Turon (banana spring rolls) with dulce de leche

How many ways have we made turon? Let me count:

1. Cheesy turon
2. Turon with toffee and peanut butter sauce
3. Turon with bacon and cheese
4. Turon with chunky peanut butter
5. Turon with M&Ms

Except for the cheesy turon, everything else was Speedy’s idea and handiwork. My favorite to this day is the turon with bacon and cheese. There’s just something about combining sweet with savory that makes any food doubly wicked — wicked good, that is. And when that something savory is bacon, well, what’s good simply becomes over-the-top fantastic.

And my second favorite? It’s the most recent turon version we had. Speedy’s turon with dulce de leche.

To make turon with dulce de leche, just follow the usual steps for making spring rolls.

Two tips, though:

1. Use only half of a banana for each spring roll. You really don’t want the flavor and texture of the dulce de leche to get lost in too much fruit. In the Philippines, we use saba (Cardaba) bananas for making turon. If you don’t have access to saba, you might want to try plantain although I really can’t vouch that the turon will be as good.

2. Use cold dulce de leche. It’s easier to spoon it when it’s firm and not dripping. Once the spring roll touches the hot oil, the dulce de leche will soften and turn gooey but not thin enough to seep out of the wrapper.

And, as a final tip: You might want to sprinkle a little salt on the dulce de leche before sealing the spring roll. If you’re familiar with salted caramel, well, it’ll have the same effect. That little salt with heighten the sweetness but, surprisingly, make the sweet filling less cloying.