• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Dinner By Dennis

  • Home
  • About
  • Breakfast
  • Appetizers
  • Dinner
  • Dessert

Pongu Lumpia Is The Food Of The Future (And Avatar)

May 21, 2020 by Dennis Leave a Comment

Pongu lumpia is a special invention made for the Pongu Pongu snack stand in Pandora at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. Pandora is from the Avatar film, and the park expansion is supposed to look like the alien planet in the future, where humans and the Na’vi are at peace.

So, we brought this future version of Filipino food with us. Lumpia is like an egg roll, and they are fantastic on their own. Here, instead of a savory pork and cabbage filling, they are a dessert.

These pongu lumpia are filled with creme cheese and pineapple. The curveballs don’t end there. The filling is still cold while the outside is crunchy and warm! I’ll show you how to make this happen.

Pongu lumpia dusted with powdered sugar

Making The Pongu Lumpia

This recipe can be made super easy if you use premade egg roll wrappers, so I decided to make my own for some fun. You have to admit, they came out looking perfect! I’ll tell you how to make the wrappers too, if you choose to accept this mission.

Making The Wrappers

This wrapper recipe is surprisingly simple! The only ingredients are: all-purpose flour, water, cornstarch, and salt. Mix them together, knead the dough, and rest it in the fridge for 20 minutes. This makes the dough less sticky. Also, it will be easier to roll out. Finally, form the lumpia wrapper dough into a snake.

Now, cut the snake into 10 equal sections. Roll each out into a flat disc. Brush with a tiny bit of oil and dust with flour. Stack the discs into equal stacks of 5.

Next, precook the pongu lumpia wrappers. This makes them more sturdy and easy to roll. Cook 5 wrappers in a stack at one time, just like in my cheeseburger spring roll recipe. Cook for 1 minute, then flip the stack and cook for 1 more minute. Don’t make them crispy!

What Kind of Flour for The Wrappers?

All-purpose flour works best here. Personally, I don’t think it matters whether it’s bleached or not. I would stay away from self-rising flour. That might lead to unwanted bubbles in the pongu lumpia wrappers.

Fried pongu lumpia, without the powdered sugar topping

Final Steps

First, fill the wrapper with a mixture of pineapple and cream cheese. I used fresh pineapple, but canned works as well. Fold in the top and bottom. Roll it from one side like a sleeping bag, wet the flap at the end and close it.

Once you fill all the wrappers, put them in the freezer for at least 2 hours. This is what gives the pongu lumpia that distinctive cool center. Whenever you feel like it, you can take them out and pan fry them for a few minutes.

The freezer should make the wrappers stay closed, so you can fry without fear of the rolls spilling open. If they are coming open, try frying them flap side down first.

After frying, dust the lumpia with some powdered sugar and they are ready to eat!


How Does Pongu Lumpia Taste?

People feel divided on pongu lumpia. You either love them or you hate them. I understand it. The hot and cold contrast in the same dish is surprising, but I think it works. I dare say it’s delicious!

The filling is creamy and fruity. You could leave off the extra sugar and it would be an appetizer, but it works best as a dessert with the sugar. Why are they made this way? They represent the future!


For another fried theme park recipe, try out my apple fries from Legoland! If you like eating things inside of other things, check out my dumpling guide with over 100 recipes!

Pongu Lumpia

Pongu Lumpia

Dennis
A copycat pongu lumpia recipe, inspired by the one served at Pongu Pongu in Pandora at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 3 hrs 45 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 4 hrs 15 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine theme park
Servings 5
Calories 402 kcal

Ingredients
  

Wrappers (Optional)

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup water

Filling

  • 1 cup cream cheese
  • 2 cups pineapple diced
  • ⅛ cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar (for dusting at end)

Instructions
 

Wrappers (Optional)

  • Mix flour, water, and salt. Knead and rest in fridge for 20 minutes. Roll into a snake. Cut dough into 10 equal sections.
  • Roll out each section into a 3-4 inch diameter disc. Lightly brush with oil and dust with flour. Stack the discs on top of each other in 2 piles of 5.
  • Heat a skillet on medium heat. Cook each stack of wrappers, one minute on the bottom, flip stack and cook top for 1 minute. They shouldn't get crispy at all.

The Filling

  • Take a spoon of cream cheese and spread it across the wrapper.
  • Sprinkle pineapple on top of cream cheese. Sprinkle sugar to taste as well.
  • Fold in the top and bottom of wrapper. Roll from one side to the other, like a sleeping bag. Seal with water along the edge. Repeat with all the wrappers.
  • Cover pongu lumpia and put in the freezer for at least 3 hours.
  • Take them out and pan fry the lumpia, starting fold side down, for about 3 minutes, then turn and fry for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat until all lumpia are done.
  • Dust the top with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 402kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 8gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 266mgPotassium: 188mgFiber: 2gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 648IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 3mg
Keyword cream cheese, Disney, lumpia, pineapple, pongu lumpia, theme parks
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
fb-share-icon
Follow Me
Tweet
Reddit

Filed Under: Dessert Tagged With: cream cheese, fried food, pineapple, pongu lumpia

About Dennis

When I'm not experimenting in the kitchen, I enjoy rock climbing and acting. Meme expert. Anime connoisseur.

Previous Post: « Cheeseburger Spring Rolls From Magic Kingdom
Next Post: S’mores Fries and Pizza Fries: Treats From Halloween Horror Nights »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Footer

Archives

  • March 2022
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019

Copyright © 2023 Dinner By Dennis on the Foodie Pro Theme

0 SHARE