Dynamite? Why are they called dynamite cheese sticks?

Are you wondering why they are called dynamite cheese sticks or dynamite lumpia? Stick-shaped cheese pieces are inserted inside the spicy finger-sized chili before they are wrapped in lumpia wrappers, and then deep-fried. Seeing that little lumpia roll with its tail coming out on one end is interesting. It is like lumpiang shanghai with a tail.

Some say that the name is so because its shape resembles dynamite; others say it is because of the chili peppers and the heat it bring – or the impression of heat. It is very tempting to conclude that this is called dynamite because of its exploding spiciness from the green chili peppers, but read on, as it is not always the case.

Ingredients of Dynamite Cheese Sticks

There are only 3 basic ingredients in the dynamite cheese sticks:

cheese – cheddar cheese, gouda, mozzarella cheese, and edam are good choices.
chili peppers – I suggest either serrano, Anaheim, or jalapeno
spring roll or lumpia wrappers

Chilis used for Dynamite Cheese Sticks

There are at least 3 kinds of chilis you can use in this recipe: jalapeno, Anaheim, and serrano. I earlier said “impression of heat” because not all peppers are the same. Let us take a closer look at the differences between these 3 chilis. One of them would be your distinctive spice level.

Anaheim pepper is hot. Jalapeno comes second. Then, there’s mild serrano, almost not spicy, just has the aroma. Anaheim pepper has the most intense spice among the 3 chilies.
Jalapeno is shorter and rounder compared with the two, but Serrano and Anaheim are almost like twins.
Serrano is what I prefer. The feel of the melting cheese and the crispiness of the newly-fried wrapper is the initial tease, followed by the less spicy serrano, just a little kick of heat. Serrano pepper is also called “siling haba” in the Philippines.

How to Prepare and Cook Dynamite Lumpia

You can already tell that preparing and cooking dynamite cheese sticks is easy.

Wash your pre-selected chili with the stem intact.

Using the pointed end of a sharp knife, make a slit lengthwise and remove the seeds using the tip of your finger. Make sure to leave the tail end intact. I honestly do not worry much about stray seeds.

Spoon or insert your choice of filling in the chili. Close by folding the chili together, and wrap it in a spring roll wrapper, rolling it on a flat work surface. Remember to leave the chili stem unwrapped. This would resemble a little popsicle. Seam the edges with water or cornstarch-water mixture to close.

Deep fry in batches over medium heat until golden or medium brown. Drain on a wire rack or plates with a paper towel.

Serving Suggestions

Dynamite lumpia are best served as appetizers or finger food with sweet chili sauce or catsup on the side. Garlic mayonnaise is also a good choice of dipping sauce for dynamite cheese sticks.

This mini lumpia are best as party food; you can even take them to potluck lunches and snacks. They easily become everybody’s favorite party dish.

Cooking Tips for Dynamite Cheese Sticks

Make sure the cooking oil is hot enough for frying. If not, the lumpia wrapper will take much of the oil which would not be easy to drain.
Drain the fried dynamites vertically with the tails sticking up for a crispier result.
They can also be cooked on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the air fryer.
Dynamite cheese sticks are hard to resist. If you would, however, consume it after a few minutes or up to a couple of hours, l suggest leaving it uncovered to retain its crispiness
If you were to prepare dynamite lumpia ahead, keep them in a plastic box container in the fridge for a day, or in the freezer for no more than a week.