dash of the Garlic Powder, and Salt/Pepper to taste. A little goes a long way with eggplant, so not too much! Add about 1.5 tbs of the egg (scrambled), set aside unused egg for later. Once you've thrown it all in the bowl, Mix it all together with fork.
Assuming you've already thawed and separated your Lumpia/Eggroll Wraps. You're ready to start rolling your Lumpias!
6. Lay your wrap flat on the surface you are working on, next to the eggplant mixture and the remaining scrambled egg.
7. With a fork, scoop up some of the eggplant and place about 1-2 tbs of it on the wrap like in the picture above. In a line in the corner of the rap, making sure not to get to close to the edges.
8. Take the bottom corner and fold it up, as seen in the photo above, covering the eggplant completely.
9. Fold the left corner in.
10. Then fold the right corner in, also make sure not to let the sides/eggplant be exposed and that the side are folded over completely.
11. From there roll it up to the top corner leaving about 2 inches exposed and hold it there.
12. Using your fingers, dip them in the remaining egg from earlier and run it along the edge of the top corner like an envelope.
13. You can now roll your lumpia all the way up, and be sure you put enough egg to seal the lumpia.
13. Set your rolled lumpias aside and repeat the process until you are done rolling all of them.
14. Put a pan or pot on Medium Heat on your stove, and pour your vegetable cooking oil in the pan or pot until there's about an inch from the bottom of oil (so the rolls can be partially submerged). Make sure oil is hot before putting the lumpias in there or else they will unravel in there.
15. Once you know the oil is hot and ready, carefully place you Lumpias in there.
16. Turn them over and rotate them so they get evenly cooked on all sides, until they are about golden brown, shown in the picture above. Take them out with tongs and place on a plate with a paper towel to soak up excess oil. Serve Instantly.
17. THERE YOU HAVE IT, you got yourself some Eggplant Lumpias. SO YUMMY.
Serve with, Sweet & Hot Sauce (lumpia sauce), Soy Sauce & Lemon, or Vinegar. Personally, they're so yummy that I just eat them alone with no sauce!
Hope you guys ENJOY this recipe just as much as me and mine did! Happy cooking everyone!
