Filipino food – something that’s near and dear to me but is usually left behind or neglected amongst it’s Southeast Asian siblings (see Food Safari and the absence of Filipino food in Series 1 & 2. I do hope they venture outside the popular cuisines and into more exotic cultures).
Ah but I digress. I don’t really blame them – as I’ve mentioned in my previous Filipino posts here before, Filipino food isn’t really a mainstream Asian cuisine and alot of the non-Filipinos aren’t familiar with it.
Being a Filipino who was born, raised, and educated in the Philippines, I myself constantly ask questions about what it is really that makes Filipino food, well, Filipino? Is it the use of native ingredients and produce, the mix of cultural influences from the many invaders of the country, the migration of people from different countries, or a mixture of all?
To answer these questions, I was privileged to have met two Filipino foodies who share the same passion for food as I do. Meet Trissa of Trissalicious and Kath of A Cupcake or Two. Together, the three of us came up with a plan for world domination to promote the wonderful colours and flavours of the Filipino cuisine. Somewhere we can showcase different Filipino dishes – from the weird and wonderful, to the mysterious and exotic flavours of the Pearl of the Orient Sea country. So without much further ado, I would like to introduce… the Kulinarya Cooking Club!
Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.
Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.
If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by our foodblogs and leave a comment – we would love to hear from you!
For our first dish, we wanted to show something simple and easy to make, and yet can be palatable to both the Filipino and non-Filipino tongue. We chose to feature Turon not only because it involves less than 3 (or 4, maximum!) ingredients, but it is also absolutely delicious! It’s great for breakfast, as a snack or dessert and can be very easy to prepare.
Saging na Turon (Banana Turon)
Makes 5 snack servings
5 cooking bananas (fresh or frozen ones – thawed of course)
10 sheets spring roll pastry
10 tsps raw or brown sugar
1. Cut the bananas lengthwise in half. Set aside.
2. In a flat plate, lay out the pastry sheet in a “diamond” shape and place one half slice of banana in one of the pointy ends.
3. Sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar on top of the banana slice.
4. Fold the pastry sheet like an “envelope”
5. Wet the last pointy end of the pastry sheet with water to help it stick to the rest of the turon.
6. Fry in a pan with enough oil to cover 2/3 of the turon. In medium heat, fry the turon for about 3 minutes until golden brown.
7. To remove excess oil, place the fried turon in a strainer and let stand for a few minutes. Serve warm. Enjoy!
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The Kulinarya Cooking Club will feature a new Filipino dish every month – other versions of the featured dish are found in Trissalicious and A Cupcake or Two.
If you are interested in knowing more about the Kulinarya Cooking Club or would like to join us, feel free to ask us by visiting our foodblogs and leaving a comment.
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