Turon is one of the most popular merienda or snacks in the Philippines. When you’re looking for a healthy snack or a sugar rush in the afternoon, you could easily find this on street food stands or from street vendors.
Most Filipino eateries and restaurant have this as well, and it’s amazing how some turned these from snacks to delectable desserts like turon de leche and turon ala mode.
In this article, we will be sharing the most basic or original way of making turon. This will also include some important notes about the ingredients as well as some valuable cooking tips to help you achieve a tastier snack.
What is Turon?
Banana turon is also known as banana lumpia/ roll or lumpiang saging in Filipino. It’s basically bananas (plantain or saba variety) and jackfruit (langka) wrapped together in lumpia (egg roll) wrapper, which are then fried and coated with caramelized sugar.
You may notice variations in its length and its fillings (since some don’t add the jackfruit). Take note that it is served hot and crispy, if you didn’t get them like this, then it’s probably not fresh. So to make sure you get to eat the freshest turon, try making them at home. It’s really easy to prepare!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Banana
Saba banana (plantain/ cardava) is the variety that we use in making turon. Make sure you get the ripe ones, best if the peel just turned yellow.
Saba bananas are nutritious. They are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. They also contain other vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for your health.
Jackfruit
We usually use fresh ripe jackfruit (langka) but in case it isn’t available, you may also use the frozen or canned ones instead.
Sugar
In case you’re wondering, you may either use white sugar or brown sugar.
Caramel Syrup
The caramel syrup is my favorite part of the turon. To simply put it, this caramel coating is just melted sugar. See my technique of how to melt this sugar in the procedure below.
Spring Roll (Lumpia) Wrappers
Spring roll wrappers are thin sheets of pastry used to make spring rolls, a popular Asian dish. They are typically made from wheat flour, water, and salt, and come in various sizes and thicknesses. They can be found in the international aisle of most grocery stores or at Asian markets.
Make sure to use good quality wrappers. Good ones doesn’t break easily when folding or while frying.
Aside from the above-mentioned ingredients, you will also be needing cooking oil for frying. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
Cooking turon is straightforward. You will be needing a flat working surface (for wrapping) and a frying pan.
- Kawali (Frying Pan)- Turon is traditionally deep-fried and you will be needing a deep frying pan to accommodate enough cooking oil. The size doesn’t have to be large since you will be cooking in batches.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How To Make Turon (And How To Wrap)
Making the basic turon involves three major parts: preparing the filling, wrapping, and frying.
For our filling, we need to cut the saba bananas lengthwise and coat them in sugar. We then place them over the lumpia wrapper with sliced pieces of ripe jackfruit or langka. Refer to the picture for the proper placement.
We then wrap the filling with the lumpia wrapper. You may find different ways people do this.
Here’s how we do it: start by placing the filling at the lower area of the wrapper. We (A) fold the left and right sides inward, then (B) roll the bottom edge upward. You will then have to seal the edges with water so that it won’t open while frying. You may refer to the pictures below:
How To Wrap Turon (A)
How To Wrap Turon (B)
Repeat these steps for the remaining banana and langka slices.
Lastly, we fry it and coat it with caramelized sugar. You can sprinkle the sugar on each side of the turon while we’re frying them. But here’s a cooking tip: pour the sugar in hot oil first then allow it to melt. When you fry the wrapped bananas, the melted sugar will automatically stick to the wrapper giving it the perfect glazed sugar coat.
Remember to repeat this in batches. Another cooking tip: before you transfer your cooked turon to a plate, line it with paper towel to absorb excess oil.
See the recipe table below for the exact measurements of the ingredients.
Cooking Tips
- To prevent spring roll wrappers from drying out, you can pre-peel them and keep them under a damp cloth.
- To avoid the caramel sugar coating of your freshly fried turon from sticking to paper towels, it is recommended to use a wire rack instead when cooling them.
- To achieve the best texture for turon, deep-fry them in oil that fully covers them and maintain a temperature of 175 C (350 F). Above this temperature, the sugar will burn before the wrapper is cooked, and if it’s too low, the turon will absorb more oil.
Secret For An Even Tastier Turon
To whip up a yummier turon, try using minatamis na langka (sweetened jackfruit) instead. It’s really easy to make. You simply cook your fresh langka for 3 to 5 minutes in a simple syrup (sugar melted in water).
When Should You Eat Turon?
Turon is a normal sight wherever you go in the Philippines and it’s no shame to crave for it, but when is it normally eaten?
Turon is a common snack or merienda among Filipinos and it is often eaten whenever you go hungry between meals. It’s even dubbed as the pamabansang merienda or national snack of the country. It’s best eaten hot and when the wrapper is crispy.
How To Store And Reheat Turon
Over time, cooked turon tends to get soft and soggy. To make it crispy again, use an oven toaster or a conventional oven. Set the temperature at 175 C (350 F) and reheat for at least 5 minutes. In case you will be storing the turon, place cooled turon in a food container with lid and refrigerate. Apply the same reheating instructions when you take it out from the chiller.
FAQs
Can you freeze turon?
Yes, it’s best to freeze turon before frying the wrap bananas. Freezing will prolong the shelf life for 3 months.
Can you make turon with other bananas?
Turon only works with saba, plantain, and cardava bananas. Other bananas tend to get soggy when fried.
Aside from deep-frying, how can you cook turon?
Deep frying is the best way to make turon crispy, but there are other options in case you want to avoid the oil. You can try cooking it in a conventional oven or in an air fryer. You can spray or brush some oil around the wrapper to still get a crispy finish.
How to prevent turon from bursting?
To prevent the turon from bursting, don’t overfill the wrapper. Make sure you wrap firmly but not too tight and don’t forget to seal the edges.
Other Banana Recipes
- Easy Maruya (Banana Fritters) Recipe
- Banana Leche Flan Recipe
- Baked Maruya Recipe
- Banana Cheese Roll Recipe
- Milo Banana Cue Recipe
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Basic Turon Recipe
Equipment
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 6 pcs Saba (Plantain) bananas
- 1/2 cup Ripe langka (jackfruit), you may use more
- 6 pcs Lumpia wrapper
- Brown sugar, for coating bananas and wrapper
- Cooking oil, for frying
Instructions
- First, slice the bananas in half, lengthwise.
- Also slice the langka into strips, lengthwise.
- Place some sugar in a shallow container and coat the slices of banana with sugar.
- Place the coated slice of banana at the lower part of the lumpia wrapper together with some slices of langka.
- To wrap the filling, fold the left and right sides of the wrapper then roll the bottom edge of the wrapper to the opposite direction. Before completely rolling the lumpia, damp the edges with water to help seal the wrapper. (See images above)
- Repeat for the remaining ingredients.
- Heat some oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot enough put in the first batch of turon.
- Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of sugar on each side of the turon while frying. Cook in low heat to melt the sugar.
- When the turon is golden brown and the sugar has melted, remove the turon from heat then transfer to a serving plate lined with paper towel.
- Repeat for the next batches then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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