Lumpia in the air fryer

Lumpia - air fried on May 26, 2019

Most people I know who try lumpia end up eating them like French fries. I am no exception. Which wouldn't be so bad except traditional lumpia is deep fried. That's what makes them so good. I normally don't eat lumpia when it's just me. Too much hassle with deep frying them and, once I do fry them, you know I won't stop at just one, right?

But my mom gave me a few pieces of lumpia and, still being enamoured of said air fryer, I decided to forego the option of loosening my waistband with deep-fried foods by testing how they'd turn out if I put them in my air fryer instead.

I tried out the 6 pieces she gave me in the air fryer, at 370 degrees for 20 minutes, turning them over halfway through. I didn't coat the first 3 with nonstick cooking spray but put them in as is. Although they didn't brown evenly like they would if they'd been deep fried, they came out crunchy and nearly as good as deep fried. I say "nearly" because, realistically, nothing really beats deep frying. However, this came pretty close. The second 3 pieces I did lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray and that came even closer to deep frying.

As in close enough that, according to several of my friends who saw these pictures when I posted them on Instagram, this could be a game changer in the deep frying game. If you love lumpia but restrain yourself because of the deep frying aspect, this alone could be worth investing in an air fryer. Try Costco for a good one at a decent price. No, I'm not affiliated with Costco but that's where I got my air fryer and it's been serving me well so far.

Apparently you can also buy lumpia ready-made, either at an Asian grocery store or, if you're lucky enough to know a Filipino caterer who'll sell you a party pack, from them or a Filipino restaurant that does catering. But if you want to try making your own, here's a pictorial guide to making lumpia. There's also a link to an actual lumpia recipe in the blog post. Enjoy. And get more mileage out of your air fryer.