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Mashed Taro and Taro Paste

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Mashed Taro and Taro Paste

Poi — Mashed Taro

Ingredients

1 lb. taro root
½ cup water

Directions

Scrub the taro root clean, peel, and cut into 2-inch chunks.
Steam taro chunks for 20-25 minutes (until a fork can easily slide in).
Mash the taro chunks with a potato masher (if feeling traditional, a mortar and pestle) until it becomes a smooth paste.
Continue mashing, adding a little water at a time (total ½ cup, or until desired consistency) until glossy.
If you stick two fingers into the poi and it clings to your fingers and slowly drips off (thicker than yogurt but thinner than mashed potatoes), that is the ideal, "two finger" poi.

Taro Paste — Chiu Chow Style

Ingredients

400g peeled taro
~40g rock sugar
~1 cup water
A spoon or two pine nuts
3 tbsp coconut oil
Makes 4 servings (~100ml each)

Directions

Scrub the taro root clean, peel, and cut into ¼-inch slices.
Steam taro chunks for 15 minutes (until a fork can easily slide in).
Mash taro with fork, cleaver, or food processor. Don't worry about mashing it perfectly smooth — little chunks add to the flavor.
In a saucepan over low heat, sauté the pine nuts in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil for about a minute, until fragrant. Add the rock sugar and ⅔ cup water, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the nuts are tender.
Scoop out a few pine nuts for garnish and leave the rest in the pan. If you're not using pine nuts, just dissolve the sugar in ⅔ cup water.
Add the mashed taro to the pan along with the remaining 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly. If the mixture is too thick, add the remaining ⅓ cup water a little at a time. Break up any lumps. When it begins to simmer and reaches a peanut-butter-like consistency, remove from heat.
Spoon the paste into ramekins (or one larger dish) and garnish with the reserved pine nuts.

Rice Field products for this recipe

Start from our pre-peeled taro, or skip ahead with our ready-made taro paste filling.

Shop: Quê Hương Frozen Peeled Taro, Rice Field Taro Paste Filling