Taro Pao | Mashed Taro Ball

Recipe

Two menus; two recipes!

Breakfast Tea Time Menu

Homemade and freshly steamed hot pao

Fluffy pao with generous filling of 100% taro mash and cubes

Dessert Menu

Delightful mixture of mashed taro,butter, sugar, and salt
– route to heavenly mashed taro ball!

The first time I tried these chilled mashed taro balls in Taiwan I immediately fell in love with it!

Recipe

Taro pao skin
(amount by preference unless specified):
Mashed steamed taro (based on your desired number of 3-inch pao)
Cubed raw taro
Flour (based on your desired number of 3-inch pao)
Yeast (1/100 of flour)
Milk or water (1/3 of flour)
Salt
Sugar

Taro pao filling
(amount by preference unless specified):
Mashed steamed taro (based on your desired number of 1.5-inch balls)
Cubed raw taro
Butter (1/10 of taro or as desired)
Salt
Sugar

Mashed taro ball ingredients
(amount by preference unless specified):
Mashed taro (based on your desired number of 1.5-inch balls)
Butter (1/4 of taro)
Salt
Sugar

Cooking of taro pao:

Prepare the cubed raw taro. Separate the cubed taro into two appropriate portions to be used in Step 7 and Step 11.
Prepare the mashed steamed taro by steaming and mashing with a fork. Separate the mashed taro into two appropriate portions to be used in Step 5 and Step 7.
Mix the flour, water, yeast, milk, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
Knead the mixture into a dough.
Knead the dough and a portion of mashed taro together until they are thoroughly mixed.
Leave the dough aside for 45 minutes to rise.
For the pao filling, mix the butter, salt, and sugar into the remaining mashed taro. Stir in the cubed raw taro.
Divide the dough into moderately sized balls, and then roll them flat to make the pao skin.
Enclose the pao skin over the taro pao filling.
Stick a few cubed taro over the top of the pao.
Steam for 10 minutes and leave pao in pot for 5 minutes to cool and prevent shrinking.
Serve hot or freeze to store up to a month.

Cooking of mashed taro ball:

Prepare enough mashed taro for the desired number of 1.5-inch balls.
Thoroughly mix all listed ingredients of mashed taro ball and roll mixture into individual 1.5-inch balls.
Store in freezer up to a month, and chill in refrigerator prior serving.
Serve chilled on tart foil.

Notes

I made taro pao and mashed taro balls because I love natural taro-related food but it is not conveniently sold in Malaysia. Most taro-related food here contains too much sugar, colouring, and flavouring.

Taro pao’s tip off: Stick finger into dough, dough rising is completed when it does not re-inflate. I prefer to prepare a lot of taro pao to store in the freezer so that I can conveniently steam a couple of pao for breakfast before I head out.

Mashed taro ball’s tip off: If you have tried mashed taro balls in Taiwan and miss the taste, my recipe produces a superbly similar result.

Rating

taro pao
Taste: ♥♥♥♥♥ (5 out of 5)
Health: ♥♥♥♥ (4 out of 5)
Cost: ~RM2-3 per pao
*Rated in year 2020.

mashed taro ball
Taste: ♥♥♥♥♥ (5 out of 5)
Health: ♥♥♥♥ (4 out of 5)
Cost: ~RM1-2 per ball
*Rated in year 2020.