Foodjianese |
Food is not my life but it makes me feel alive. I was born in Fujian, in southeast China, and somehow got dragged onto a plane to New York at the turn of my teenage years. (Thanks mom!) I inhaled 3 plates of roast pork and cabbage on rice after sneaking my way out of summer tutoring school (I'm Asian) during lunchtime to gorge on Indian Mee Goreng and Indian pancakes when I was in junior high, so there is no doubt that I LOVE to eat. Cooking, on the other hand, is a recent obsession. I generally do not rely on recipes except for baking because I feel constrained by the scientific preciseness of most recipes. I like to improvise. The lingering taste of a sweet and spicy lamb tagine from a recent restaurant meal prompts me to turn on my stove. The smell of sweet cardamom and rose water gracefully peeking their way out of an Indian bakery seduces me to invite them to my kitchen. Ok, enough about me, let's cook, eat, and share, which is what food is all about. |
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Lovin’ My Roots
Fujianese Sweet Mashed Taro
1 Christmas, 2 New Year’s, and 1,224 hours of procrastination later, I am back. I got dangerously comfortable with not updating the blog. The holidays were a ready excuse but the real reason is that I was afraid to write, afraid of unable to write an interesting post. I know it sounds silly but this procrastinating perfectionist ghost of mine has always haunted me. Luckily, somewhere along reading other food blogs and feeling lazy and unproductive I decided it was time to return to the blog. So what if it’s not perfect. It’s a learning process, right?
I always get very nostalgic during the holidays and especially during Chinese New Year’s which was on Valentine’s day this year. My nostalgia often manifests as food cravings, naturally. This year, I was yearning for my favorite childhood dessert - sweet mashed taro.
Fujianese sweet mashed taro is basically mashed taro mixed with syrup and lard. This dessert is traditionally served at banquets such as at weddings, funerals, etc. Although I was an active kid, straying away from the table at banquets to go play, I always knew to go back for the mashed taro since it was a rare treat. Here in New York, you can find readymade sweet mashed taro at Fujianese snack shops and restaurants along East Broadway, a.k.a. Little Fuchow. Now that I am older and “legal to cook” without fearing of being reprimanded by my mom, I decided to take a stab at making the dessert, a healthier version of course.
I used frozen taro meat out of both convenience and freshness since who knows how fresh the “fresh taros” are by the time they arrive here from China or Southeast Asia. You can find packaged frozen taro meat in many Asian supermarkets. Make sure you buy the more fragrant Bin Lang taro, the large ones, not the small rock-sized ones which are more slimy. I used the reserved lard from roasting pork shoulder (recipe adapted from Momofuku) which added a smoky flavor, however, you can also use oil if you do not have lard on hand or am (*gasp*) anti-lard. I would suggest using either peanut oil or coconut oil for enhanced flavor. I finished the mashed taro with some white sesame seeds and slivers of jujube dates. Feel free to get creative! Sprinkle roasted walnut bits and dried cranberries or sweet lotus seeds and black sesame seeds, etc. Just count yourself lucky for not having to sit through agonizing 4-hour-long wedding ceremonies to enjoy it.
Sweet Mashed Taro
INGREDIENTS
1lb Taro Meat (Cut into slices about 2 inch long by 1 inch thick)
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Water
1 1/2 TBSP Lard or Oil
DIRECTIONS
1. Place taro slices on a steamer for 50 minutes to an hour.
2. Puree the taro in a food processor with 1 1/2 cups of water and 1/3 cup sugar.
3. Pour the taro mixture into a heavy bottom or nonstick pot, mix in the lard, and simmer over low-medium heat for 20 minutes. Stirring frequently!
Glaze
INGREDIENTS
2 TBSP Sugar
1 TBSP Water
1 tsp Lard
DIRECTIONS
1. Mix and heat all ingredients until the sugar completely dissolves.
2. Pour it over the mashed taro.
