Thursday, July 03, 2008
THE BEST TURON SABA VENDOR IN QUIAPO
It remains as one of my favorite merienda foods. I can eat one everyday, in fact. The caramelized deep-fried crispy wrapper and the soft saba banana with a sliver of langka (jackfruit) inside make a heavenly texture.
The ones we make at home are much smaller and only slightly sweetened with brown sugar (above photo) unlike those sold by street vendors. However, the best turon and banana-cue street vendor in Manila that I know of is in Quiapo -- right on Bilibid Viejo and Ludovico Streets (near Loyola Street, formerly Lepanto). She has become so popular that the administration office staff from a couple of major universities in the area order turon by the hundreds from her during special school affairs. Hence, none would be available for the public on those days.
I was also told that the vendor, for sanitary reasons, first boils the sticks that she use for her banana-cues. Moreover, word has it that her earnings from selling turon and banana-cue enables her to send her kids to school. The eldest has already graduated from college and now working abroad.
The photos below were taken from her stall. Both the turon and banana-cue are ten pesos each.
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!
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Labels: Featured food, life in Manila, Quiapo, Street foods
posted by Señor Enrique at 7:13 AM
16 Comments:
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FilMasons NSW said... Yummy, both the pictures and the turon/banana que! I love the ones that are a bit over ripe... softer and sweeter... sigh...
Eric must, by now have a free turon & banana que for the advert.
Mario-
EM said...
Awww!!! An daya ni Senior, nangiinggit!!! You just made me so jealous! It's my favorite too and it's one of the many things i miss back home! I made a post a while back about how much i miss it and what memories i can very well associate with it. Now i miss it again. I miss the banana que stall we have at the corner of Piy Florentino and Blumentrit... hu hu hu
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Señor Enrique said...
Hi Mario,
Most local bloggers get invited to bloggers' meet at fancy restaurants for a free meal and drinks in lieu of positive write-ups, of course. I'm yet to attend one. Perhaps, I favor writing about individual entrepreneurs driven by a desire to send their kids to school just like this turon and banana-cue street vendor.
Yes, an over ripe saba banana can be an excellent filler for a turon :)-
Señor Enrique said...
I sometimes drive by Blumentritt and Florentino whenever the traffic is quite congested along Dapitan, EM.
I've been enjoying turons for the past few days that I was compelled to write about it ... hehehe.-
said... Love banana man. I remember when I was a young lad back in the province, we always drank Pepsi or Coke with turon. Everytime I eat turon with Pepsi, thoughts of my old place suddenly comes to mind :)
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escape said...
i makes me urge and buy one myself! kaya lang wala palang turon malapit dito. bad day!
thanks for sharing! i'll try to check it next week as i pass by that area.-
Photo Cache said...
who doesn't look turon? luckily, we have a place that's about 12 miles away who sells this stuff. syempre iba din yung may halo na smoke from the tambutso (cooked and sold on streets), they taste better i think.
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Señor Enrique said...
Isn't it amazing, BW, how the taste and smell of certain things can easily evoke memories of time long gone?
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Señor Enrique said...
Hi dong!
Forgot to mention that this particular vendor starts selling at 3pm until everything is sold out which is usually around 5pm.-
Señor Enrique said...
You're so right, Photo Cache -- even though the homemade ones are the most ideal for me in terms of taste and size, I just couldn't resist those humongous turons with caramelized wrapper from this street vendor in Quiapo ... hehehe.
By the way, they still use "panucha" to sweeten those banana-cues, kamot-cues, and turons.-
nutart said...
I'm really so amazed how these banana cue vendors can send their children to college, pay their bills, feed their families, buy their household needs, etc! I have heard a lot of stories like these already. It is so amazing!
My husband just loves banana cues. He keeps telling me to observe how they cook them because whenever I cook banana cue at home it is not the same daw :-(. I tell him, they deep fry it which of course he frowns upon.
I also have read about bloggers who would meet and go around Quiapo or Binondo for instance and try out the sidewalk vendors' culinary abilities :-).
Your turon pictures are just sooo heavenly---I can actually smell them now!-
Señor Enrique said...
Perhaps, your husband may be better off with saba con yelo since the banana is boiled instead of fried, Bernadette. However, I know some locals who'd put banana-cue in a small bowl of shaved ice and then add some milk :)
Thank you!-
ScroochChronicles said...
WOW!!! Turon and Banana-Cue are some of my all time favorite snacks. I especially love it when the banana is just a bit overripe so its sweeter and mushier. Alam mo kung saan pa masarap ang banana-cue at turon, dun sa UP-Diliman Law School. I used to go there pa just to buy even if I'm not naman from UP. I just went there recently kasi inutusan ako ng asawa ko to pick something up. Syempre I had to have my turon fix before leaving :D
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gmirage said...
I love this treat too, but since there are no sabas here, its been years since I last had turon!!!
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Señor Enrique said...
I will certainly keep that in mind, Cookie -- by UP's Law School. Thanks for the tip :)
Lumalabas talaga pagka Pinoy pag inamin na mahilig sa turon at banana-cue, no? Hehehe! Sarap kasi talaga.-
Señor Enrique said...
I just had one again yesterday, Mirage2! I was in Quiapo so I decided to stop by and enjoy one.
Saging should be the next on the list to be exported for the pleasure of our fellow Pinoys all over the world :)
