Cheesy Dynamite Lumpia sound like an explosion waiting to go off. The reality is much tamer than that, but eating this dish can give you quite a kick as the name suggests.
It is the Filipino version of Chili Cheese Sticks or Jalapeño poppers. It’s unclear as to where the dish originated, but it grew popular in recent years as a beer chow or appetizer. Street stall carts also sell this dish per stick. Its typical dipping sauce is vinegar with garlic or ketchup.
Unlike Jalapeño poppers, Cheesy Dynamite Lumpia use long green finger chilis. The spiciness of these chilis isn’t that intense, making it a perfect finger food for those who like a little spice in their snacks and pulutan.
Making these crunchy and cheesy delights isn’t as hard as it seems. The only tricky part to this recipe is slicing the chilis for stuffing. You have to be careful to not cut it all the way through since the stuffing wouldn’t hold and would only result in a big mess.
For the cheese, your typical supermarket cheddar is already more than fine with this recipe. If you want to take things further though, you can buy a nice mozzarella or even Monterey Jack.
The stuffing isn’t complete without the meat, of course. Ground pork is usually used, but you can also make it good with ground beef or ground chicken. If you want it a little bit healthier, you can opt for canned tuna. Put some minced tomatoes inside, and you have a refreshing, fried, guilt-less treat!
After putting the meat and cheese inside the chilis, the final step is wrapping it in a lumpia wrapper. For an extra crunch, you can also dip your dynamites in bread crumbs before frying.
Always make sure that your oil is hot enough for deep frying. Don’t make it too hot though, as lumpia wrappers tend to burn easily. Burning the lumpia wrapper right away will result in soggy, uncooked cheesy dynamites.
After cooking, you can serve this Cheesy Dynamite Lumpia as snacks or pulutan for your next drinking session. Not a drinker and just want to pair it with rice during dinner? Go for it!
Recipe
Cheesy Dynamite Lumpia Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g ground beef
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper
- 10 pcs green chili or jalapeño
- 100 g cheddar cheese cut into strips
- 10 pcs lumpia wrapper
- cooking oil
Instructions
- In a pan over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic until the onion becomes translucent. Add the ground beef and cook until evenly browned. Season with salt and pepper.
- Make a slit on the chili and remove the seeds inside. Use a plastic gloves when removing the seed to avoid hand burning sensation. Using a teaspoon, stuff each chili with sautéd ground beef and cheese.
- Put the lumpia wrapper in a flat plate. Place the chili in the middle of the wrapper. Fold sides of the wrapper then roll it tightly to cover the chili. Damp a small amount of water on the edge of the wrapper to seal it.
- In a pan over medium heat, add the cooking oil. Once the oil is hot enough, fry the wrapped chili for 3-5 minutes or until light golden brown.
- Remove from the pan and drain excess oil using a paper towel. Serve as an appetizer or even as main dish.
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