When does your weekend start? Like most Filipino families, ours used to start on Friday evening when the girls’ classes ended and Speedy picked up them up from the condo in the city, and end on Sunday evening when Speedy drove them back to avoid the heavy Monday morning rush hour.
But we have a new weekend schedule this school term. Both girls have classes from Tuesday to Saturday. So, while people go to work or school on Monday, we’re home relishing the last day of our weekend.
So it was that last Monday, we were food tripping the entire day. Speedy went out to buy spring roll wrappers then went on to make turon — which we like cheesy. But Speedy had more than cheesy in mind. He had this idea — an idea that he had been nurturing all week. Turon with cheese and bacon.
We’ve never had turon that good. Seriously. I used to think it weird when my girls talked about eating salty French fries with ice cream saying how well the salty and sweet, soft and crisp, went together. But, after relishing the turon with bacon and cheese, I kinda understood. Salty, crisp bacon bits contrasting vividly with the sweet and mushy overripe bananas. Then, the surprising touch of gooey cheese. We drooled. We had some for our afternoon snack; we had the rest for dessert in the evening.
Is turon with bacon and cheese difficult to make? Oh, no!
It starts with ripe saba bananas. Yes, just like traditional turon.
But you add bacon.
The bacon has to be fried and crumbled before it can be used as filling. You can’t expect the bacon to get cooked through and turn crisp once it’s wrapped. So, fry the bacon first.
While the bacon cools, separate the spring roll wrappers.
Then, you fill the wrappers as though your were making regular turon — but you add bacon bits and cheese. Lots of bacon bits and cheese, in fact. You seal the wrappers and fry. And that’s it!
- 6 very ripe saba bananas
- 12 large spring roll wrappers
- 150 grams belly bacon
- 150 grams cheese any variety that melts well
- cooking oil for frying
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Fry the bacon in an oil-free non-stick pan until browned and crisp. Crumble or chop into bits.
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Pour enough cooking oil in a frying pan to reach a depth of at least two inches. Start heating the oil.
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Separate the spring roll wrappers.
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Peel and cut each banana in half vertically.
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Place a banana half on a spring roll wrapper. Top with a slice of cheese and bacon bits. Roll to seal. Repeat for the rest of the ingredients (see how to wrap spring rolls).
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Fry the spring rolls in hot oil until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
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Serve the turon with bacon and cheese while hot.
