Turon (Filipino Banana Spring Rolls)

Turon (also known as lumpiang saging or banana spring rolls) is a sweet little snack or dessert of bananas, brown sugar and jackfruit wrapped in a spring roll wrapper and fried crispy.

Turon with Brown Butter Butterscotch Sauce.

for some helpful tips before you begin, click here.

INGREDIENTS:

4 ripe saba bananas*
1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
1 cup ripe jackfruit (155 g), fresh or canned, cut into strips
16 8″ (20 cm) spring roll wrappers

*If saba bananas are unavailable, other types of bananas may be used. See TIPS.

DIRECTIONS:

1) Slice the bananas lengthwise and coat with brown sugar.

– Slice the bananas in half lengthwise and then slice in half lengthwise again to get 16 pieces.
– Roll each piece of banana in the brown sugar.

2) Roll up the spring rolls. (See TIPS.)

– Have a small bowl of water nearby.
– Lay a wrapper on a flat surface, corner toward you (like a diamond).
– Place one piece of brown sugar-coated banana and some jackfruit in the lower third portion of the wrapper.
– Fold the bottom corner upward over the fruit and roll snugly almost to the halfway point.
– Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water.
– Fold the side corners inward.
– Finish rolling the spring roll up nice and snug.
– Seal the final corner with a little more water, if needed.

3) Fry the spring rolls.

– Fill a deep skillet with about an inch of oil.
– Heat the oil to about 350°F (177°C).
– Fry the spring rolls until golden brown, turning over occasionally to get a nice even color.
– OR deep-fry in 350°F (177°C) oil until golden brown.
– Remove to a cooling rack or a plate with paper towels to drain the excess oil.

4) Serve warm.

– Serve while still warm and crispy.

– Try serving with a dipping sauce such as Brown Butter Butterscotch Sauce, Easy Chocolate Sauce (Recipe coming soon), or even Creme Anglaise.

How to store and reheat:

– Let cool to room temperature then refrigerate in an airtight container.
– To reheat, lay single-layer on a baking sheet at bake at 300°F (149°C) for 10 minutes.

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About this recipe

Turon has it all – they’re sweet, caramel-y, crunchy and fruity. They are absolutely crave-able.

Delicious on their own. Or eat your Turon dipped in Brown Butter Butterscotch Sauce, Creme Anglaise or with ice cream.

Get the kids to help you wrap the spring rolls and turon can be made in no time.

Tips:

Here are 6 helpful tips:

1) If serving with a dipping sauce, make the sauce first.

– Turon is best while still warm and at its crunchiest. So, if you are planning on serving your turon with a dipping sauce, make the sauce first.

2) Use starchy bananas, if you can. But regular bananas will work, too.

– Saba bananas are small starchy bananas. If saba bananas are not available, then use extra ripe plantains or any other starchy variety.

– Regular bananas may also be used. However, since they are not as starchy as sabas or plantains, they will be much softer after frying.

– If the bananas are long, then they may need to be cut in two before cutting lengthwise.

– I used the longer, regular bananas. Because they are practically twice as long as saba, I only needed 2 bananas to get 16 pieces.

3) Use fresh or canned jackfruit.

– Fresh jackfruit can sometimes be found in ethnic grocery stores. They are very large and may take a little effort to extract the flesh.

– Canned jackfruit may be more readily available in ethnic grocery stores. They are usually packed in sweet heavy syrup, so they will need to be drained before using.

4) How to roll the spring rolls:

– I chose not to use any jackfruit in this batch, in case you wondered.

Roll the turon nice and snug.
Be sure to generously moisten the edges with water so the turon will stay sealed during frying.
While rolling, cover the unused wrappers with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out.
If not frying right away, the rolled turon can be left at room temperature under a damp paper towel or plastic wrap for up to an hour. Or freeze.

5) How to freeze uncooked turon:

– Lay the uncooked lumpia single-layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
– Freeze for about an hour.
– Place the frozen lumpia in a freezer bag.
– Freeze for up to 2 months.

6) How to cook the turon from frozen:

– Do NOT thaw the frozen turon. If thawed, the turon may be mushy, soft and wet.
– Heat the oil in a skillet or deep fryer to 350°F (177°C).
– Fry the frozen turon until they are deep golden brown and crispy. (Use a splatter screen!!)