April 16, 2011

Banana Cue and Turon! (Summer in Baras, Palo, Leyte)

Due to climate change and global warming, the supposed to be Summer in the Philippines has been interrupted by unexpected or unwanted raining. Having fun in the sun was definitely out of reach, but lately even when it's cloudy, the rain seemed to be less in touch in our locality making it possible for us to feed our wanderlusts and go out to the beach or anywhere with the feel of summer. 

Last Tuesday, I went on to visit my high school friends who resides in Baras, Palo, Leyte - yes this is the place where the Red Beach in the WWII was. I was hoping of a get-together because it has been a while since I've met with my barkada (Filipino for gang), but because one of my friends participated on a basketball summer league in their locality and had a game that time, I invited my other friend to go the beach before the game started. I was longing for the beach for months now and I really wanted to get myself wet and play on the sand for hours and hours. But because I didn't bring some extra clothes, we just strolled around there and enjoyed the scenic view. These are the times I thank the Almighty One, for making such a beautiful world for us to live in. 

Though the sun was out because it was cloudy, it was still a fine day. Most beaches here in the Philippines aren't white or anything close to that, common on the beaches on the western world. To those who are seeking for a unique beach experience, Leyte's beaches are a must-try. With moderately strong winds affecting the waves, the province's stretch of beaches are perfect for Skimboarding which lately has been attracting locals and even foreigners to try out this rising sport in the Philippines. 

But to those who aren't daring enough to try out this sport -  trust me there are a lot who doesn't wanna do this, I've been there and I've done that, and ended up bruising my ankle bone, who said having fun at the sand isn't a good thing? 

Way back into my childhood and until now the best thing about going to the beach is building up sand castles or just loafing around while lying back on the sand. The fine black sand makes up a signature for the beaches here in the Philippines, though there are also beaches that have white sand in the country, the island offers a distinct and definitely Filipino summer episode on your adventures. People also enjoy kiting and angling through the beaches here. 


So after our beach stroll, we decided to go to the basketball court where the league was held. Half way there, we saw this road side kiosk selling Banana Cue and Turon. A banana cue according to Wikipedia is a popular snack food in the Philippines of deep fried bananas coated in caramelized brown sugar. Banana cue is made from a type of banana called Saba. While a Turon, also known as Banana Lumpia, is a Philippine snack made of thinly sliced bananas (preferably Saba or Cardaba bananas) and a slice of jackfruit, dusted with brown sugar, rolled in spring roll wrapper and fried.


So here are the recipes for each. First up is the Banana Cue:

INGREDIENTS: 
Bananas pref. Saba
Panutsa or Melted Brown Sugar 
Cooking oil for frying
BBQ sticks
PROCEDURE:
1.) Peel the bananas and dip it over the panutsa or sugar syrup. 
2.) Deep fry in hot oil which is about 5-10 minutes.
3.) When its cooked, use a tong to get each and place on a strainer for oil to drip out.
4.) Make a skewer with the bananas, enjoy!
And next is Turon! 
INGREDIENTS
* Bananas pref. Saba or Cardaba
* Panutsa or Melted Brown Sugar
Cooking oil
* White sugar
* Spring roll wraps
* Water



METHOD
1. Slice bananas then dip on water to tender.
2 . Sprinkle white sugar over wet bananas.
3 . Place some bananas and wrap with spring roll wraps.

4 . Deep fry until golden and transfer to paper towel on a plate to absorb oil.


On the way to the league, we finished our snack and watched our friend play basketball. Here in the Philippines, summer leagues are indispensable as it serve as a stepping stone for locals to hone their skills on their respective sports, and enable themselves to get discovered into the mainstream of where they excel.  These leagues are usually held when Fiestas are coming, especially this May where fiestas are almost everyday on different towns and cities. 

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1 comments:

Kirk said...


Thank you for sharing this very informative content. Hope you could visit Ka tunyings, they serve delicious filipino food 🙂

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