There’s enough banana lumpia to go around once you learn these two recipes
The turon appeals to many for its simplicity in taste, texture, ingredients, and preparation. Easy to make, it requires no special tools or equipment to cook.
Turon is trending. Among the reasons people are talking about it could be connected to a certain luxury resort in Palawan, where netizens have been poking fun at turon that costs as much as ₱750 per serving. Issues aside, the Filipino merienda deserves the clout. The sweet, crunchy, and satisfying, lumpia-wrapper-enveloped dessert is a favorite of many, and rightly so.
It has been said that this treat was initially introduced to Philippine communities near crop fields and banana trees. The fruit, a surplus harvest back then, turned up at makeshift stores by the roadside. This Pinoy snack is also linked to the presence of Chinese culture that predated Spanish colonization by centuries.
The turon appeals to many for its simplicity of taste, texture, ingredients, and preparation. Easy to make, it requires no special tools or equipment to cook. Apart from its uncomplicated preparation, the caramelized banana roll is also fun to reinvent.
Here are two recipes if you want to whip up some turon at home, for your family and friends, or for afternoon snacks. There’s one recipe for a tight budget and one that could be worth ₱750 a pop.
Turon
A classic that never fails, this is the traditional deep-fried banana roll one usually finds on roadsides and kiosks. This easy-to-follow recipe gives you fresh turon in half an hour or less.
Ingredients
Lumpia wrappers
Saba bananas (ripe, sliced into lengths)
Langka (ripe or preserved, sliced into lengths)
Brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
Oil
Procedure
- Lay two lumpia wrappers on top of each other.
- Toss saba and langka on brown sugar.
- Place three to four lengths of saba and two to three lengths of langka horizontally in the middle of the turon wrapper. Pack them tightly.
- Fold the wrapper over the fruit, fold the sides in, then roll it up.
- Wet the lumpia wrapper flap with egg to seal.
- Place a pot of oil on your stove and bring it up to 350F/175C.
- Fry each piece till the wrapper turns golden brown
- Pat with a paper towel and serve.
*****
Tùrón
Turon with a fancy treatment. Chances are you’ve never tried this before. Artisanal salt cuts through the sweetness, but just enough to have one hooked.
Ingredients
Lumpia wrappers
Saba bananas (ripe, sliced into lengths)
Langka (ripe, sliced into lengths)
White Tikoy (sliced into lengths)
Ube halaya
Anko (red bean paste)
Brandy
Brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
Potato starch
Sesame seeds (toasted, cooled)
Oil
Sesame oil
Gold sheet
Asin tibuok/Boholano artisanal sea salt
Procedure
- Steep langka in brandy overnight, then drain thoroughly. Set aside
- Mix two tablespoons of brown sugar and a tablespoon of potato starch into a cup of toasted sesame seeds to make the dredging. Set aside.
- Beat a teaspoon of sesame oil into the eggs. Set aside.
- Lay two lumpia wrappers on top of each other.
- Place three lengths of saba, two lengths of langka, and one length of tikoy horizontally in the middle of the turon wrapper.
- Smear a third teaspoon of anko and ube halaya each on the fruit.
- Pack tightly.
- Fold the wrapper over the filling, fold the sides in, then roll it up.
- Wet the lumpia wrapper flap with egg to seal.
- Place a pot of oil on your stove and bring it up to 350F/175C.
- Fry each piece till the wrapper turns to a light golden brown color.
- Let the turon cool for 15 minutes.
- Dip each turon into the egg mixture before rolling it in the sesame seed dredging.
- Re-fry each turon till the sesame seeds turn golden brown.
- Pat with a paper towel.
- Wrap each turon with a strip of edible gold sheet. Make sure to place it a fourth way from either top or bottom to make it resemble the seal on a cigar.
- Arrange the turon pieces on a wooden plate lined with a banana leaf.
- Serve with a caramel dipping sauce garnished with a pinch of asin tibuok.