The next menu for taro lovers. I would say that the organic taro is the best ingredient beyond anything else. I used to bring the taro that I planted in the backyard up to Chiang Mai and asked a restaurant to try cooking this taro for me. This restaurant is a small restaurant in a mysterious area but it is very special with the story of the owner's experience. After finished enjoying the food, I requested to talk to the chef, which he told me that my taro is so fragrant and he has never seen this kind of taro before. It made the long journey to meet and stand to talk on that day, very special for me. Later, the owner took me to see the various antiques that he has collected. This is my luck that the taro brings us, so to speak. Anyway, a menu that I want to present in this article is the menu that we can cook ourselves from the beginning to the end if we have enough patience!
First, let me go grab my taro and my spring onion from my backyard garden.
The menu today is ‘Taro wrapped in tofu skin’.
Ingredients
The tofu skin can be found in supermarket or fresh market. But the best case is to make our own soy milk and dry it out for the tissue. I know this can be so extreme but the soy milk I make comes from the organic ingredient. All in all, I just want all of you to be cautious and attentive to the choice you make for your health. Secondly, the short-rounded taro. If you try to peel the skin out, you will see a white powdery texture and a light purple line between the meat. When you buy taro, you must mainly look at the bottom of the taro and pick the one that is dry, without soft spots or bruises, because that is the starting point for bacteria to spread to the head of the taro and cause the taro to rot in 3 -4 days. Try to use the finger to flip at the center of the Taro’s head gently. If you hear a popping sound, buy then by that head. But for those who grow the taro like me, I need to wait one more month after the 5th month in order to have the most delicious Taro and to avoid tongue irritation. Additionally, you would also need spring onion, salt flower, white soy sauce, ground pepper, Thao Yai Mom flour (Ground into a fine powder evenly before use) for this menu.
Cooking Instruction:
1. Soak tofu skin in water to soften it.
2. Peel the taro and cut into small strips with a thickness of about 3 mm in length. Then put in a wire rack to let the texture of the taro dry. Taro will soften but not dry.
3. Cut the onion into short pieces while the base of the onion is to be thinly sliced.
4. Bring the taro that has started to dry up and then mix it with salt and a little soy sauce until it’s dehydrated, then add the chopped spring onion and pepper. Add a little Thao Yai Mom flour, to allow the taro to bind together. But if the taro is too dry, you can sprinkle the water a little bit to make the taro lines stick together.
5. Drain the water from the tofu skin and place it on a large tray and then scoop the mixed taro and put it on top of the taro skin to make a long line along the entire length of the taro skin.
6. Slowly roll the tofu skin onto the taro and wrap it tightly. Do not make it too big, as it will make it difficult to fry and eat.
7. Steam them until the tofu skin looks clear. Then lift up the steamer from the stove.
8. Once the tofu skin is completely cool, it can be picked up into sticks. You can reserve it in a container such as the fridge for several months.
9. When it's time to eat, take it out from the fridge to normal temperature. Cut into pieces that can be eaten in proper bite. Fry in hot oil and medium heat until it turns golden brown and crispy. Drain the oil out and serve it with the Chinese dipping sauce and coriander. The texture of the crispy tofu skin wrapped over the soft taro is a taste that you would never forget. Trust me!
Suitable planting time:
For taro, it can be planted from June to August and can be harvested from December to February.
The onion can be planted all year; however, it will grow slow in rainy season.
Next, let’s move on to the baby jackfruit with spicy fish sauce menu.
My Thai name also comes from the jackfruit trees that I have in my house as it is believed to be the holy plant that will bring luck to the house. Basically, jackfruit will give birth in bunches. Each bunch will have 4-5 fruits. We can collect young jackfruit to cook and leave the most beautiful ones to keep growing until it becomes a fruit. This method allows the ancestors to have all kinds of edible things which can be eaten all year round from just one plant.
If you go to the big bazaar or supermarket, you definitely can't find this menu. But the peak was more than that. Back in the era of my grandparents, they made their own fish sauce too. My grandfather was responsible for going out to fish in the river to feed the family, while my grandma will bring some small fishes and fermented them in a jar to make a fish sauce for yearly consumption. My aunt told me that the fish sauce made by my grandma is very delicious. It does not smell nor taste like fish sauce in the market these days. But for modern consumers, like myself. I have been searching for ancient fish sauce through the 'Eat to Change the World' group, which supports ingredients manufacturers that still use traditional methods and with zero chemicals in their production, causing me to get the fish sauce that I assume I would taste similar to the fish sauce of my grandma for our menu today.
Ingredients
Bay jackfruit, fish sauce, ripe tamarind, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, red onion, paprika, lemon, coconut sugar and eggplant.
Cooking Instruction:
1. Cut the baby jackfruit crosswise and boil until done, then lift up from the heat and let them drain. Peel off the skin and cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. Mix coconut sugar and fish sauce together. Add a little tamarind and simmer with low heat. The finished taste should be salty, sour and then sweet respectively. If you feel sour but the tamarind isn't fully dissolved, scoop out the tamarind. Then add salty and sweet flavor more. Once the taste is good and the fish sauce is boiling all over, lift it off the stove and set aside.
3. Slice the red onion, kaffir lime leaves, paprika and lemongrass and do the half slice for eggplant.
4. Mix the prepared ingredients in fish sauce. Adjust the flavor as you wish. You may also use lemon to add the sour flavor this time.
5. Decorate in the dish and serve with the prepared baby jackfruit.
This menu doesn't seem to be eye-catching but if you try it out, you will keep coming back for it. It is a simple menu which is good for the intestinal system because of its high in fiber. There are also ingredients that are used as seasonal raw materials that are easy to grow by themselves, such as jackfruit, kaffir lime, paprika, tamarind, lime which can be grown around the house fence that they will keep growing many years. This is considered a worthy effort with long-lasting rewards. As for the fish sauce in grandma's style, I an sure that there will be one day that I will start making my own fish sauce as well.
Author
Noon – Natkanag Prichaborisutkul
Farmer/ Safe Food Producer/
Organic Soap and Shampoo Producer/ Self-managed Trainer