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.

Taro Ball Tang Yuan (芋頭湯圓/芋圓)

Taro Tang Yuan

Recipe

Springy, chewy & sweet taro balls suitable for dessert

Welcome winter solstice with body-warming taro balls in ginger black sugar soup

Recipe

Number of balls: ~20
Ingredients (Amount up to preference unless stated):
Ginger
Black sugar (黑糖) (Sweetness is half than that of white sugar)
Cubed taro (芋头)
Glutinous rice flour (糯米粉) 2 cups
Water 1 cup
White sugar
Salt

Preparation:

Boil hammered or sliced ginger in a pot of water, and then add black sugar when the water has been infused with ginger.
White sugar may be added for more sweetness. Standard tang yuan soup is as sweet as cake. A slight dusting of salt is optional to discreetly tease taste buds.
Steam and mash the cubed taro.
Mix salt and sugar into the mashed taro. Make sure salt and sugar is enough for adequate flavour later when kneaded with the flour. The taste of taro balls are usually either slightly salty or sweet.
Mix flour and water at a 2:1 ratio into a moderate consistency. Knead dough with mashed taro. Add water when dough cracks.
Roll dough into small uniform balls. They are typically served small (1/2 in) or moderately sized (1 in).
Boil taro balls in boiling water, floating balls are done.
Serve taro balls in a bowl of ginger black sugar soup.

Notes

Taro tang yuan (芋头汤圆) is also known as taro ball (芋圆). Tang yuan balls and soup are quite customisable. There are ginger white sugar soup and soy bean soup; there are also non-flavoured tang yuan balls with either no filling, peanut, black sesame, or red bean filling.

Rating

芋頭湯圓
Taste: ♥♥♥♥♥ (5 out of 5)
Health: ♥♥♥♥ (4 out of 5)
Cost: ~RM2-3 per bowl
*Rated in year 2020.