Cheesy Tuna Lumpia – An Instant Crispy Flavorful Snack

Cheesy Tuna Lumpia is a quick modern twist inspired from the Classic Pork-Vegetable Filipino lumpia. In this version, all you need is filling made of canned tuna, onion, garlic, eggs and cheese, wrapped in a lumpia wrapper. Fried into crisp golden bars. A treat that’s perfect for any occasion, from being a simple afternoon snack, to serving these as appetizer, or even as a quick lunch by frying these up then topping these over rice with sauce and veggies on the side to make it into a fill meal. Irresistible and mouth-watering cheesy goodness that’s sure to hit the spot!

Cheesy Tuna Lumpia Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cans (180 grams) tuna
• 1 small carrot (minced)
• lumpia wrapper
• 2 medium eggs
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 medium onion (minced)
• ¼ breadcrumbs (or crushed crackers)
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon liquid seasoning
• 1 bunch kinchay (chopped)
• ½ cup grated cheese
• oil (for deep frying)
• 1 teaspoon liquid seasoning (optional)

Directions:

1. Open the cans of tuna and separate the oil and the tuna flakes. Set aside.

2. Crush to crackers to make some breadcrumbs. Set aside. Crack the eggs in a bowl.

3. On a large bowl, combine the tuna flakes, onion, garlic, carrots, kinchay and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Add the eggs and mix until well combined.

4. Add a few drops of liquid seasoning if you want. Then, add the grated cheese and mix again. Combine a tablespoon of cornstarch with water to create a slurry. This will be used to seal the wrappers later.

5. Prepare the lumpia wrapper. Add one or two scoops of the lumpia filling and place it on one end of the wrapper. You may add a large strip of cheese if you like it super cheesy. Wrap and roll the wrapper and make sure to secure all sides. Seal the end of the wrappers using the slurry made earlier.  Do these steps with the rest of the ingredients.

6. Heat a lot of oil in a pot. Deep fry the lumpia until golden brown and crispy. Then, transfer them to a strainer or paper towel to drain excess oil. Transfer the cheesy tuna lumpia to a serving plate.

7. Serve and enjoy these with your favorite sweet chili sauce. Yum!

What is Cheese

Cheese is a dairy product that is made from milk, most commonly cow’s milk but also from the milk of other animals such as goats, sheep, and buffalo. The process of making cheese involves curdling or coagulating milk to separate the solids (curds) from the liquid (whey). These curds are then typically aged, salted, and sometimes flavored to develop a wide variety of cheese types, each with its own taste, texture, and aroma.

Cheese can vary greatly in taste and texture, ranging from soft and creamy to hard and crumbly. It is a versatile ingredient used in various culinary applications, including as a topping for pizzas and pasta, a filling for sandwiches and burgers, a component of cheese platters, and as a stand-alone snack. Popular cheese varieties include cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, brie, gouda, and many others, each offering a unique flavor profile and culinary versatility. These adds a unique texture and flavor to dishes. Whether it’s the creaminess of melted cheese over pizza or the sharpness of grated cheese on spaghetti, the variety of cheese types allows for different taste experiences.

A versatile ingredient that can be used in a wide range of dishes, from savory to sweet. Filipinos have creatively incorporated cheese into traditional Filipino recipes and street food, such as cheese-stuffed lumpia, cheese-topped spaghetti, and cheese-filled pandesal.

Cheesy Tuna Lumpia

Cheese is my only go to when I’m craving for some dairy. A lot of people asked me why I look for cheese instead of just drinking fresh milk. Well, this lady wants cheese! While it may seem funny, I buy the small Eden block of cheese and eat it as it is whenever I crave for dairy.

During this period, I want to add cheese in almost any dish or food item I have on hand. This is the reason why regular and quickmelt cheese is always on top of my grocery list. If some of you craves for chocolates, I crave for cheese! One of my top cheesy food items is the cheesy tuna lumpia. Aside from it being cheesy, this lumpia variant is very easy to make, especially as it only uses canned tuna as the main protein. This finger food can both be enjoyed as a snack or as an ulam. Yum!

If you wanna know how to make cheesy tuna lumpia at home, read and follow the simple steps below. Happy cooking!

How to Make Cheesy Tuna Lumpia

Cheesy tuna lumpia is just like any other lumpia, but of course, extra cheesy. If you have tried making any lumpia variety in the past, then this recipe will be super easy for you.

The most important part of any lumpia recipe is the filling. Fillings are more often than not, flexible. In this recipe, we’ll be making the most budget friendly and easiest protein to use – the canned tuna. Choose any brand of tuna you like. The first step is to separate the tuna flakes from the oil (Quick hack: You can use the oil as the oil base for fried rice!). To make around 10+ pieces of cheesy tuna lumpia, I used 2 cans of tuna.

I haven’t gone to the grocery much so I needed to improvise my breadcrumbs. Did you know that you can make homemade breadcrumbs when you crush your regular crackers? This hack comes in handy if you only need just a few portions of breadcrumbs. Prepare the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. You can use whatever veggies and seasoning you like. Adding aromatics like onions and garlic is a must. My hack to make this recipe as cheesy as possible, I mixed in some grated cheese in the filling and will be adding thick strips of cheese before I wrap and roll the wrapper. The best way to go is to use different cheese combinations. If you have the budget, use some mozzarella for that beautiful stretch!

After you make the filling, simply wrap on roll them in the lumpia wrapper. This may seem to be time consuming if you make this alone, but can be a good bonding activity if you do this with your family. The last thing to do is to fry these cheesy tuna lumpia until the wrapper is golden brown and crispy. The good thing about using canned tuna is that they are ready to eat so you won’t have any worries that the filling will not be cooked through. Aside from tuna, you can also use this recipe with other protein sources like chicken, beef, pork, tofu and other fish varieties.

I enjoy my cheesy tuna lumpia as a snack but I also love having it with some hot steaming rice or alongside pancit canton or bihon. Yum!

Other Yummy Canned Tuna Recipes!

• Easiest Tuna Pie
• Tuna Carbonara
• Tuna Balls
• Tuna Sisig
• Tuna Patties With Eggplant

Tuna Lumpia Recipe in Tagalog

Mga Sangkap:

• 2 lata (180 grams) ng tuna
• 1 maliit na carrot (hiniwa)
• lumpia wrapper
• 2 medium na itlog
• 3 butil ng bawang (hiniwa)
• 1 sibuyas (hiniwa)
• ¼ tasa ng breadcrumbs (o dinurog na crackers)
• asin
• paminta
• 1 kutsaritang liquid seasoning
• 1 bunch ng kinchay (hiniwa)
• ½ tasa ng grated cheese
• mantika (pang-prito)
• 1 kutsaritang liquid seasoning (optional)

Mga Hakbang:

1. Buksan ang mga lata ng tuna at ihiwalay ang oil at tuna flakes. Isantabi.
2. Durugin ang mga crackers para maging breadcrumbs. Isantabi. Buksan ang mga itlog sa isang bowl.
3. Sa isang malaking bowl, ilagay ang tuna flakes, sibuyas, bawang, carrots, kinchay, at breadcrumbs. Timplahan ng kaunting asin at paminta. Sunod na ilagay ang mga itlog at haluin ng mabuti.
4. Pwede mong lagyan ng ilang drops ng liquid seasoning. Huling ilagay ang grated keso at haluing mabuti. Paghaluin ang isang kutsarita ng cornstarch at tubig para makagawa ng slurry. Gagamitin ito mamaya para masarhan ang mga lumpia wrapper.
5. Ihanda ang lumpia wrapper. Maglagay ng isa o dalawang scoop ng lumpia filling sa isang side ng wrapper. Pwede mong lagyan ng isang strip ng cheese kung gusto mo itong sobrang cheesy. I-wrap at roll ang wrapper at siguruhing maayos ang pagkakasara sa lahat ng gilid. Isara ang dulo ng wrapper gamit ang slurry. Gawin ang mga steps na ito sa iba pang ingredients.
6. Magpainit ng maraming mantika sa kawali. I-prito ang lumpia hanggang maging crispy at golden brown. Pagkatapos, ilipat ang mga ito sa isang strainer o paper towel para tumulo ang sobrang mantika. Ilipat ang cheesy tuna lumpia sa isang serving plate.
7. Ihain at enjoyin kasama ang iyong paboritong sweet chili sauce. Yum!

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