Banana Rhum-a (Fried Banana Spring Roll with Pineapple Rhum Sauce)

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Often referred to as "Turon" with their own unique sauce. The Filipinos love their turon, a popular street meal. From elementary school all the way through college, I used to buy a few of those wonderful banana rolls every year from the vendor outside our school. A turon is a deep-fried banana roll that is both sweet and crunchy thanks to the "lumpia wrapper" and the brown sugar caramelization. For an additional cent, some sellers stuff them with jackfruit strips.

The dense starchiness of bananas makes this a wonderful "bring anywhere" snack that is also deliciously sweet and crispy.

Since "saba" is so uncommon in the United States, I changed this recipe from "Pinoy Cooking recipes" to use ripe plantains, which result in a more tender and dense texture but are not as sweet as "saba" in the Philippines. Like lumpia wrappers, huge wanton wrappers are nearly impossible to come by, yet they provide the same delicious crunch when fried. The unique twist in this dish is a strip of jackfruit placed in between the plantain and wrapper. Since fresh jackfruit is similarly hard to come by, I resorted to the sweetened bottled variety sold widely at Asian grocery stores. The roll is fried, but what really sets it apart is the sauce that coats it. Adding pineapple juice and rhum enhances the snack's sweetness and chewiness, making it more appetizing.

If you're looking for something to fulfill your sweet tooth, go no further; this crispy package of goodness is a must-try.

Makes 20-24 rolls

Ingredients:

Spring Rolls:

• 2 pieces large Plantains, cut into 3 cross-wise and each divided to 4

• Wanton wrapper

• 20-24 strips of sweetened jackfruit (from bottled preserved jackfruit, drained)

• Oil for frying

Rhum Sauce:

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup jackfruit strips (from bottled preserved jackfuit, drained)

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

• 1 tbsp dark Rhum

• 1/2 cup pineapple juice

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds plus more for topping

Let's Cook!

1. Wrap sliced bananas with 1 strip of jackfruit in wanton wrappers. Seal the ends with water.

2. Heat cooking oil in a pan. Fry the wrapped bananas-jackfruit roll. Set aside.

3. Melt butter in a wok or pan.

4. Add jackfruit. Cook for about 1-2 minutes.

5. Add cinnamon powder, and Rhum. Cook for another 2 minutes.

6. Add pineapple juice and brown sugar. Cook until sugar caramelizes.

7. Add sesame seeds.

8. Add the fried banana rolls and toss until evenly coated.

9. Remove from pan.

10. Serve and enjoy!