My life in food....

Lumpia and Banana sauce

Lumpia is one of my favorite things to eat. Unless you're Filipino (or know one), you probably are not familiar with this word. It's kinda like a Chinese spring roll, only better. Much better. Lumpia means delicious. Tasty. Fried in a crunchy wrap filled with the most amazing combination of meat, vegetables, and seasoning. All of which are a mystery to all but the chef.
I remember begging my mom to make a batch of lumpia as a child. But it was always a rarity. Took too long to wrap and always made the house smell like a fryer, she said. But I loved that smell. I loved watching it crackle and sizzle in the frying pan as oil enveloped the thinly wrapped roll. She always put diced ham, cheese, and onions in ours. It's what made it different than any other Filipino lumpia. It was Americanized. Sometimes the stuffing would fall out in the pan while she tried rolling them over for even frying. Mom would always get frustrated that her hard work was breaking apart in a boiling pan of oil. But I loved it. I loved fishing out the stuffing when she wasn't looking; greedy enough for that fried taste that I would risk grease splatter for ham and onions.
Anytime we made it, we had to make enough to fill our freezer. It was a special occasion like no other -- spending hours watching mom roll them into tight little spring rolls, fry them 10 at a time, then lay them out like bacon on a paper-toweled plate to soak up the extra grease. It was heaven. Mom didn't have time to make lumpia very often, so we made sure it would last at least a few weeks -- all tucked away in ziploc bags in the freezer.
As soon as they were cool enough to eat, I would snag several from the platter and hungrily bite into one, the smell of fried cheese and onions tantalizing my senses. Lumpia has to be eaten with rice. And it has to be dipped in banana sauce. I call it Filipino ketchup. Banana sauce just sounds funny. Oh, and I forgot, you have to eat it all with your hands. No spoon, fork, or chopstick. This is the real way to eat lumpia. It's the only way.