Servings: 10 waffles
Taro Waffles
These golden taro waffles are packed with earthy and umami flavors. I usually make a half batch of my sweet chili sauce to serve with these waffles. Serve the waffles with roasted asparagus or any side of vegetables and your favorite protein (I like pairing the waffles with my teriyaki tofu).
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds (680g) peeled large taro, (see note 1)
- 1 cup (90g) packed sliced scallions, (see note 2)
- 1/4 cup (35g) cassava flour, can sub with all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the waffle iron
- 2 teaspoons mushroom powder, (see note 3)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons (4g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 5/8 teaspoon if using table or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
- sweet chili sauce to serve, optional
Equipment
- food processor or box grater
- 4-slice waffle iron
- brush
Instructions
- Preheat the waffle iron and set to medium heat.
- Cut the taro into 1 to 2-inch thick batons. Then, grate the taro with a food processor or by hand. Transfer the grated taro to a large bowl. (See note 4 about cutting taro by hand)
- Add the sliced scallions, cassava flour (or all-purpose flour), soy sauce, oil, mushroom powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, white pepper, and chili flakes to the bowl. Using your hands, mix the ingredients together for 1 to 2 minutes, until the taro mixture is moist. Grab a clump of the taro mixture and give it a squeeze. The taro mixture should hold its shape.
- Grease the waffle iron generously with oil. Measure a scant half cup of taro mixture and place it over one of the quadrants of the waffle iron. Using your fingers, flatten the mixture slightly. Prepare 3 more waffles and close the waffle iron with the lid. Cook the waffles for 6 to 8 minutes, until golden brown (see note 5). Transfer the cooked waffles to a cooling rack.
- Continue cooking the waffles with the remaining taro mixture. If you want to keep the earlier batches of waffles warm, heat your oven to 225ºF (110ºC). Place the cooling rack with the cooked waffles over a large baking sheet and place the baking sheet and waffles into the oven.
- Serve the taro waffles while they’re still warm. Enjoy them on their own or with sweet chili sauce.
Notes
- Make sure you use the large variety of taro and not the small ones with a furry skin. Small taro doesn’t have as much earthy flavor and has a slight slimy texture that wouldn’t work well for this recipe. I typically buy a large taro of at least 3 pounds and slice the proper amount for this recipe. The skin on the taro is thick and rough, so use a knife to slice off the skin. If you have leftover taro, consider using it to cook my mom’s steamed sticky rice!
- You can substitute scallions with green garlic or the tops of spring onions.
- I made the mushroom powder by grinding dried porcini mushrooms in my spice grinder. Dried shiitake mushrooms work very well, too. You can use any leftover mushroom powder to season soups, jook/congee, or stir fries!
- Hand cutting taro: One of my readers told me that the taro tends to be drier when you hand cut it into smaller pieces. As a result, the taro mixture will be dry and and won't hold together. You can add an egg to the taro mixture (if you're not vegan) to get the taro to stick together. Alternatively, you can add a few splashes of water and a bit more flour to the mixture. Squeeze some of the mixture to see if it holds together.
- My waffle iron cooks better on the bottom, so I usually flip the waffles over after 6 minutes of cooking and cook them for another 1 to 2 minutes. Flipping the waffles isn’t necessary–I just want the waffles to be more evenly golden.
- Reheating Directions: The easiest way to reheat the taro waffles is to pop them into your toaster, like you would with flour-based waffles. You can also bake them in the oven at 350ºF (175ºF) for 5 to 7 minutes with room temperature waffles; 8 to 10 minutes for refrigerated waffles; and 10 to 12 minutes for frozen waffles.
- Making Taro Fritters Instead of Waffles: If you don’t have a waffle iron, you can make taro fritters with this recipe. Measure 1/4 cup portions of the taro mixture and shape them into a cake and flatten slightly. Cook the fritters over medium to medium-low heat for 6 to 7 minutes, flipping halfway. Break open one of the fritters to make sure the center is cooked through before removing them from the pan. If you find the mixture difficult to shape into cakes, try adding in an egg. This recipe makes about 12 to 13 fritters.
- Feel free to play around with the seasoning blend. If you have Fly By Jing’s Mala Spice Mix in your pantry, add it to the taro mixture! Replace the mushroom powder, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, and chili flakes with 2 tablespoons of the Mala Spice Mix.
Nutrition
Serving: 1waffle | Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1.4g | Fat: 6.5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 233mg | Fiber: 3.3g | Sugar: 1g
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