What does perfect taste mean? It's not just about fancy food served in a classy place. It's not about money and place. Basically, that's about how we value food.
Well, before I share with you the recipe for boiled taro sprinkled with toasted grated coconut, I want to tell you a little about something. I hope you enjoy something from my story.
Food teaches me many things. One of them is about perfection. Just as humans often judge other people only by their appearance, so is a lot of food that is often underestimated just because it comes from a humble place, from the edge of the village.
Born and growing up on the edge of the village, I learned a lot about the perfection of food. During my childhood, all the food was made by my own family. We get the ingredients directly from nature, whether we plant them, or we harvest them wildly from the small forest in the middle of the village where I lived before, (which now the small forest has turned into the residential area).
One thing I used to instill in myself: “if I can't buy good food, then I have to make it by myself”. So, as you can see my blog until now, (almost 5 years old blog) is all about food. That's because I want many people to know that we make homemade food that can make us happy. Food that we can give a perfect score, even though it is served from a very simple kitchen.
I also learned independently about presenting food in interesting and new forms than usual. This is to give a new impression of the food that is appetizing. Also, it doesn't look like home food.
I want one day, my future children will think the food I make is like food from a restaurant. I hope that there will always be gratitude and blessings that are spoken after eating the food that I serve.
Back to the topic this time, I'm going to show you how I make simple boiled taro.
Boiled taro is generally served for food in villages that work in agricultural areas. Boiled taro can also be used as fritters for an alternative presentation. This time I will present taro with another alternative. I added toasted grated coconut elements.
The toasted grated coconut is mixed with palm sugar to make it sweet. This will turn on the sweet taste of taro which tends to taste plain.
In general, the inside of the taro is slightly purplish gray. But if you are lucky, you can also get a bright purple taro. In some food and drink recipes that use taro flavor, additional coloring is usually added to add visual appeal.
All We Need
- 250 grams of taro
- 1/2 an old coconut, grated
- 1/4 cup of palm sugar with granular texture
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder or vanilla essence
A Thing To Watch Out For.
Taro is a type of tuber that is similar to potatoes and yam. It's just that, there is a special treatment that must be done before taro is processed into food. Taro should be soaked in salt water for about 30 minutes to remove the itchy sap.
Also, we must use gloves to peel taro to avoid the skin of the hands becoming itchy with taro sap.
Cooking Instructions
Peel Taro. 
Use gloves to peel the taro. This is a must for the reasons I mentioned earlier.
Cut Taro. 
Cut the taro into small pieces. I cut lengthwise because the size of the taro I have is elongated. You can also cut the taro in circular sizes following the surface shape of the taro.
Soak Taro. 
Wash the taro several times until it feels reduced mucus. Then, prepare the salt water, then soak the taro for about 30 minutes.
When finished soaking, wash the taro until it really doesn't feel slippery when held. This indicates that the latex mucus in the taro has disappeared and the taro is ready to be processed.
Boil Taro. 
After thoroughly soaking and washing, then boil the taro for about 30 minutes or check with a toothpick for doneness.
Toast Grated Coconut. 
Meanwhile, waiting for the cooked taro to boil, prepare toasted coconut. First, we need toast-grated coconut. I only use a non-stick pan, no oil. Keep stirring the grated coconut until it's slightly dry and has a distinctive aroma of toasted ingredients.
You can use the dried grated coconut in the instant version which is sold in packaged form. If you are using this version, just a quick toast.
Mix Grated Coconut With Palm Sugar. 
When finished toast the grated coconut, add vanilla powder, and palm sugar which has a granular texture that makes it easier for the palm sugar to melt and seep into the grated coconut.
Keep stirring them so they don't burn. It's important to keep a close eye on grated coconut. Use only low heat. Remove them when they look perfectly mixed.
Set aside the toasted coconut aside and let it cool completely if you want to store it for up to a few weeks.
Serving Taro With Toasted Coconut.
Serving boiled taro in a warm state. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, also fresh coconut flakes.
You can also add ice cream or your favorite fresh fruit if you feel this is not sweet enough. Just adjust this dish to your taste buds.
Boiled taro served with toasted coconut can be a healthy choice if you are on a fried food diet.
I hope you enjoy my serving of words and food. May we all be blessed with a day that has enjoyment even though it has to go through hard.
Thank you for reading my blog and reblog if you want my blog this time worthy of reading by others.
Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari
Anggrek Lestari is an Indonesian fiction writer who has published two major books. Now She is a full-time content creator. She has a goal to share life, poem, and food content that makes others happy and can get inspiration.
Contact Person: authoranggreklestari@gmail.com
Discord: anggreklestari#3009