Turon Delight!

       Let me tell you a story. One day, my friends and I went out to grab dinner just within the dorm area (funds were low so we decided to get crackin’creative). One of them suggested we try this “special turon” in Heaven’s Bliss, the one that she tried the day before. At first I was like, “Turon? What’s so special about it?” But since everyone was so excited, we decided to sample the deli’s star of the menu. And guess what? We loved it. We spent the whole night exchanging stories and discussing anything from our life in the university to unicorns as we wolfed down about 30 of those delectably sinful turon rolls. I wasn’t surprised when we all felt very taken with it that we had turon frenzy for several nights after that.

Turon Delight!

        So perhaps you’re wondering what’s so special about this turon that made some of my pals forget their student number while savouring its delightful flavour. To find out, I sat down in a one-on-one interview with Mr. Rhodeline De Ala or Tito Rod, the owner of the said deli, and discovered everything about the special recipe of Turon Delight.

Unlike the regular turon that we enjoy eating on-the-go because of its crunchy sugar coating and tasty banana or glutinous rice filling, this Heaven’s Bliss’ version of turon can be munched in a somewhat classier fashion (how many ways can you actually eat turon like the Brits anyway?). The turon is served plainly without any flavouring save for the taste of the filling, and paired with caramelized sugar dip with sesame seeds. So it’s eaten in a dip-and-bite manner, wherein one can decide the intensity of the sweetness that they prefer. The dips also come in different flavors such as cappuccino, chocolate, strawberry and tomato-mango (because plain, caramelized turon is a little too pedestrian for the bourgeois’ taste!). Later on, a new variant of turon filled with mashed sweet potato was added to the roster of Turon Delight, perhaps the best thing about it is the melt-in-your-mouth factor that even toothless old dears will surely love.

Turon Delight Dips: Cappucino, Chocolate and Caramel

Despite the twist and innovation of the Turon Delight, the essence of the popular Filipino street food still remains – it’s cheap but very nutritious. Since Heaven’s Bliss is slowly becoming a study hub of the students in the dorm area, the demand for “pika-pika” snacks also increased. According to Tito Rod, students perform better on a heartily-filled tummy.  (That’s why we always hoard instant noodles and coffees during hellweek. Ha!) But constant consumption of GMO-rich food products that are unsurprisingly packed with preservatives to the core can damage our system so Tito Rod thought that serving organic snacks can also help the students maintain their figure and good health. Turon is made up of mostly organic ingredients including banana, sweet potato, sugar, sesame seeds and organic cooking oil; all that nature’s goodness in a crispy-crunchy roll that’s beneficial to the health too. Each turon roll costs 5 pesos, quite affordable for the thriftiest students but very filling if you want a nutritious carbohydrate boost from a snack.

Aside from the students, a lot of people can also benefit from the production of Turon Delight like the farmers and vendors of banana, sweet potato, sesame seeds, and the producers of lumpia wrappers. I think that’s the most wonderful essence of our all-time favourite classy Turon – not only do we feel satisfied with this scrumptious Pinoy treat,  but we also get to help boost livelihood opportunities.

          So if you haven't tried this yet, what are you waiting for! Go order your first Turon Delight at Heaven's Bliss for only P5 and experience the tasty, healthy and affordable snack suitable for the taste of Iskolars ng Bayan!

Turon Delight experience would not be complete without trying to make the treat myself.

Photo op with Tito Rod!