SM Eats | Vegetable Lumpia

Sometimes the best compliment to your rice is an appetizer in the form of the Vegetable Lumpia (Lumpiang Gulay), which is mostly a home cooked dish and sometimes offered in local food stalls in the Philippines. It can be just consumed as is without rice, which is ‘not normal’ to locals because they always have it for lunch. There are no ‘branded’ or even a convienient store that offers it in their menu, but can only found in local eateries or food stalls. But Save More Supermarket and other grocery affiliate under the SM sub-brand made their own food offerings in the form of SM Eats. It is their in-house food stall that was originally just a food stand that only selling ‘Turon,’ also known as Banana Lumpia that became part of their grocery.

Of course, Save More and their other SM Supermarkets started offering Filipino dish and that includes street food and other Filipino snacks. From their generic mass market groceries they started to incorporate something very Filipino with their version of a food stall that most commonly seen in the streets as ‘Carenderia’ (Food Stall) or 'Jolly Jeeps’ (their version of a food truck).

The Vegetable Lumpia is just one of their many dishes ranging from rice meals, appetizers, and snacks. Though their menu is limited you can see that they have steadily expand to incorporate these as part of their brand. Some SM Supermarkets even offer street food like Fish Balls and Tokneneng. But Save More Supermarkets is more popular with their Banana and Vegetable Lumpia.

Inside the Veg Lumpia

This consist of julienned or cubed vegetables with ground meat or shrimp in a thin egg crêpe that is deep-fried. A notable variant of lumpiang gulay is lumpiang togue, which is made mostly with togue, , which is made mostly with togue (mung bean sprouts).

Its origin is of both Spanish and Chinese influenced. Lumpiang gulay is a Filipino version of chimichanga. Despite the name, lumpiang gulay is not a vegetarian dish by default, though vegetarian lumpia, a vegetarian variant, can be created from the basic recipe.***

Standalone Snack

For those reducing carbs, a Vegetable Lumpia can be your only lunch, and it packs enough with two or three servings dipped in spicy vinegar. Rarely you’ll ever see street vendors serving variations of a Lumpia these days unless you frequent Manila or Escolta to find one seller with his basket wrapped in thick plastic to sell this crunchy Veg or even a Meaty Lumpia.

It is a staple appetizer or snack to have that you can make it your own or buy it at Save More Supermarket near your area or you prefer the genuine street food version that’s being sold in dense urban areas. But the one in Save More is enough to have regardless if it’s packed in a clear plastic bag or sometimes in a premium box the taste and the crunchy-ness stays the same.

Overall not all Save More Supermarkets have good space to have it for dine-in, and it is better to take it home instead. Though this depends on the distance where you’re from the freshness is not the same as having it out from their heated glass.

Not all Save More Supermarkets are uniformed how they pack their product as this one had individual boxes while other branches just put them in a clear plastic bag, and then put on a brown paper bag, which shows inconsistency with no uniformity about how their product is being transported if it is a take away.

• Food Quality: 4 out of 5
• Affordability: B+
• Overall: This is authetic and genuine Filipino appetizer, and the only concern is the inconsistent way of packaging them.

SM Eats: Vegetable Lumpia| Retailed at: ₱ 25.00 Pesos [$ 0.67 AUD | $ 0.42 USD]**

*** - Description Courtesy of Wikipedia

** - Currency Converter via Google.com