Description of the plant of the Aroid family, why it is grown. Composition and calorie content of edible taro, useful properties. Features of the preparation of tubers, recipes. Interesting facts about taro. The beneficial properties of the plant appear only after culinary processing. Fresh, the plant is so poisonous that if you swallow a small piece of leaves or tuber, you can get poisoned.
Harm and contraindications to the use of edible taro
Taro cannot be consumed raw due to its high calcium oxalate content. If this recommendation is neglected, you can get a burn of the oral mucosa, laryngeal edema and, in some cases, the development of respiratory failure. A skin burn also occurs when fresh plant sap gets on the skin.
Contraindications to the use of tarot are as follows:
- Kidney stones and gout - as already mentioned, the tuber contains a large amount of calcium oxalate.
- Hemophilia - blood clotting decreases markedly when taro is introduced into the diet.
- Propensity to diarrhea, enterocolitis and gastroenterocolitis.
When overeating or individual intolerance, allergic reactions may appear: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, a rash resembling hives. These symptoms can occur if the product is improperly cooked.
Recipes with edible taro
Before adding taro to the dish, it must be thoroughly cooked: cook in the peel until softened, bake in the oven at 190 ° C for 45-60 minutes, put in the microwave. Only then the peel is removed from the tuber.
The taste of taro may seem unpleasant to a European - the pulp is too bland, slimy due to the large amount of starch. Therefore, it is better to start your acquaintance with an exotic product with sauces with a lot of spices.
Edible taro recipes:
- Glutinous rice porridge with taro … This dish is very popular in Japan. Preparation begins with dashi broth (dashi). For this algae konbu (kelp) is poured with cold water and set aside for an hour. Then the container with water is put on the fire, without closing the lid, boil, pour in some cold water and add fish flakes (Kedzuri-bushi). Let the broth brew for 10 minutes and filter through a sieve to make it transparent. For one and a half cups of rice, you need to prepare 2 cups of dashi. The taro is cleaned (you need to wear gloves), cut into cubes - approximately 2x2 cm in size. The water is drained from the rice, poured with broth, so that to cover the surface, the taro cubes are laid out in one layer and covered with a lid. Cook until rice is sticky. You can add salt. Black sesame seeds are added to taste before serving.
- Cabbage rolls from fruits and taro leaves … The leaves are briefly dipped in boiling water, then the rice mixture made according to the previous recipe is wrapped in them, and again dipped in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. You can fry cabbage rolls on both sides.
- Vegetable stew … Heat treatment of taro is carried out in the microwave - set for 2-3 minutes at a power of 600 watts. If the tubers are large, they are cut into several pieces. Cut carrots into strips, bean pods in 3-4 cm pieces, diced tofu. Peel off the taro, cut into cubes, fry in oil with vegetables and taro. Mix the roast with soy sauce, stir for another 1 minute, remove from heat. Season with miso paste and sake.
- Salad … Taro is processed in the microwave, as in recipe 3, peeled, cut into cubes and fried in vegetable oil for 3-4 minutes. The sauce is mixed from ingredients taken in equal parts - soy sauce, sesame paste, sake. Hot taro cubes are dipped there, mixed with broken camembert or tofu. The presentation is carried out on lettuce leaves. You can bring taro tubers to readiness in the microwave - then they need to stand for 6 minutes.
- Sweet taro … The taro tubers are boiled, peeled, cut into cubes and fried in coconut oil. The slices are rolled, while hot, in coconut flakes.
- Taro with squid … Dasha broth is cooked in advance. The squid is washed, peeled, cut into rings and boiled in broth for 2-3 minutes. Small taro tubers are boiled for 20 minutes in water, peel off. Put taro tubers into a hot broth with squid, add salt, add sugar, pour in sake, sprinkle with green beans.
- Taro flour … The taro tubers are boiled, crushed, dried and flour is obtained. Any products can be baked from it. When making noodles in Indonesia and Japan, taro flour is mixed in equal parts with rice and wheat.
- Pudding … Taro is boiled, peeled, mashed. Mix with chopped coconut pulp, add a little cinnamon, shape the dough into cutlets and steam until cooked. The consistency should turn out to be airy, but you should pay attention - the finished pudding retains its shape. Sprinkle with coconut milk when serving.
- Tarot balls … This is a Thai dish. Boiled taro, mashed, mixed with rice and corn flour - 2/1/1, knead soft dough, adding a little water. Roll balls from the dough. A glass of palm sugar is dissolved in 2 glasses of coconut milk, heating over low heat - so as not to burn, you must constantly stir. Dough balls are dipped into the syrup, boiled for 5 minutes. Can be served hot or cold.
It is unlikely that a European will succeed in trying a dish of leaves and stems - they are used fresh. Taro tubers can be purchased at the supermarket. To make the dish tasty, you need to choose dense, heavy tubers. Taro feels like ripe potatoes
Interesting facts about edible taro
Edible taro has many names - Chinese potatoes, Dalo, Cocoyam, Curcas, poor man's potatoes …
In prehistoric times, tribes living in New Guinea and India began to collect it. Taro was brought to Burma, China and Japan later, and the plant got to the eastern Mediterranean and Africa together with the first merchants.
In Africa and Cameroon, taro is added to almost all dishes - in baked goods, in cereals, in desserts, and baby food is made on its basis. Petioles and leaves are preferred in Nepal. Homemade wine is made from taro.
Boiled taro is widely used in agriculture - pigs are fed. True, it is considered inappropriate to give them agricultural varieties - women dig uncultivated plants in the jungle.
Taro is a source of cellulose, and paper is made from tubers. In pharmacy, the plant is used as a raw material for the shell of capsules and tablets.
What to cook from a taro vegetable - look at the video:
The calorie content of edible taro is higher than that of potatoes (potatoes have 77 kcal per 100 g of product), but the glycemic index is lower. Therefore, vegetarians and those who are losing weight often add taro to their diet.
