Turon, Glorious Turon
Monday, March 23, 2009
Mind numblingly delicious Turon
It never ceases to amaze me how magical it is when you taste something wonderful for the first time.
What a rush it is when you bite down, and your tastebuds are all like, “Whoa. Whoa! What is this?!”
This is exactly what happened to me the other day when I tasted Turon, a deep fried, banana and jackfruit filled, burnt sugar coated, Filipino treat that rocked my world.
My co-worker Marlyn brought a box of these goodies in from Pampanga’s Bakery & Donut in Pacifica.
Mmmm that crunchy, caramelized crust shattered in my mouth like the top of a crème brulee…combined with that chewy soft, sweet banana filling…and flaky eggroll-like shell…I had to know more!
Marlyn educated me. The filling is made of saba bananas and jackfruit. Saba bananas are shorter and fatter than normal bananas. They are also starchier, like plantains, so they hold up well when cooked.
Photo Credit: Alibaba.com
Jackfruit is a tropical fruit that has a prickly skin similar to durian, but its flesh is sweet, with a taste similar to pineapple, but milder and less juicy.
To make turon, the bananas are sliced and rolled in brown sugar, then wrapped with the jackfruit in a lumpia wrapper (which are thinner than eggroll wrappers). They are then brushed with water or eggwash, rolled in more brown sugar, and deep fried.
Magic.
Can someone please, please, pretty lumpia-wrapped please with sugar on top, tell me where I can find turon of this caliber in SF?
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Hmmm interesting…Does Jackfruit smell like a durian?
I’m going to put Pampanga’s Bakery & Donut as a spot to hit when I’m in Pacifica.
@Nick: Luckily, Jackfruit *DOES NOT* smell like Durian. Wikipedia says Jackfruits “have a taste similar to that of pineapple, but milder and less juicy.” I never had fresh jackfruit, but it’s the jarred ‘Langka preserves’ you’ll love inside a nice, crispy Turon (‘Jackfruit’ = ‘Langka’ in Tagalog / ‘Yangka’ in Kapampangan). Sweet & delicious. If you can, get some freshly fried to experience that soulful, warm comfort food feeling as you bite into its creme brulee-like exterior and hear that signature crunch.
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thanks for the awesome visual, homer! now i now what to look out for at the asian mart!
I’ve never had turon but I’ve been meaning to make them ever since Tangled Noodle posted about them months ago. Some day I’ll get to it!
The sweet, flaky, crispy wrapper looks to die for.
Love this stuff while still piping. So good with the crunch and stickiness!
I’ve actually had both fresh durian and jackfruit and they taste nothing alike. Jackfruit has a nice crunch to it and I would’ve guessed it’s in the same family as longan and lycee. Jackfruit is really good, come to think of it….
In SF, you can try Goldilocks Bakery. There is also Sinugba and Fil-Am Cuisine in Daly City. Fil-Am has delicious Turon.
ooh thanks for the tips!! i’ll have to check em out soon
Wow, 2.5 years on Pampanga and I never saw Turon. How did I miss this delicious looking treat?! Darn.
I’m filled to the brim right now with Chipotle but I bet I could still eat 10 Turons. They look amazing!
haha always amazes me how being filled to the brim with chipotle can be such a satisfying yet uncomfortable feeling
That looks so good! I’ve never had that before, nor do I know where I’d find that around the DC area =/
I think all those ingredients are delish, so I’ll ask around about this
[Warning: blatant, shameless self-promotion ahead!] If you are so inclined, turons are rather easy to make – I posted a simple recipe and a link to a slideshow tutorial on how to wrap them @ http://tinyurl.com/qpnpsd.
Since I can’t get them anywhere here in the Twin Cities, I have to make them myself!
Yes yes, i remember seeing that post awhile back! And paired with that Lumpia Post you did, I now have the tools to make my two favorite Filipino dishes
They’re great with vanilla ice cream too!
If you’re looking for a place in SF proper to buy them, there’s a place on Mission street and 23rd. It’s a tiny filipino food place next to the butcher shop. They usually have turon, but may run out towards the end of the day.
I randomly ran into this post and would like to share my two cents. Valerio’s Bakery in Daly City near Classic Bowl makes the best turon.
thanks for the tip!