{"id":815,"date":"2018-07-06T21:41:12","date_gmt":"2018-07-06T21:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trialbyfryer.com\/?p=815"},"modified":"2018-07-06T21:45:11","modified_gmt":"2018-07-06T21:45:11","slug":"taro-with-minced-pork-and-scallions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trialbyfryer.com\/2018\/07\/taro-with-minced-pork-and-scallions\/","title":{"rendered":"Taro with Minced Pork and Scallions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

I present to you, the humble but delicious taro!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Or, the humble malanga! Folks, I must be honest – I don’t actually know what this thing is called. I’ve always been told growing up that it was taro. However, I’ve since seen it labeled as both taro and malanga in supermarkets, and what I’ve found on the<\/a> internet<\/a> is<\/a> hardly<\/a> conclusive<\/a>. Either way, it hardly matters – they are close cousins, sharing the same family<\/a>. I’m actually now convinced that anything labeled taro can really be one of many cousins, and it’s more important to just go by appearance when grocery shopping. I’m going to call this thing taro throughout the rest of the post. Let me know your opinions, but unless I get definitive evidence otherwise, taro it shall be.<\/p>\n

\"20180702_183640\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"20180702_182828\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

The taro I love, the taro I’ve always eaten in this recipe growing up, is a large, ovoid tuber, about 2-3 pounds in size, with light brown, bumpy, scaly skin. I don’t usually buy it in its completely unprocessed form, however; in the Chinese supermarkets I’ve shopped at, it’s usually peeled, cut into pieces, and vacuum-sealed, as in the picture above. The flesh is a milky, slippery white, with flecks of purple interspersed throughout. Growing up, my mom always told me that the less purple flecks you can see, the more tender the tuber, but that seems like an old wives’ tale, so take from that what you will.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, you’ll see smaller tubers also being labeled taro (I know – it is a confusing world out there). These tubers will be much smaller, maybe slightly smaller than the size of your fist, with dark brown skin covered with shaggy brown hair. All I can say is that these are another cousin, and have a distinctly different texture and slightly different flavor, and I don’t use them for this recipe.<\/p>\n

\"20180702_185455\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"20180702_185512\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Anyway! Nomenclature aside, taro is absolutely delicious. It’s got the texture of a potato, but a stronger nutty, umami flavor – like cassava or yam. It can be treated exactly like a potato, and be boiled, mashed, fried, or chipped. However, even though it’s very starchy, it’s still more nutritious than a potato, and contains lots of\u00a0fiber, potassium, iron, vitamin C, and vitamin A<\/a>. My favorite way to prepare it is to simmer it, then mix it with heavily seasoned, salty pork and lots of garlic and scallions, until the taro edges break down and the whole thing turns into a warm, comforting, flavorful mash, with intact hunks of taro and spicy meat. It’s not pretty food. But trust me – it is the epitome of ugly delicious.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I’ve always eaten this with rice – this makes quite a salty, strongly flavored dish, and pairs wonderfully with fluffy rice and some garlicky green vegetables. Yes, it’s carb on carb, but I’m the girl who used to eat potato salad sandwiches as a child. Besides, taro is healthy – see above! – and it’s delicious with rice.<\/p>\n

Served with rice and sauteed Chinese broccoli. Total time to dinner, including sides: about 1 hour, but maybe 20 minutes of that is waiting for the rice to cook in the rice cooker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t
Servings<\/th>Fuss Factor<\/th>Total Time<\/th>Prep Time<\/th>Cook Time<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
4-6<\/td>1<\/td>35 minutes<\/td>15 minutes<\/td>20 minutes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n
\n\t
\n\t\t
\"\"<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/g><\/svg><\/span> Print<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

Taro with Minced Pork and Scallions<\/h2>\n\t
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t

Ingredients<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Marinade for the pork:<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t