Finger chilies are split open, stuffed with cheese, wrapped like spring rolls, dipped in egg, dredged in flour and deep fried until the wrappers are golden and crisp, and the cheese is gooey.
Cook’s notes
A delightful snack, appetizer or finger food. Savor the layers of textures and flavors of these spring rolls. With every bite, you get a wonderful crisp outer layer, a light crunch from the chili and, finally, soft and salty cheese that oozes into your mouth.
Why is it called dynamite?
This is a recipe from 2012 when these explosive parcels were simply known as cheese-stuffed chili spring rolls. I am updating the post to reflect the name by which it has become popular the world over. I am also adding more explanatory notes about the dish and its main ingredients. Who christened them dynamite, I have no idea. It’s catchy, I know, and really quite descriptive. The heat of the chili is like a bomb that explodes in the mouth. The stem of the chili peeping through one end of the spring roll does make the spring roll resemble a stick of dynamite.Why do I call it dynamite cheese lumpia?
In the Philippines, lumpia is the generic name for springs rolls whether fried or fresh. Dynamite lumpia is the generic name for stuffed chili spring rolls. The stuffing varies. It may be sauteed ground meat, ground vegetables, cheese or a combination of all three. In this recipe, the stuffing is cheese and only cheese.
Is dynamite lumpia a traditional Filipino dish?
No. Cheese-making is not indigenous to the Philippines, you see. So, dynamite lumpia is a modern dish likely inspired by the Mexican chile relleno.Finger chilies are used to make dynamite lumpia
In the Philippines, we call them siling haba. It’s bright green, five to seven inches long, with moderate heat. The closest substitute would be jalapeno.Tip for using soft or semi-soft cheese
What cheese is ideal really depends on the result you’re aiming for. Most people I know will want maximum gooeyness so the logical choice would be mozzarella. The thing about mozzarella is that it softens too fast and might ooze out of the wrapper before it has had a chance to brown properly. Is there a workaround? Yes, there is. Freezing. The key is freezing. Take your cheese, cut into sticks, toss in a little flour, arrange on a tray and stick in the freezer for about thirty to forty minutes before stuffing the chilies.Dynamite cheese lumpia (spring rolls)
Ingredients
- 6 finger chilies
- enough cheese to stuff the chilies (cut into bars small enough to fit snugly inside the chilies)
- salt
- 3 large spring roll wrappers each cut into halves (or use 6 small wrappers)
- 1 egg beaten
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour or cornstarch
- 1½ cups cooking oil for frying
Instructions
- Rinse the chilies and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
- Slit each chili vertically to create a pocket.
- Optionally, using a teaspoon or a blunt knife with a round tip, carefully scrape out the seeds and membranes. Sprinkle the inside of the chilies lightly with salt.
- Stuff the cheese into the chilies. Be generous.
- Start heating the cooking oil in a frying pan.
- Lay a cheese-stuffed chili on a triangle of spring roll wrapper and wrap.
- Dip each spring roll in the beaten egg.
- Dredge the spring rolls in flour or starch.
- Fry the spring rolls in hot oil (350F is the ideal frying temperature if you use a thermometer — I don’t) until golden and crisp.
- Serve your dynamite cheese lumpia at once.
Chicken, sotanghon and vegetable soup