Virtues of Taro

Opening and closing the cupboards a few times this morning didn't appear to affect their contents, somehow I felt this repeated action would result in better choices for breakfast but the magic wasn't working and soup or rice did not appeal to me. The dried apricots did not have their favourite friend with them of oats but I did realise I had still a quarter of a packet of dried Taro leaves hiding in their , so perhaps the magic did work!
It also made me realise I have not posted about the virtues of Taro. "Laing" a Filipino dish of coconut and Taro leaves is delicious and vegan when made simply, but is a also a great base to modify and add your own twist or eaten hot and cold on toast or as yummy alternative vegan pizza topping that is cheaper than a cheese substitute.

So grab yourself a packet of Dried Taro leaves and those rounds of stale bread and heres to a delicious breakfast!!

My Filipino colleague not only told me that I had named one of my cats "Nanna" ("Lola" is tagalog for Grandma or Nanna!) but dried Taro leaves are better than fresh as with the fresh the hairy rough coating on the leaves is difficult to breakdown in the cooking process, so if you can get fresh they must be allowed to dry first before cooking. Alternatively you can purchase a packet already dried for around £1.50 from China Town or your nearest local Filipino supermarket. One packet should be enough for 4 meals to share so thats about 38 pence plus coconut and cooking costs each time you make it, which is far cheaper than the ready made in a tin and goes a lot futher.

Before we get onto the recipe I need to say something about the airmiles cost, because Taro is not particularly a native european plant and packets of dried leaves are imported from south east asia there is the impact on the environment to consider. I've thought of a few accomodations for this as follows:-

• Replace dried Taro leaves in the recipe with dried kale leaves
• Get wise to the airmiles and offset the carbon footprint http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/
• I have had some success growing Taro as a houseplant from purchasing a healthy tuber from my nearest carribean market store where it is known as "Dasheen". Pick a tuber with a green shoot and take it home as soon as possible. They like plenty of moisture and humidity but the soil needs to be rich in compost, moisture retaining but not waterlogged . After cultivating a well developed plant you can start taking off a few of the outside leaves and drying. When dry shred them up and you will be ready for the recipe!

Incidently you maybe reading this post from outside Europe so the airmiles cost maybe significantly less.

Here's how for a lower fat version, if you want a creamy rich version replace the dessicated coconut with half a block of creamed coconut or a can of coconut cream:-

1. Set aside equal measures of dessicated coconut and dried Taro. I would say about a cup of each should do it.
2. Place the dessicated coconut in a pan alongside some chooped garlic, and a touch of dried chili or chili paste if you wish. (Ginger is also good here).
3. Cover the coconut with enough hot water from a kettle and leave to soak for about 30 mins.
4. Add Taro leaves and stir in to mix.
5. Add enough soya milk to cover the leaves and coconut. ( if using coconut cream or milk you can use water)
6. Cook the mixture off until the liquid has reduced to virtually nothing ( about 20 mins) giving a few good stirs along the way.
7. Add salt to taste and finish off with a dash off oil and continue to cook a further 2-3 mins until their is no liquid left in the pan.

and thats it!!!