Lumpia and turon

WITH the so many people coming in for the Panagbenga Festival of the City, each one of us is bound to have at one time or another, people arriving and OMG, we have to have something to serve. But usually, if the callers are thoughtful, they might bring a dish of panic with them. Then we do have to have something to go with the pancit. Of course, we can just go to the corner store and buy a loaf of bread and make do with the pancit and bread. It would be quite nice though to have something in your freezer or fridge to go with the pancit such as turons.

Turon, also known as lumpiyang saging snack made of thinly sliced bananas and a slice of jackfruit, dusted with brown sugar, rolled in a spring roll wrapper and fried. Other fillings can also be used, including sweet potato, mango, cheddar cheese and buko or young coconut choose what you have or feel like using as filling, (pun intended)

In Malabon, the term "turrón" instead refers to a fried, lumpia-wrapper-enveloped dessert filled with sweet mashed cooked monggo beans.

Turon or deep-fried banana rolls is a typical Filipino meryenda and dessert. This can usually be seen on the streets being peddled along with banana-que. In Makati, several jolly jeeps (stalls along the road; formerly jeepneys that serve lunch) sell Turon along with other meryenda during the afternoon. What kind of turon you feel like depends on your taste. Anything can be turonned. Whether it is sweet or savory turon, both go with the pancit. You can use banana, banana with lank (jackfruit), banana with capote and sugar, banana with ground sticky rice, mango cheese, buko and a bit of sugar and or all or the above and have a medley.

You can also use savory feelings, such as meat, meat with veggies, meat with shrimps, meat with mushrooms, with wombok, with chopped onions, or like I said, anything you want. If you want to have these things at your beck and call, you can make them all and store them in your fridge or freezer, wrapped up and ready to fry. Then if you have guests, or if you just want to serve such to your family, it would be simple to thaw, fry, and serve.

Usually, since making lumpia is labor intensive, so when you make them, make a lot, and then freeze and have ready at a moment’s notice.

Lumpiang Shanghai or Filipino Spring Rolls are traditionally made of ground meat (usually pork), minced onions, finely chopped carrots wombok, minced shrimps, cabbage, again anything you feel like, and seasoning all rolled up in a paper thin wrapper made with flour and water. It is sealed at the end either by using a sticky beaten egg or plain water.

By the name it is given, you can almost guess that it has its origins in China though for some reason we haven't dropped the "Shanghai" at the end of the name.

In the Philippines, perhaps next to Pancit, Lumpiang Shanghai has got to be the most common dish you will find in any kind of celebration. The reason is that it can be made in bulk and ahead of time! True, it takes a bit of effort to make it (fancy making spring rolls for an hour or 2?) but when you make a lot of it - you don't need to make other extra dishes because everyone goes for the spring rolls! So make a huge batch, freeze and serve it whenever you need it!

Of course Lumpiang Shanghai is best eaten with a sauce. I usually prefer the sweet chili sauce, the kind that you find in any Asian store.

Chefs tip... Don’t make your rolls too fat, because they should not be difficult to bit into, and since they are finger food, about 2 centimeters is just the right size to hold and bite into.

Ingredients:

(Recipe: Lumpia (Turon) Shanghai)

Again, this is just a model of ingredients add or subtract that which you fancy maybe minced shrimps and or ground chicken, what you feel like double portions if you wish.

• 1 kilo / 2 lbs. ground pork

• 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 2 small onions, minced

• 1 big or 2 medium size carrots, finely chopped

• 5-6 Tbsp. soy sauce (adjust it to your taste)

• Ground black pepper, to taste

• Salt, to taste

• 1 (singkamas) or a tub of water chestnut, finely chopped (optional Cooking oil (enough to cover the lumpia when deep-frying)

• Lumpia wrappers, (medium sized ones).

To make…

Use a little of your cooking oil, and saute all filling ingredients until dry adjust seasonings, as always. When dry, add the chopped singkamas cool completely.

Making the Spring Rolls (have ready 1; or 2 eggs lightly beaten)

Before using the filling, bind the filling with one or two eggs, so that it holds together

Place about 1 heaping tablespoon of the cold filling mixture in one of the corners of the wrapper. Spread the filling into the wrapper horizontally. Roll the meat mixture towards the middle. Fold both sides inward to seal, then continue to roll until you have about an inch left of the wrapper. Using your finger, brush the edges with a little water to seal completely. Make sure it is tightly secured. Place the finished roll on a deep baking dish (casserole) with the sealed side downwards. Repeat until all the meat is gone. You may freeze at this point.

When you need to cook, heat the cooking oil and when hot ( be sure it is hot ) fry the thawed rolled lumpia. Fry till the wrappers are nicely browned, (since the filling has been precooked you need not worry if the filling has adequately cooked) drain and cool, serve with a sweet sour chili sauce.

Ingredients:

(Recipe: Turon Saging)

• 6 pcs saba bananas (or plantains), cut in fourths or what cooks call bastons (lenghtwise) you should have 24 pieces.

• 1 cup ripe Jackfruit (langka)

• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 24 or as many pieces lumpia roll wrapper

• 2 cups cooking oil

To make…

1. Roll the banana on the brown sugar plate and ensure that the banana is coated with enough sugar

2. Place the banana with sugar coating in the spring roll wrapper and add some ripe jackfruit

3. Fold and lock the spring roll wrapper, use water to seal the edge

4. Roll up all fillings and at this point you may freeze or fridge them.

5. To cook, thaw and heat oil.

6. In a pan, heat the oil. At this point, you may or may not put-in some brown sugar. Wait until the brown sugar floats if you dont put in sugar into the cooking oil, wait till quite hot.

7. Put-in the wrapped banana and fry until the wrapper turns golden brown and the extra sugar sticks on wrapper.

8. Drain and serve warm

9. Serve during dessert or meryenda also remember that this is the partner of pancit and soda pop.

Serve with the pancit, and follow the traditional partner of pancit for merienda, turon of any kind.

Bon appétit!!!