Amelia Rampe teaches us how to make dynamite lumpia (dinamita) using jalapeños and American cheese.
Dynamite (aka dinamita, dynamite lumpia, or dynamite rolls) are a staple in both street food carts and Filipino potlucks. Filled with chilis stuffed with meat and cheese, the rolls are a step up from regular lumpia. They pack a lot of heat that's balanced out with savory ground meat and salty (often Eden) cheese.
Brooklyn-based Filipino-American food editor, recipe developer, and food stylist Amelia Rampe teaches us how to make her dynamite lumpia recipe. Although she was raised in a Filipino household with the classics (like adobo and sisig), Amelia didn’t grow up eating dinamita. But she recalls seeing it everywhere on a trip to the Philippines last year. She finally tried it in Boracay, and she loved how it was packed with so many things.
1 small shallot or yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 scallion
8 ounces ground pork
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
20-25 small jalapeno peppers
4 ounces cheddar or American cheese slices
1 egg white, beaten
1 package (11oz) lumpia wrapper
vegetable oil
Peel and very finely chop shallot or yellow onion until you have about 2 tablespoons.
Peel and very finely chop garlic cloves and scallions (both whites and greens).
Cut 4 ounces of cheddar or American cheese into ¼″ by 1″ strips.
Combine shallot, garlic, scallions, ground pork, salt, and black pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Mix with your hands until well combined.
Wearing gloves, carefully remove the seeds from the jalapeno. Working one at a time, on one side of the jalapeno cut crosswise just below the stem, do not cut all the way through. Then below the crosswise cut, slice lengthwise from the cut to the bottom of the pepper. Open up the jalapeno and cut away the seeds at the base of the stem. Remove the seeds and white ribs. Repeat with the remaining peppers.
Take two teaspoons of filling and roll it in your hands until it fits the inside of the jalapeno. Tuck it into the pepper and add two pieces of cheese. Repeat until all peppers have been stuffed.
Separate the lumpia wrappers. Place beaten egg white in a bowl.
Take one lumpia wrapper and lay it flat on the surface. Take one corner and fold it in toward the center. Place the stuffed jalapeno on the wrapper, stem side on the fold. The stem should not be inside the wrapper but poking outside the fold.
Fold the opposite end up over the jalapeno, adjusting to the size of the pepper, as needed. Fold one of the remaining corner edges over the jalapeno. Roll up and snugly over the pepper, toward the last remaining unfolded corner until you have two inches left unfolded.
Dip fingers in the egg white and brush the remaining edge, then roll to close, pressing to seal. Repeat with the remaining peppers.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. You need enough oil to reach halfway up the dynamite lumpia.
When the oil shimmers or is about 350 degrees, add dynamite lumpia to the skillet. Cook until deep golden brown on one side, about 2–2 ½ minutes, adjusting heat as needed if it’s cooking too quickly.
Flip lumpia and continue to cook until deep golden brown on the other side, 2–2 ½ minutes more. You can test for doneness by poking an instant-read thermometer in the center—the lumpia is cooked if the interior reaches 145 degrees. Repeat with remaining jalapenos, adding oil as needed, until they are all cooked.
Let lumpia cool 5-10 minutes before serving.
