Candice's Cusina: Turon (Fried Banana Spring Rolls)

Turon with ube ice-cream

One of my favourite Filipino desserts is turon, a fried sweet snack made with boiled saba bananas, slices of langka (jackfruit) then encased in a lumpia (spring roll) wrapper. To me, it's best served warm with a scoop of cold ube (purple yam) ice cream.

I love the combination of the crunchy wrapper and the soft banana centre, a delicious contrast of textures. It's easy to make and adaptable to various tastes with endless filling variations like sweet potato, mango, coconut, mung beans, cheddar cheese, caramel, etc. Turon is a snack often eaten as a finger food. No wonder this sweet spring roll is a popular Filipino street food among kids and adults throughout the Philippines!

Boiled saba bananas

Jackfruit

I've tried using regular bananas in the recipe but it's best to use boiled saba bananas. Saba bananas are able to hold their texture and shape when you deep fry them. They're a hybrid of two different banana types and is usually used for cooking, though it can be eaten raw. Saba bananas are an important source in Filipino cuisine and has similar nutritional value as potatoes.

Though the name sounds Spanish, the origin of turon is likely influenced by the Chinese prior to the Spanish colonization. Similar to other dishes like pancit (Chinese noodle dish) of fusing traditional Filipino foods with Chinese cooking techniques. Turon is a tasty combination of Chinese spring rolls with Filipino bananas.

Did you know: Turon is a Latin word and rooted to mean "to toast". It's known as lumpiyang saging (banana spring roll) in Tagalog.

Turon is highly addictive so encourage that you may need to make a little extra as they get eaten up easily and quickly!

Tasty Tip: Make extra uncooked turon and keep frozen until you are ready to eat. No need to thaw either.

Ingredients
6 boiled saba bananas, peeled and sliced in half (or can be bought frozen in 1lb bags, defrosted and sliced in half)
12 small lumpia wrappers (5.75"x5.75" square wrappers)
4 pieces of jackfruit, sliced into 12 1/4" strips
2-3 tbsp brown sugar
1 litre organic canola oil

Preparation
1. Place sliced banana on lumpia wrapper, sprinkle with brown sugar then add a slice of jackfruit. Fold bottom and sides of wrapper over banana and roll. Seal wrapper over banana by dipping your fingers in water and running them along edge of lumpia wrapper. Repeat process with the rest of lumpia.
2. Heat oil cast iron skillet or a heavy bottom dutch oven. When water sizzles across the top of the oil, it's ready to fry the turon. Add 2-3 pieces, be careful not to over crowd the pot, and fry for 3-5 minutes or until turin is golden brown. Drain on paper towels and let cool for 5 minutes before serving with cold ube ice-cream, masarup!