Still making turon with strips of langka (jackfruit)? Too boring… try strips of cheese. Turon will never be the same again.
Turon is a spring roll filled with saba banana. As street food, they are sold along sidewalks by ambulant vendors who cook them on gas stoves set on rolling carts. Sold that way, turon is laced with plenty of brown sugar and filled with lots of langka (jackfruit) strips. Which makes it too sweet. Sickeningly sweet for my taste.
Substituting strips of cheese for the langka gives turon a totally new flavor. The salty cheese melts inside the wrapper and blends wonderfully with the natural sweetness of the saba bananas. That’s why it’s so important to use very ripe bananas. Semi-ripe bananas are too firm and lack the right amount of sweetness.
Use soft or semi-soft cheese, the kind that melts well. For best contrast in taste, choose salty rather than mildly salty cheese. And seal the wrappers very well to prevent the cheese from leaking out when it melts during frying.
Note that this is an updated version of a recipe I originally posted in May 11, 2003. The recipe is the same except for the addition of powdered sugar. That's Alex's idea. It gives the wrapper a shiny appearance and adds a layer of crispiness. Unlike brown sugar which is traditionally added to the turon filling, powdered sugar does not make the turon too sweet and cloying.
- 6 saba bananas cut in half lengthwise
- 125 grams cheese
- 12 large spring roll wrappers
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar optional
- cooking oil for deep frying
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Separate the spring roll wrappers.
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Slice the cheese into 12 equal pieces.
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Lay 1/2 banana on a spring roll wrapper. Place a slice of cheese on top.
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Wrap the filling. Take the side nearest you and start rolling away from you. Halfway through, fold side flaps inward and continue rolling. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water to seal. Repeat the process until all wrappers are filled (see visual guide).
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In a frying pan, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of at least two inches.
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Sprinkle the spring rolls with powdered sugar.
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Over medium-high heat, deep fry the banana spring rolls until golden brown.
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Drain on a rack.
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Serve the cheesy turon at once.
