Turon Espesyal

I was invited by an always chic German friend, Lady B for dinner. It has been months since I've seen her and my other Russian girlfriends so I was quite excited to go. Plus, a  home cooked meal is something I would never say "No!" to.  A mother of four, this lady friend is used to the ways of the kitchen. She could perhaps cook up a storm blindfolded , one pinky finger  tied to her toe, but would still open  her door looking rather gorgeous in her red lips and stilettos , welcoming guest like she've been in the spa the whole day. Some girls simply have that calm efficiency, plus she never seems to suffer from any bad hair day,  unlike the mere-mortal meh! Who says life is fair?  Having 5 girlfriends over certainly won't give her the heebie-jeebies.
 I was almost rubbing my hands in anticipation at her response to the Menu's query. 

-Tomato soup with croutons, lamb's lettuce with crispy bacon, which happens to be my favorite greens in the universe aaand her Killer lasagna for the mains.

 I offered to bring dessert. Trying to sound not so impressive, I  asked her what she wants .  ''Surprise me.'', was her only reply. Cool and calculating, typically B. Got ta luv the lady!

Looks like I shouldn't make any promise, I could not keep. I had a busy morning shift and when I got home, I took those power naps that supposed to make one look younger and fresher.  The tired eyes that gazes back at mirror screams, I need sleep longer than sleeping Beauty. So I hopped in bed at 3 PM and snored away.It was lady B's call that woke me up. ''Dinner will be half an hour early!, M  is coming all the way from Stuttgart and don't want want to go home too late!'',  she says. Oh buggers! I was so happy chasing calorie-less Adobo in my sleep  that I forgot I will be serving Dessert at 6:30! No sugar in an all girls dinner party? Blasphemy! Its like inviting Germans to your place to watch FIFA without serving beer! You could get yourself killed for that!

It's almost 5 in the afternoon and  my pantry's pretty empty . The contents of the fridge don't look so promising either. What to do?! What to do?! Panna Cotta? Not enough time! Creme brûlée ? Not enough eggs! Chocolate Mouse? No cream in the house! Aaaauuuhhh!!!

I was about to rush to the supermarket to buy something baked, battered , whipped and packed by machines or latex covered hands when I caught the sight few ripe bananas in the fruit bowl. Use me I'm yours. I could almost hear it whisper. So I got back at rumbling the contents of my kitchen  once again. Banana..Check! Spring roll wrapper..Check! Sugar...check! Oil.....check! Ooiihhh, I could make some banana fritters!  30 mins later, I got a tray full of fragrant, crispy Turon.  Gave myself another hour to shower and make myself presentable for the dinner party . I was fashionably late, but one bite of the turon served with ice cream and the girlfriends all forgave me.

Who would have thought that a dish as simple as Turon  could promote world peace,  play Bruce Willis and save the day? 

Making Turon is as easy as tying your shoe. Even 5 year olds could do it, except maybe climb up a banana tree. If you don't believe me, here's the Dummy guide to Turon making.

Peel and cut banana into half then lenghwise. Dip sliced bananas in brown sugar. Wrap in a spring roll wrapper as shown above. Brush the top end with beaten egg to seal. Heat oil in a pan, deep fry turon, sprinkle with brown sugar. Sugar caramelizes at it cooks in hot oil, coating the the turon in a lovely, crunchy, caramel cocoon. Fry until golden brown and serve! Goes wonderfully well with vanilla ice cream.

Tip 1: Add Macapuno Strips or jack fruit.. 





Tip 2: For chocolate lovers.  Spread  Nutella along with banana before wrapping.

Make it look rather fancy by serving it with fruit sauce like raspberry, some crokant (brittle) and duster with powder sugar. Like this...

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 Tadaaaaaaa!