While searching for recipes on Pinterest, I recently found out that turon is now called many things from “banana lumpia”to “Filipino banana crepes". For those unfamiliar, turon is a street food snack in the Philippines usually made of ripe plantain banana and jackfruit wrapped in a lumpia (egg rolls) wrapper then deep fried with latik (caramel). Much like banana-cue (fried bananas) and camote-cue (fried sweet potatoes), turon is a popular afternoon treat mostly sold on peddling carts with frying pans in the city streets.

By the way, check out my vanlife version of banana-cue or pan-fried cinnamon bananas and camote-cue or fried sweet potatoes.

I’ve recently been inspired by “Turontastic” from one of our visits to “Off the Grid” (a mobile food event) on Fort Mason in San Francisco. Aside from the traditional banana/jackfruit flavor, they also have choc-nut Butterfinger, banana Nutella and halo-halo flavors among others. Excited, I immediately started to imagine all the flavor combinations I can make! Oh, the possibilities are endless!

FYI… traditionally, turon has a caramelized skin by frying the sugar first then adding the turon once the sugar melted. For this vanlife version, I found this method daunting with a harder mess to clean up. Instead, after frying, I roll them in cinnamon and sugar. Others also drizzle caramel or chocolate sauce.

Pro-tips:

1. Saba Or Filipino plantain is best used for turon. Saba, when ripe, is naturally sweeter and softer compared to South American plantains.

2. Only use ripe plantains for this recipe. Unripe plantains are harder to bite into and tastes bland.

3. Turon can be served at room temperature, however, they’re best enjoyed when warm. Also, the crunchy skin will get soggy after a few hours so plan on making this close to serving.

4. Traditionally, they’re made with plantain and jackfruit but why not add your own twist? Play with different flavors as long as you stay away from overly moist fillings otherwise, the wrap will break.

5. It is best to incorporate soft filling like a jam or cream cheese with a sturdier base like oreos, crackers or fruits like banana and strawberries. Make sure the fruit is dry before wrapping. Lumpia wrappers are sensitive to moisture and break easily.

6. When using soft-textured filling like cream cheese, make sure to wrap it tightly on the sides to avoid seeping.

7. Traditionally, turon is fried with sugar that turns to caramel to sweeten up the wrap. For my recipe, I prefer rolling them in a sugar/cinnamon mix after frying.

Traditional Turon

Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Serving: 12 pcs turon

Ingredients

6 ripe saba or plantain bananas cut in half lengthwise

drained can of jackfruit

1/2 c granulated sugar

dash of cinnamon

12 lumpia or egg roll wrappers

2 cups frying oil

2 tbsp water

Directions

1. Separate 1 lumpia wrapper and position diagonally (like a diamond) on a dry and clean surface.

2. Coat 1 plantain in sugar and place in the bottom corner of the wrap with the flat side up.

3. Add a few strips of jackfruit.

4. Wrap tightly by rolling the wrap and folding the sides then secure the edge with water using a fingertip.

5. Repeat all steps until all 12 pieces are wrapped.

6. Heat oil on medium-high in a shallow frying pan.

7. Once the oil is hot, fry the prepared turon until golden brown approximately 2 minutes on each side.

8. Allow to cool for 3 minutes and roll turon in the cinnamon/sugar mixture while warm.

9. Caramelized option: place sugar in the oil first and wait until the sugar floats then add the prepared turon to fry until golden brown.

10. Also optional: drizzle with caramel or chocolate sauce and top with whipped cream.

11. Serve immediately.

Ube Turon

plantain + ube jam + jackfruit (optional)

Nutella Banana Turon

plantain + nutella + bits of toasted hazelnut (optional)

Honey Almond Cream Cheese Turon

plantain + cream cheese whipped with honey and roasted almond bits

Cookies ‘n Cream Turon

Oreo thins + whipped cream cheese with sugar (or honey almond cream cheese)

As I mentioned earlier, the flavor combinations are endless! These 5 flavors were made just by using what was already available in my pantry. Since our first taste of turon, it took me over 2 months to finally start testing recipes but hopefully, I’ll find time to make the next set of flavors sooner! If you ever get the chance, tag me @sweetsavorygrace, I'd love to see your own turon version! Cheers!