This is a spicy kind of lumpia made with green chili peppers stuffed with ground meat with cheese and wrapped with lumpia or springroll wrapper. A great appetizer or “pulutan” for those who loves spicy foods. It can be served as an appetizer or viand with hot steaming rice and of course with a dipping sauce. I think the name of this appetizer “dynamite lumpia” is already obvious because it is spicy hot and made with stuffed green chili peppers but sometimes you can buy them not spicy at all.
Sometimes it amazes me why some of those green chilies are not spicy and taste like bell peppers. And about the meat used in making the stuffing, you can either choose between ground pork or ground beef whichever is affordable and practical for you. I think you can also use canned corned tuna or ground chicken instead of read meat or just plain cheese sticks if you want a quick and simple lumpia.
Dynamite Lumpia: The Family Favorite with a Fiery Twist
When we were still growing up, food was at the core of our family life. Well, there was something being celebrated, and my Tita Maring would pull out her famous lumpia. She would roll these crunchy golden rolls stuffed with different ingredients. One version that I fell head over heels in love with, though, was the dynamite lumpia. It was spicy, cheesy, and had a perfect balance of heat to flavor. Tita Maring got the recipe from a trip to Bicol, where spicy dishes form part of the local flavor, and she loved the distinct kick from the green chili peppers in that lumpia.
I will still never forget when she first prepared those spicy dynamite lumpia for our family reunion. We were all waiting anxiously around the table as she was frying batch after batch. So, when Ricky, my cousin who loves everything spicy, took his first bite, the whole room exploded in laughter because his face was alight. “Ay, grabe! Ang sarap, pero ang anghang!” he exclaimed, reaching for a glass of water. But then again, though he could not resist reaching for another piece, despite the burning.
That’s the magic of this recipe—it is not just the spice; it’s the experience with every bite. Whether served as an appetizer, as a side dish with rice, or even pulutan for a late night hangout, it’s sure to be a conversation piece meant to brighten any gathering.
A Spicy History Behind the Dynamite Lumpia
Lumpia is one of those foods that the Filipino heart so dearly loves. It dates back to the pre-colonial days when Chinese traders introduced the spring rolls concept in the Philippines. Over time, Filipinos put their own twist on it, and the delicate wrappers were stuffed with a myriad of ingredients, ranging from ground pork, vegetables to seafood. However, it takes things up a notch literally, in the sense that the fiery punch emanates not only from the name but also the green chili peppers used in stuffing the rolls.
But what makes these peppers special is their unpredictability. If you have ever tried it, you know that some peppers are milder than others. My Lola Nida used to joke, “Parang life ‘yan, hindi mo alam kung kailan sasabog ang anghang! ” (It’s like life, you never know when the spice will explode!). True-this has sometimes gotten a pepper all its heat, then again, surprisingly mild, almost like a bell pepper in disguise.
Dynamite lumpia’s best part is there’s an element of surprise in every bite. With the stuffing, you can be as flexible as you want to choose something that will fit your preference or budget. My family usually uses ground pork, but we do make substitutions to ground beef, or even canned tuna when we want to get our lean-mean machine on. The healthier cousin of the family, Lani, has also tried it with ground chicken; it is just as tasty. You could even go the cheesy route with just filling the pepper with cheese for an easy, meatless adaptation. Whatever filling you prefer, this dish always pays off in flavor.
Techniques that Make the Difference
One of the things that make for dynamite lumpia is how you prepare the peppers. You will want to slit each green chili from stem tip and remove seeds and pith. This is important because if you don’t remove seeds, this can make the lumpia unbearably spicy. I learned this the hard way when I first tried making it on my own—my hands were burning from the chili seeds, and the final product was a bit too hot to handle!
But since then I’ve made sure that I clean out all the peppers really well before stuffing them. The frying of the lumpia requires the right temperature also. You need the oil hot enough to give that lovely golden-brown crust but not so hot it burns the wrapper before the filling is cooked. My Uncle Tony, who spent years cooking in a local carinderia, always said that was the secret: just medium heat. He’d say, “Patience lang, hindi pwedeng magmadali,” reminding me to wait until the oil is just right before dropping in the rolls.
This process will make sure that the wrapper would turn crispy while keeping the cheese inside perfectly melted.
Perfect with a Dipping Sauce
Dynamite lumpia is best served with a dipping sauce which complements its spiciness. My family loves sweet chili sauce for that perfect contrast between sweet and spicy. If you want it to be more creamy, adding some mayonnaise and ketchup is great. It really reminds me of the sauces they would serve with our food at home with our local eateries.
Sometimes, when we feel like we want to dress it up a bit, we create a garlic aioli to go with it—kind of an unusual occurrence, but the garlic really does much for it, adds a lot of depth to the dish.
A Recipe for Any Occasion
Whether one is hosting a party, piling on pulutan for an evening of debauchery, or simply looking for something new and exciting, This dynamite lumpia appetizer is never going to disappoint. The comfort-food lumpia is spiced into a fiery mouthful that really gets the taste buds rolling and growing. And with the simplicity of just chilies, meat, cheese, and lumpia wrappers, it is easy to prepare and even acceptable for a first-timer. Enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Just don’t forget to keep a glass of water next to you-you never know when it’s going to get hot in there!
How to Make Dynamite Lumpia
Ingredients
- 1/4 kilo ground beef or pork
- 10 pcs green chili siling pansigang or siling haba
- 10 pcs cheddar cheese slice into sticks
- 1 pc medium size onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 10 pcs lumpia wrappers
- salt and pepper to taste
- cooking oil for sauteing and frying
Instructions
How to make dynamite lumpia:
- Using a sharp knife, slit across the green chili from the stem down to the tip. Remove the seeds and pith by scraping using a small spoon. Be sure no seeds are left so that it won't become too spicy.
- In a cooking pan, heat a tablespoon of oil and saute the garlic and onion until the onions are soft. Add the ground meat and saute until it changes the color. Then add salt and pepper and saute until cooked. Transfer in bowl and set aside to cool.
- Stuff each chili pepper with the meat mixture. Then on a clean table or a large plate lay flat a lumpia wrapper and place a stuffed chili pepper. Place a piece of cheese on the stuffed chili pepper on top of the meat mixture.
- Wrap the chili pepper with the lumpia wrapper with the stem sticking out on one side of the lumpia. Roll the lumpia tightly and seal the edge with a dab of water or brush with beaten egg. Do the same procedure on the rest of the chilies and wrappers.
- Using a wok or a deep frying pan, heat oil just enough to deep fry the lumpia. Fry them in batches until golden brown or crisp, approximately 3 to 5 minutes in medium heat. Serve with sweet chili sauce or catsup mixed with mayonnaise.
Video
Notes
Cooking Tips of Dynamite Lumpia:
Remove the Chili Seeds Completely.
If there's no removal of the seeds and pith from the green chilies, the spice becomes overpowering. Make sure you scoop all of them with a small spoon; then it would not have too much heat that the lumpia may be manageable to one's taste buds without its spice getting too much.Tightly Seal the Lumpia Wrappers
The wrapper must seal up tight as the lumpia is rolled. It should not allow the fillings to fall out when fried. A dab of water or egg can be used as an edge stabilizer. It keeps the lumpia intact and does achieve a golden crisp finish.Fry at Medium Heat for Perfect Crispiness
Always fry the lumpia over medium heat so that it will not get well-done before the filling inside is cooked. This way, the cheese melts and the wrapper is golden brown without getting overcooked. What's interesting about frying is being patient because, when done right, it'll always be crispy and golden-brown each time.
