Lumpiang Sariwa

Lumpiang sariwa brings a cooked filling, a soft homemade wrapper and a sweet brown-sugar sauce together. Vanjo Merano’s selected version combines pork, shrimp, tofu and vegetables, with lettuce inside the wrapper and peanuts and minced garlic over the sauce.

Garlic and onion sauté in oil before the pork is browned and simmered with water. Shrimp and sweet potato follow, then tofu, cilantro, carrots, green beans and cabbage join the filling, which is seasoned with fish sauce.

Eggs are beaten with milk, salt and all-purpose flour, then oil is mixed in. The batter spreads across a greased non-stick pan and cooks until its upper surface dries, forming the wrapper.

Water boils for the sauce before brown sugar and beef powder are added. Salt and soy sauce season it, and a cornstarch-and-water mixture thickens the sauce before it is set aside.

A lettuce leaf lies over each wrapper, with filling spooned onto it before the bottom and sides fold around the mixture. The sauce is poured over the rolls, then crushed peanuts and minced garlic finish the plate.