Taro is thought to be a native plant of South India and it was the poor man’s potato until the latter became very cheap. Growing up, when the taro plants sprouted amongst the paddy fields, we knew the summer was over, and soon school would be back in session and the rivers would be full.
The taro’s leaves grow as big as an elephant ear, and during the monsoon, it was almost scary to see these monstrous leaves. Even today, during Spring, it gives me so much pleasure to see similar leafy plants, like hosta, sprout up around here. I almost always stop to take pictures and remember the paddy fields with taro plants from my childhood!
In the South, the favorite way to cook this root is to deep fry it, but I wanted to figure out a healthy alternate. Taro roots contain toxic substances, and need to be cooked well. The IP provides excellent control while cooking taro root, and this recipe is a simple and a healthy way to cook it.
Taro Roast is a pure vegetarian and a vegan dish. You can also make this dish gluten free, if you avoid the hing. Hing in its pure form is gluten free, but many vendors add wheat flour to reduce the intensity of its flavor.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Passive Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 4 Red Chilies Whole Dried
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1.5 tsp Urd dhal Black Gram/white lentil
- ½ tsp Hing Asofoetida Powderoptional
- 8 Taro Root Cheppankizangu colocasia medium size (2 lbs)
- 4 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 2 tsp Sambar powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
- leaves Cilantro Few
- 1 tsp Salt Add to taste
- Water As needed
- tsp ½ Turmeric powder
- tsp ½ Red chili powder
- leaves Cilantro Few
- 1 tsp Salt Add to taste
- Water As needed
Ingredients
Dry Spices
Vegetable
Other
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- Wash the taro roots well.
- Add 1.5 cups of water into the Inner Pot of the Instant Pot (IP). Insert a stainless-steel steamer basket. Place the taro roots in the steamer basket.
- Select ‘Steam’ with vent sealed, and cook for 6 min. Once the steam cycle is done, let the IP cool down and the pressure go down naturally.
- When the IP has cooled down, open the lid and wait for the taro roots to cool down for about 5 minutes.
- Peel off the skin (it should come off easily) and slice the taro root into ¼” round pieces.
- Pour the contents of the dry spices into a wide non-stick frying pan (put the spices in one small area of the frying pan).
- Pour vegetable oil over the spices (need enough to wet the pan surface plus a little more).
- Heat on medium high. When you first hear the sound of the mustard seed "popping," spread the cooked taro roots evenly across the surface of the pan. Let them fry.
- Add salt. Sprinkle turmeric powder, sambar powder, and the red chili powder uniformly over the surface of the taro roots.
- Periodically flip the taro roots, each time spraying with canned aerosol vegetable oil. Continue to sprinkle red chili powder and sambar powder over the surface as needed.
- Keep the heat on medium high and slowly dry roast the taro roots until desired color and crispiness are achieved.
- Since the taro roots absorb nearly all moisture while they cook, sprinkling water on them occasionally may help to cook the taro roots with spices uniformly.
- Once done, sprinkle a few cilantro leaves on top as garnish and serve hot.