Make your own lumpia shanghai sauce with this easy recipe! This recipe yields a sweet, sour, and garlicky sauce with an option to make it spicy.
Lumpia Shanghai Sauce
Just like any fried food, lumpia shanghai is almost never served without a dipping sauce. On ordinary days, good ol’ ketchup is enough but on special days we take it up a notch with sweet and sour sauce.
Have you ever thought about making your own sauce? Well, that’s what we’re doing today.
About this Lumpia Shanghai Sauce
- Has a perfect balance of sweetness and sourness. I don’t know about you but too much of both is never a good thing.
- Made of simple ingredients–sugar, vinegar, water, ketchup please a secret ingredient that gives the sauce an
- So…so..easy to make! You’ll be surprised how simple the whole process is and probably forget about buying store-bought sauce ever again 🙂
How to make Lumpia Sauce
Here are two easy steps to make your own sweet and sour dipping sauce:
- Place all ingredients in a pot then bring to a boil. When the sugar has dissolved do a taste test and adjust salt/vinegar/sugar based on preference.
2. Add cornstarch slurry and stir until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and let it cool before serving.
That is it! Easy. Peasy.
I told you it was easy 🙂
Serve
Serve with crispy fried lumpia or any of your favorite fried foods. I love this with breaded pork chop too.
Frequently asked questions
The homemade sweet and sour sauce doesn’t contain any added preservatives other than vinegar and sugar. The unused sauce should always be placed in the fridge in an airtight container. It can last for up to 2 months if stored properly in an airtight container and placed in the fridge.
TIP! To extend the shelf-life of the sauce, don’t dip any food directly into the container jar. Using a serving spoon, scoop just enough of the sauce into a serving bowl to serve with the food. Store leftover sauce and unused sauce in separate containers.
Try these next…
Lumpia Shanghai Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
To thicken the sauce
- 2 tsp water
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup vinegar (see note 1)
- 5 tablespoon sugar (use white or brown)
- 2 tablespoon ketchup (for color)
- 2 cloves garlic (grated or finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (see note 2)
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ tsp crushed pepper flakes (optional)
- pinch of msg (optional)
Instructions
- Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk all the sauce ingredients in a pot. Bring it to a boil over medium heat. When the sugar has dissolved do a taste test. Adjust salt/vinegar/sugar/pepper flakes based on preference.
- Stir cornstarch slurry. Add to the pot and cook until the sauce is thickened. Let it cool completely then transfer to a jar or serving bowl. Serve with lumpia and enjoy!
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Vinegar options – distilled vinegar, white wine vinegar, coconut vinegar, and rice vinegar (I recommend the manuka brand).
- Worcestershire sauce – can be substituted with oyster sauce if not available
- Storage and Shelf-life – the unused sauce should always be placed in the fridge in an airtight container. It can last for up to 2 months if stored properly in an airtight container and placed in the fridge. To extend the shelf-life of the sauce, don’t dip any food directly into the container jar. Using a serving spoon, scoop just enough of the sauce into a serving bowl to serve with the food. Store leftover sauce and unused sauce in separate containers.
- Note that this is a small serving recipe. Double the recipe as needed.
Easy to make; delicious to enjoy!