Pongu Pongu Lumpia

My first words were probably “lumpia.” Seriously. That’s how often lumpia was made, bought, eaten, and talked about in my house. It was just the way of life in the Philippines! So when years later, living in Orlando, when a brand new world named Pandora opened up in our local zoo theme park, a new lumpia was born! Pongu Pongu’s lumpia has a signature sweetness to it, and I knew I had to make it for myself! Disney Parks Blog was gracious enough to share the recipe, and with some modifications, FOOD ROCKS was on the case!

I gotta say - my homemade version ended up being better than the ones they sell in the parks. The secret was ultimately that wrapper - the lumpia wrapper made for Filipino spring rolls just hit and crunch different, and it’s worth finding it at your local Asian market freezer section!

Walang Anuman, RJ.

Pongu Pongu Lumpia

Serves idk like 4-5 people, depending on how much you’re craving a crunchy sweet treat!

• 1 box cream cheese, softened to room temperature

• 1 cup pineapple, diced, drained about 70% of the juice and liquid

• 1 cup sugar, another 1/2 on a plate to roll lumpias in

• 1/2 package Filipino lumpia spring roll wrappers (about 12 wrappers)

1. Mix cream cheese, pineapple, and cup o’ sugar in a bowl together

2. Lay out lumpia wrappers and form a small row of the filling on the bottom third of the wrapper

3. Roll the wrapper up, tuck in sides, and continue rolling

4. Use a mixture of sugar and water to seal the end of the wrapper

5. Continue to make more lumpia until all filling is done

6. Heat up about a cup of frying oil in a non-stick frying pan until hot enough to fry - check this by dipping the back end of a wooden spoon and see if it bubbles

7. Fry 2-3 at a time to not overcrowd the pan and reduce the frying temperature

8. Once golden brown, remove and let cool in a cooling rack

9. Sprinkle sugar (or roll in plate) immediately while still hot to caramelize sugar while cooling

10. Fry the rest of the lumpia and serve while still warm!