There are few snacks or desserts that enjoy more than banana turon. This is definitely on my Top 5 list. We purchased a huge langka (for PHP250 or so) from a Batangas roadside stall (note, NOT overpriced Tagaytay fruit highway robber stalls) on 
the ride back from the Holy Week holiday at the beach. We waited a day or two until it reached its peak ripeness and split it open and savored the pungent and unique aroma that I have to believe is an acquired smell. We split up the “meat,†removing the seeds and sent it home with staff or to neighbors. I understand the seeds should be boiled but I have never done that so in this case, they were chucked into the garbage. After the “distribution†of langka bounty, there was still two large ziplock bags of the fruit left and that went into the freezer. If you have never tasted pieces of frozen langka (jackfruit), you are missing a spectacular sensory and taste sensation. The half-frozen, slightly crunchy and oddly chewy fruit hits your tongue cold but rapidly defrosts and you get the unique flavor as you chew it… And if you want to dress it up a little, friends of ours introduced us to cold langka drizzled with brandy or rhum, it is SUPERB!
At any rate, a few days later, I came across a terrific looking bunch 
of saba bananas which were incredibly large and robust but a whopping PHP5 each. The natural outcome of terrific saba bananas and some langka? Banana and langka (jackfruit) turon, of course. To make, buy some pre-made lumpia (spring roll) wrappers at the market or grocery. Carefully take the layers of lumpia wrapper apart. Next, slice the just under-ripe saba (or plantain) bananas into long strips, about the size of a very thin cigar. Wrap the banana together with thin strips of jackfruit in the lumpia wrapper. There are many ways of doing this…ending up with short stubby and small turon, or long deconstructed, open-ended turon like the ones in these photographs. Seal the end of the wrapper with a touch of water if necessary. Heat up some vegetable oil in a pan and fry the wrapped bananas until crisp and an appetizing golden color.
Drain excess grease on paper towels and serve hot. Though if you bite into these a minute or two after cooking them you are probably going to burn your lips and 
tongue when that little strip of painfully hot langka slips out at a temperature that seems to approximate the hot oil it was cooked in. If you want to go over the top, serve with a shortcut dulce de leche, recipe here. I can easily eat 6-8 of these long thin turon in one sitting. That’s an outrageous amount of calories, but absolutely delicious. Personally, I think I still prefer the turon without the strips of langka. The strips of jackfruit add sweetness and a unique flavor but I find it has an aftertaste that I sometimes dislike. Nevertheless either with or without jackfruit, this is a favorite snack in our household…
40 Responses
turon ang paboritong ko.
I, for one love turon saba and langka with dulce de leche on the side am in heaven and a cup of tsokolateng batirol! I never try langka showered with rum or brandy. Something to try in the near future. Our very own saba banana variety is like the carabao variety of mangoes they are unparalleled in texture and flavor that makes every daughter and son of our Motherland come back and savor them. They are the greatest bounty our fertile land produce. Saba is the workhorse of our banana varieties.
Thailand and Vietnam have langka chips which are good.
how i miss the filipino version of turon and langka back home. whenever i make it here, the taste somehow is not quite the same. the plantain lacks sweetness and the wrapper is too thick. too bad they don’t have the light and thin wrapper available just like the one the sell back home. anyhow, whenever i feel homesick, i’ll make my turon and langka combo the same old-with brown and sugar and a dust of icing sugar on top after i fry them! it’s really great for afternoon snack!
Aaarrgghhh!!! This post made me homesick all the more! I miss turon with langka! The plaintain here does not come close to our local saba… and the jackfruits (in can or frozen) here dont even come close to the natural sweetness of ours over there. I also like sweetened saba con yelo and evaporated milk. Yum!!!
I too like frozen langka and I love turon. I thought it was just me who finds some dislike of the after taste with turon and langka. It all changed though with a version our cook came up with after I told her of the after taste. What our cook do is to make the langka into a preserve-tender strips soaked in syrup. This is what she adds paired with thin slices of saba and some brown sugar. It taste so good and oddly different than using uncooked ripe langka. Try some frozen langka (half thawed) drizzled with hot zabaglione, it is so good too.
sometimes we make minatamis na langka and store it in the fridge. . . I just hate it when they put an open langka in the fridge, everything in it will taste like langka. . . when I was a kid i was confined in the hospital for indigestion of eating too much langka. . . hehehe
I think the secret to good turon is also the wrapper. It’s disappointing that I couldn’t find good wrapper in the market. They tear easily and when cooked gets soggy easily. I used to buy newly cooked wrapper in the province… as in cooked before my eyes. THAT is one good wrapper worthy of delicious turon! It’s a favorite in our home. Try dipping the bananas in Bailey’s cream (but you got to have really good wrapper so it won’t get soggy) or add cinnamon for a gourmet turon. I still prefer fresh, firm langka in my turon while my kids love mango strips.
dhayl, you need patience with plaintain. let them sit for several days until black and soft. they turn sweeter than saba which i slice and pan fry in butter. absolutely yummy! this is what i do when i’m back in the US and can’t find saba. haven’t tried them with turon though.
MM, i was in Guam last Feb. and got in touch with Santos of the Scent of green bananas as to where to get turon. she introduced her coworker’s uncle who makes the best turons. apparently the uncle uses quite ripen sabas which i have never considered. (i’ve always used firm bananas.) the turons are utterly delicious! i ordered 25 pieces and now wished ordered 50. the turons are sitting in my freezer and heated up in the toaster oven on demand.
i maui, when my sister can find langka, she freezes most of it and frozen is how we have come to prefer eating langka. the seeds are boiled in salted water and snacked on.
Like everyone else, I love turon with or without langka (I have to content myself with the canned langka though, which is not quite the same as fresh). I remember eating boiled langka seeds until my lips would get chapped from all the salt! Yummy!
Another way of making turon is to dredge the saba banana thoroughly in white sugar before wrapping it, then let them stand for an hour to sweat before deep frying. Your turon will come out glazed with caramelized sugar, it also makes the wrapper crispy for a day or two. Try it, you’ll love the result.
This is my dd’s absolute favorite Pinoy dessert/snack/sweet. And it’s not turon (for me anyway) without the langka!
But oi. I can’t believe you threw away those seeds. Good eating! Tsk tsk!
Yum. Brings me back to UP. Eating turon in the parking lot in front of Palma Hall.
Thanks.
I’m with you here, I prefer unadulterated banana turon. But I prefer the banana to be ripe, well actually here we have to settle with ripe plantains …no saba boohooo. I like lanka ice cream and just plain lanka.
Those turon looks so good and yummy!
My officemate and I were just talking about turon last night. She said that sometime back, she got to sample mini-turon (like lumpiang shanghai, I believe), and I think it’s a brilliant idea, because with its size, it’s easier to eat.
We have a very prolific langka tree in our yard; I can’t stand it though—I think it’s the scent.
Hi MM! We were on our way home from an overnite stay in Bataan when a friend spotted some langka by a roadside store. The driver refused to let the langka board the van because according to him, it will cause our tires to be flat! He told us to poke the fruit with a stick (think lechon-style langka!) and he will then agree to let the langka inside the van. Of course my friend refused, as he wants his langka to be intact when he gives it to his parents. So the driver mumbled and grumbled all the way to Manila. And when the van reached T.M. Kalaw in Manila, the unthinkable happened! We had a flat tire! The driver kept on giving us his “i-told-you-so stare as he changed the tires :)
Langka seeds actually when boiled taste like sweet potato or some says like castañas. Well I must say your turon looks perfect not overly cooked and look so crispy. I have to find one here in Eastwood hehehe!
Back in college, there was this roadside stall in Malvar a few steps shy of PWU that had the most delish caramelized turon. I grew up on turon, but never had anything quite like it; it had become my turon benchmark ever since…
sometimes we tuck in a strip of salty cheese for another layer of flavor..sarap din!
Ah, please don’t throw the seeds the next time. They make for great snacks.
hmmm… looks like i’m going out to buy some saba and lumpia wrappers later!
I want some now!!!! I’ve been craving turon the last few days =( but I’ve been too lazy to cook. I agree, turon is better without the langka =)
Love langka! And you are so right…fresh from the freezer it is amazing! Mmmm…I even like their strange smell :)
MM,
YOU THREW AWAY THE SEEDS??!! Groan! For me that is the best part of the langka. Yup, I’m a boiled seed addict. Especially when it is cooked right, not too soft, not to hard. I can sit the whole afternoon and peel & eat the seeds away. :)
the langka/saba turon is delish. though it’s been ages since i had it last. i do remember the seeds to be really good. i luv the nutty flavor.
my favorite pinoy merienda!! i was just recently in LA visiting relatives and my tita had cooked such great tasting turon. its been more than 2 years since i last went home to Manila that’s why its such a treat eating that golden brown, not too sweet but definitely yummy turon!!!! nag-crave tuloy ako bigla for that!!! waaah!!
Hey Marketman,
Let’s put it up another notch like Emerile Lagasse says (a famous New Orleans Celebrity Chef), before wrapping up the turon right after you lay the slice banana, then the strips of langka, sprinkle it with medium brown sugar and a touch of cinnamon and Whoa. Perhaps serve it with two scoop vanilla ice cream or any of your favorite flavor and a drizzle of hershey chocolate syrup. Oh Uh time out,where is my glucose meter. Give me plenty of cold water to wash it down or nicely brewed jasmine tea. So heavenly.
Hahaha! We did the same thing coming back from Batangas a few weeks ago. We stopped by the roadside before Tagaytay cause my dad said we would get a better deal on the lanka. Since the SUV was full, DH had to hold the langka in the front seat in between his feet! Price to pay, in order to enjoy fresh langka for the next few days. In NY, since we cannot find saba, and platanos don’t always do the job, my sister discovered that if she used regular bananas (chiquita is what I believe we get here), and put langka, then it’s not a bad turon at all!
looks like i will have to ask our cook to make that tomorrow! kakainggit! and i am with you on the unripened saba for the turon. i super hate soggy saba. well, i don’t like ripened saba for anything (fried, boiled, maruya-ed, minatamis, halo-halo, banana-que). this is why i prefer the mondo (mundo?) over saba.
For an added taste and texture to turon, you can add brown sugar while you are frying the turon so it caramelizes and sticks to the turon Then when you fish it out of the oil, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds so they stick to the caramelized sugar. Sosi -looking and delicious!
I like mine cheese turon! Instead of adding langka, I like adding strips of cheese to the sugar-coated banana before wrapping it. The cheese balances the sweetness of the banana and sugar. I like it when it’s still hot and the cheese melts. You should try it!
i like turon with cheese. the cheap supermarket hydrogenated vegetable oil filled type seems to go extremely well with turon. just a little of course. (i would think parmesan should work well too) langka i like eating frozen. and for the saging na saba, i quite like the cuban tostones style prep of twice frying, salting then serving with green salsa.
Your turon looks super good!! :)
One of my favorite afternoon snacks. Chinese Restaurant P.F. Changs have a fancy dessert of turon sans langka, but comes with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and garnished with fresh raspberries.
I am partial to the turon with langka from Malvar St where Toping probably got hers back in her college years. I wonder if we ever bumped into each other at the same stall back then, hmmmmmm.
Our neighborhood turon vendor was able to send her four kids from grade school up to college just by selling banana turon! Up to now her stall is always full of customers come merienda time, yummy kasi!
We used to have turon for merienda after school. I loved the crunchy caramelised wrapper! And since I simply adore langka, it’s inclusion in turon just made my afternoons 10x better. Too bad I can’t make it often in Sydney as the bananas are inferior to Philippine bananas, not to mention langka isn’t readily available. :(( I wish Customs/Quarantine will finally allow the importation of Philippine bananas. The supply here can’t cope with the demand, and just yesterday bananas were $3.99/kg (PHP160/kg)!!!
I love turon so much!! And banana cue, maruya, minatamis na saging, guinataang bola bola with saba, palitaw and more. Ang takaw ko no!!
Gosh, Marketman! You really know how to make us non-residents of Manila feel so terribly homesick! I can almost feel the smell of the turon and the distinct aroma of the langka and the crispiness of the first bite. ohhhhhhh!
i tried using cheese – quick melt kind like eden and i also use cream cheese, they’re really a treat!
every weekend, my parents would buy saba sa market so we can make turon (or banana-Q) at home.. love turon w/ langka.. may extra flavor e! :D