Apple Strudel Turon (Filipino Caramel Spring Rolls)
Strudel's cinnamon apples and raisins rolled in crisp spring-roll wrappers and fried with a brown-sugar caramel shell, Filipino turon style.
Method
Melt the butter in a 20 cm frying pan over medium heat, add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins and cook for , stirring, until the apples are just tender but still hold their shape and most of the juice has evaporated. Stir in the lemon juice, spread the filling on a plate and let it cool for ; warm, wet filling tears the wrappers and makes them soggy.
Add in this stepButter 10 gTart, firm apples (about 180 g each), peeled and cut into 1 cm dice 2Brown sugar (for the filling) 20 gGround cinnamon ½ tspRaisins 20 gLemon juice 2 tsp
medium heatStir the cornstarch and water into a paste: this is your glue. Lay a wrapper as a diamond, put about 2 tablespoons of filling across the lower third, fold the bottom corner over it, fold in the sides and roll up tightly towards the top corner. Brush the tip with paste to seal. Keep finished rolls seam side down under a dry cloth.
Add in this stepCornstarch ½ tspWater 1 tbspSpring roll wrappers (about 20 cm), thawed 6
Pour the oil into a deep 20 cm pan or wok: it should be 2–3 cm deep and fill the pan no more than a third. Heat over medium-high heat for about to 170 °C. Without a thermometer, dip in a dry wooden chopstick: a steady stream of small bubbles means it's ready. Turn the handle inwards and never leave hot oil unattended.
Add in this stepNeutral frying oil 500 ml
medium-high heatFry the rolls in batches (×2), seam side down first and not touching, for about per batch over medium heat, turning, until light golden. Then sprinkle that batch's share of brown sugar into the oil around them: it melts into caramel within a minute. Keep turning the rolls with tongs until they are glossy amber all over. Caramel is far hotter than boiling water, so never touch it and keep children away.
Add in this stepBrown sugar (for the caramel coating) 45 g
medium heatLift the rolls onto a rack or baking paper (kitchen paper sticks to caramel) and let them rest for until the shell sets glassy and crisp. Before the next batch, scoop any dark sugar out of the oil with a slotted spoon so it doesn't burn. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream if you like.
Cook's tip
Cook the filling until it is quite dry: that is the secret to crisp, unbroken rolls. If the sugar turns dark brown and smells bitter, the oil is too hot; lower the heat. Let the oil cool completely before throwing it away, and never pour it down the sink.
Cooking it at camp
Make the filling and roll at home, then carry the rolls flat in a box in the cooler. At camp you can fry in a deep, heavy pot on a stable burner, but hot oil outdoors is risky: set up on level ground away from the tent, keep a lid at hand to smother flames and never use water on burning oil. A simpler option: brush the rolls with butter, cook them in a covered pan over low heat, turning, until golden, then sprinkle with sugar.