Turon filled with Plantains, Jackfruit and Hot Brown Sugar
I met Monique Santua the night of Nora Chovenec’s 30th birthday party. As a pregnant lady with a penchant for pockets, I probably (definitely) ate more than my share from the giant platter of lumpia that Monique, aka Gastromoniue, brought to the backyard potluck. She noticed, and we started talking pockets. Monique mentioned turon, which I had never heard of until that night. Before we knew it, we were following each other on instagram and making plans for a lesson in rolling lumpia and turon.
Consider turon as the sweet cousin of Lumpia, the Filipino version of an egg-roll stuffed with pork and vegetables from the Philippines.
Photos by Mackenzie Smith Kelley
Turon is a traditional Filipino dessert made of plantains and jackfruit dredged in brown sugar, wrapped in rice paper and fried to a golden crisp. Brown sugar melts into sweet plantains and shredded jackfruit, making for the perfect hand-held tropical dessert.
Knowing banana and plantains look alike, you may think this version of turon would be sort of like a fried banana situation if you haven’t tried it yet. Sure, you could sub bananas for plantains and nobody would be upset about it. But this Filipino dessert is so much more! The plantains, not quite as sweet as your average banana, are the perfect match for the hot brown sugar and shredded jackfruit, which tastes like a chewy pineapple-flavored heart of palm (It’s really good!). Roll it all in a golden-fried lumpia wrapper and you have yourself a tropical hot pocket.
Read more about Monique here.
Turon filled with Plantains, Jackfruit and Hot Brown Sugar
Turon Ingredients
1 cup jackfruit, shredded
4-5 ripe plantains, sliced on the diagonal, about ¼” thick
1 cup brown sugar
Lumpia or Spring Roll Wrappers
Turon Directions
Set aside brown sugar
Lay out lumpia or spring roll wrappers on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying.
Coat two pieces of plantain and two small pieces of jackfruit by rolling them in a plate of brown sugar.
To wrap, situate your rice paper so it looks like a diamond instead of a square. Place the sugared plantain and jackfruit at bottom third of your rice diamond, with at least an inch and a half left at the tip. Take the tip of your rice paper and snugly fold it over the fruit, then roll it once, creating a small pocket. Take the two side points of your diamond and tightly fold them into your your pocket. Continue to roll the pocket, tucking the sides in to keep everything taut. Dip your finger in water and wet the other tip of the diamond to create a seal before completely rolling the turon closed.
Place finished turon on a tray or plate. Repeat Steps 1-4 until you can’t anymore!
Make sure you keep the sugar on the inside of the pocket, otherwise it will burn when it is fried.
Heat oil to 375F.
Fry turon until they start to turn golden brown.
Remove from oil and cool on a plate lined with paper towels.
“The bubbling oil will crescendo and after the peak, the bubbles will quiet down. That’s when your turon are done.”
Recipe by Mackenzie Smith Kelley with Monique Santua, aka @gastro.monique.
