Recipe: Bangus Shanghai

Filipinos love Lumpiang Shanghai. We love it so much that it has become an intrinsic part of even the simplest birthday celebration, especially ones where we prepare the dishes ourselves.

Lumpiang Shanghai is easy to prepare, serve and even bring along to picnics and outings. Now, that love for Lumpiang Shanghai has spawned many other variants, such as this Bangus Shanghai by Chef Jackie Ang Po.

For those who want a fish version, she simply replaced the traditional meat filling with shredded Bangus (Milkfish) filling, and here is that deliciously lighter alternative that is perfect for summer.
Bangus Shanghai

Ingredients:

For the Lumpia:

500 grams Bangus, boneless

6 cloves garlic

1 pc. small onion

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1/4 cup carrots, cut into brunoise

2 tbsps. green peas

1/2 cup California Raisins, soaked and drained

2 tbsps. soy sauce or oyster sauce

2 tsps. calamansi juice

2 tbsps. flour

1 egg

Vegetable oil

Cornstarch slurry (I tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsps. water)

26 pcs. 6×6 inch Lumpia wrappers

Procedure:

1. Fry the boneless Bangus and flake. Set aside.

2. Sauté garlic and onion in a little oil with tomato paste. Add carrots and green peas. Mix in raisins and seasonings (soy sauce or oyster sauce, and calamansi juice).

3. Once sautéed mixture cools down, mix in flaked Bangus, flour and egg.

4. Spoon 2 tbsps. filling onto middle of each lumpia wrapper, and wrap like a regular spring roll. Use cornstarch slurry to seal the edges.

5. Fry to enjoy or freeze for a longer shelf life.

For the Sweet Raisin Sauce:

1 cup water

2 tbsps. soy sauce

1 tbsp. vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup California raisin paste

3 cloves garlic

1 pc. Siling Labuyo

2 tbsps. cornstarch

2 tbsps. water

Procedure:

1. Mix everything, except cornstarch and water for the slurry, in a saucepan. Simmer.

2. Prepare the slurry by dissolving cornstarch in water. Add enough cornstarch slurry to thicken sauce.

3. Serve with Lumpiang Bangus.