Dynamite is a kind of lumpia that’s filled with cheese and protein, usually either ground pork or ham. It’s a classic Pinoy party food that’s often gone before the party even starts, as the kids steal a few pieces for a pre-meal snack and the Titos take it aside for their pulutan.
A creamy shrimp and cream cheese filling adds a rich twist to this appetizer. Inspired by Lasita’s shrimp and pork belly lumpia, we saved the shrimp heads and rolled them into our dynamites. It makes for a fun presentation and adds an extra crunch!
Assembling the dynamites
Deseed your chillies
It’s important to remove the ribs and seeds inside the chilis if you don’t want your guests scrambling for water once they start digging in. Cut a slit into the chilis and remove the ribs and seeds inside with a small spoon. You can use gloves for this step if you want to be safe. If you don’t, be extra careful not to touch your eyes. The heat in those seeds will make them burn!
How to roll the dynamite
While wrapping, insert the tip of the chili into the shrimp head to secure it in place. Then roll away! Make sure to seal the lumpia tightly so the shrimp head doesn’t fall out while frying. You can totally skip this step and leave out the shrimp head—but it’s a detail that will impress your guests, while also adding an extra crunch and a burst of seafood-y flavor. And it’s just fun! The shrimp looks like it’s in a little blanket.
No piping bag?
Using a piping bag is the easiest way to fill the chilis with the shrimp mixture. But if you don’t have any piping bags, a ziplock bag works too! Fill your ziplock bag with the shrimp mixture, and cut a hole into the corner of the bag. Then, apply even pressure to squeeze it out.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 500g shrimp, peeled, heads reserved
- ¼ cup minced spring onions
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 pack spring roll/lumpia wrapper
- 15-20 long green chilis (siling pangsigang)
- 1 8oz block cream cheese
- 1 cup neutral oil
Prep shrimp: Peel shrimp and remove the heads from the bodies. Trim off the whiskers from the shrimp heads and set aside. Finely mince the shrimp bodies until they form a chunky paste. Transfer minced shrimp into a mixing bowl.
Make shrimp mixture: Add minced spring onions, garlic, and sesame oil into the ground shrimp. Season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Transfer mixture into a piping bag or ziplock bag and set aside.
Pipe shrimp into chilis: Using a small knife, make a slit down the green chili. Use a small spoon to remove the white ribs and seeds. Be careful not to touch your eyes while doing this! Pipe the shrimp mixture into the chili to fill it up. Repeat with remaining chilis. Set aside.
Cut cream cheese: Slice cream cheese into half-inch thick pieces, about the same length as your chilis. Set aside.
Assemble dynamite: Lay a lumpia wrapper on your work surface. Fold the left and right edges of the wrapper towards the center, making sure the width of the wrapper is big enough to enclose the chili. Place your filled chili in the center, letting the stem peek out of one end of the wrapper. Add a slice of cream cheese. Lastly, insert a shrimp head into the tip of the chili. It should peek out of the other end of the lumpia. Roll the lumpia tightly and seal the end with water or a cornstarch slurry. Your lumpia should have a chili stem sticking out of one end, and the shrimp head sticking out of the other. Repeat with remaining chilis.
Fry dynamite: Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil reaches 350°F or 170°C, reduce heat to medium and add dynamite lumpia in small batches. Fry lumpia until golden brown all over, about 3-5 minutes per side. Serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauce.
