Forgotten Foods: Taro Soup, Fried Taro, and Boiled Taro (Vietnam)

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Taro Soup, Fried Taro, and Boiled Taro
Prepared by the Nho Quan District Farmers’ Union
Viet Nam Farmers’ Union
Vietnam

Taro is one of the most resilient crops, extensively cultivated throughout Asia and the Pacific region. Renowned for its nutritional richness, taro root brings many health advantages, from better blood sugar control to promoting gut and heart health. In this video presentation, dedicated members of the Nho Quan District Farmer’s Union in Vietnam offer diverse culinary approaches to preparing and enjoying this versatile root, known locally as ‘khoai so.’

Ingredients:

• Taro
• Pork Ribs
• Carrots
• Tomatoes
• Shallot
• Ginger
• Egg
• Flour
• Chives, coriander, and some indigenous vegetables
• Spices: Salt, fish sauce, seasoning powder

Instructions:

Taro soup

1. Clean the taro and boil. After boiling, peel off the skin. Cut the boiled taro into bite-sized pieces. Add salt, then wash again with water.
2. Cut pork ribs into bite-sized pieces, add salt, then clean the ribs with water. Put in boiling water, then rinse with water again and drain.
3. Peel carrots and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Cut tomatoes lengthwise into bite-sized pieces. Rinse all the vegetables with water.
4. Stir-fry the ribs with sliced shallot and ginger, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes.
5. After stewing, add taro and carrots, and bring to a boil with high heat for about 5 minutes.
6. Add chives, coriander, and some indigenous vegetables, stir until boiling again, then take out.

Making fried taro

1. Wash and peel taro then boil until it turns soft.
2. Pick up the soft taro and puree it with an egg.
3. Mold the mix into a bite-sized ball, then coat the ball with crispy powder/flour.
4. Heat a pan with oil and fry the coated ball with hot oil until it turns golden brown, then take it out.

Boiled taro

1. 1. Put washed/clean taro in a pan with water and boil over high heat.
   2. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
   3. Take out the taro, peel it, and cut it into bite-sized pieces.

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The “Women Ensuring Food Security and Nutrition: Forgotten Foods Cooking Contest” is organized by the consortium Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) and La Via Campesina (LVC) through the Asia-Pacific Farmers’ Program (APFP) – Farmers’ Organizations for Asia (FO4A) and Assuring Resiliency of Family Farmers (ARISE). APFP-FO4A is supported by the European Union (EU) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). ARISE is supported by IFAD.

More info at https://asianfarmers.org/women-ensuring-food-security-and-nutrition-forgotten-foods-cooking-contest/