Crispy on the outside, and soft and gooey on the inside, these banana-filled treats are a favorite among Filipinos. The traditional recipe calls for deep-frying the turons and coating them in mixture of brown sugar and butter. You're in for sweet treat! Below is a step by step guide to make Caramelized Filipino Turons!
History of Filipino Turons:
Turon is a popular Filipino dessert made of thinly sliced plantains or saba bananas wrapped in spring roll wrappers and deep-fried. Some variations include jackfruit. It is usually served with a sweet sauce made of brown sugar, butter, and coconut milk.
The origin of turon is not known for certain, but it is believed to have originated in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. The dish is believed to have been inspired by the Spanish dish turon, which is a type of nougat made with honey, sugar, and egg whites.
Turon is a popular street food in the Philippines and is often sold by street vendors. It is also a popular dessert served in Filipino restaurants. You can find this dessert in countries of Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore.
Over time, the traditional turon evolved to include ingredients like brown sugar and jackfruit, adding a distinct Filipino flavor profile to the dish. Brown sugar became a common sweetener in Filipino desserts, while jackfruit, a tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia, complemented the bananas in turon with its sweet and aromatic taste.
What are Saba Bananas?
Saba bananas are also known as cardaba bananas "cooking bananas". They hold are popularity in the Philippines and other regions that are more tropical. Saba bananas are no typically eaten raw, and are primarily used for cooking due to their starchy and firm texture when ripe. They appear generally shorter and thicker than dessert bananas, having a stout and blocky appearance. Saba bananas also have a thicker, tougher skin that is green when unripe and turns yellow or light brown when ripe. When saba bananas are ripe they have a starchy and firm texture, with a mildly sweet taste.
My Inspiration Behind This:
I tired my first turon on a fine summer's day in New York City. It was at a well known Filipino restaurant and I was in love. All the desserts there were unique and amazing. I also had a coffee flan, which I definitely will be recreating one day. Add your email at the bottom of the post, to be alerted when that comes out!
I use be pretty picky with what I eat because I have a severe peanut allergy, it made it hard to trust and eat at new restaurants. Believe it or not, you can tell someone you have a severe peanut allergy and they'll still give you a random answer to your worries. After experiencing that meal, it made me realize flavors I have been missing out on all these years. Although I still get anxious when trying new restaurants, I wanted to be able to create turons for myself. Because the chef always knows what's exactly the dish consist of. I'm not a huge fan of jackfruit so I decided to omit that from my recipe, but go ahead and add it in yours if you take a liking to them!
Ingredients We're Working with Today:
Bananas - **saba banana are ideal if they are available to you. I didn't have them available to me so I used regular bananas to ensure I get a huge punch of sweetness
Spring roll wrappers - wrappers turn crispy and golden brown when cooked, providing a crunchy contrast to the sweet filling.
Dark brown sugar - adds a caramelized flavor and helps create a sticky coating around the bananas
Unsalted butter - for flavor and richness.
Water - to seal the spring roll wrappers.
Vegetable oil - used for frying the turon until they are crispy and golden brown.
Commonly Asked Questions:
What else can I add to these besides banana?
Jackfruit or mangos! It's traditional and common to add jackfruit along with the bananas in turons. Mangos are less common, but if you like turons on the extra sweet side you can add mangos to the addition or bananas. To commonly substitute the bananas, I would go with mangos, to get that same amazing sweet flavor.
Can these be baked or air-fried?
Unfortunately I would not recommend that. Spring rolls get a specific type of crunch when it hits oil that can't be replicated by being baked or air-fried.
How long do these store for?
Do to these being fried, I would eat them as soon as they're fried. Over time these can get soggy. I would not suggest saving them for the next day but if you do, try air frying it to get some of that crisp back!
Love Filipino Cuisine?
Check out my Easy Filipino Tocino with Garlic Rice Recipe!
Prefer to Watch? Click Here: Caramelized Filipino Turons
Caramelized Filipino Turons
Total Time: 15 minutes | Servings: 12 pieces | Level: Easy |
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Filipino
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Ingredients:
3 bananas
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of water
2 cups of vegetable oil
Directions:
1. Peel and cut the bananas in to 4.
2. Wrap each piece of banana in a spring roll wrapper, adding a dab of water at the end to ensure the wrapper stays sealed.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a pot until it reaches 350F.
4. Cook two turons at a time (1-2 minutes on each side).
5. While the turons cool, combine the brown sugar, butter, and water to a pan.
6. Boil the brown sugar mixture until caramelized (around 5 minutes).
7. Dunk the turons in the sugar mixture and enjoy.
Note: Traditional recipes usually include jackfruit. Jackfruits have a slightly sweet flavor that pairs great with apples, bananas, and mangos. I choose to omit them but feel free to add them into your turons. Saba banana are also best, but I only had regular bananas at hand!
Thank you!
I hope you enjoyed this post and give this recipe a try! If you have any feed back, please leave a message down below. I would be more than excited to read them or to answer any questions you have!
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