Chef Myrna Segismundo's recipe: Crispy Mini Turons

MANILA, Philippines — Chef Myrna Segismundo has always been known to be an advocate of Filipino cuisine.

She promotes it everywhere she goes, particularly when she’s invited to food expos abroad. She is proud of her Filipino culinary heritage and flaunts the cuisine in all its sumptuous glory. Even when she runs a corporate restaurant or caters to the alta de sociedad, she banks on Filipino cuisine and never fails to receive validation for the kind of food that she serves.

Ask her for a dessert, and she will be quick to serve you turon—in her own signature way. That is crispy bite-sized turons with saba banana and sweetened langka (jackfruit) filling, fried to golden perfection and served with vanilla gelato spiked with whiskey and coffee.

So when she was asked to make a cooking class presentation at The Maya Kitchen, she laid out an all-Filipino menu, with Turrones de Manila, Vanilla Gelato Spazzacamino for dessert.

Turrones de Manila, Vanilla Gelato Spazzacamino

Ingredients:

8 pcs. saba bananas

10 pcs. lumpia wrappers (rectangular spring roll wrappers), quartered

1 1/2 cups langka (fresh or bottled jackfruit,  sliced into 1/4–inch strips

2 tsps. all-purpose flour or cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Oil for deep-frying

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream

Dash of whisky

Coffee powder for dusting gelato

Procedure:

1. Peel and slice each banana, lengthwise, into 6 strips.   

2. On each piece of the cut spring roll wrapper, arrange 1 banana strip with 1 or 2 strips of jackfruit on one side. Roll into small cylinders and seal the end of the wrapper with a little flour or cornstarch dissolved in water.

3. In a preheated pot with oil, deep-fry spring rolls over medium heat, tossing continuously while sprinkling with the sugar, a little at a time. This will coat each roll with caramelized sugar.

4. Place cooked turon on a tray rack to drain off excess oil and cool down. To prevent pieces from sticking together, allow some space between the pieces.

5. Serve with vanilla gelato spiked with whisky and coffee powder.