Mouthwatering Spicy Taro Bun Recipe & Hibiscus Tea
Do you know (& have tasted) taro? Well, if you don’t know what it is, just Google it to see the pictures how it looks and also you can see it in the video I’m going to talk about here. The plant has large leaves and it grows mainly in South Asia, Africa and Oceania, but can be grown in other regions if it can get abundant water. The reason to talk about taro is that it’s an extremely delicious vegetable and its leaves as well as its tuberous roots can be eaten in a variety of delectable forms. Here I want to share with you a recipe of taro bun (& easy hibiscus tea) which has been shown in a video which you must watch and try this yummy recipe.
I’m sure, you’ll be pleased to see this video because two beautiful sisters with smiling faces make the dish in an open space where there is greenery and colorful flowers everywhere, peacock and other birds calling, and a soft background music. The environment is pleasantly pastoral, all the ingredients are authentically natural and organic, and the best part? It’s cooked in earthen pots and on wood fire! These traditional sisters have a YouTube channel where you can get many other awesome recipes too made in open green spaces and with natural ingredients, obviously with amazing taste.
You don’t need an oven to make the spicy taro buns as they are deep-fried. And guess what the sisters use coconut oil for cooking! So, you can imagine the heavenly flavor!
But don’t worry. You can cook this delightful dish with store-bought ingredients and your regular stove and utensils. Let’s check out the ingredients and method.
Ingredients
For the Filling:
5-6 medium-sized taro tubers
5 eggs
3 medium-sized onions
1 medium tomato
8-10 garlic cloves
5 green chilies
2 twigs of curry leaves
2 pandan leaves
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
¾ teaspoons curry powder
¾ teaspoons black pepper powder
2 whole cardamoms
3 whole cloves
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
3 tablespoons salt
4-5 tablespoons of coconut oil
For the Bun:
300-400 grams flour
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon yeast
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 cup warm water
Coconut oil for frying
Method
Take a bowlful of water and put the taros in it and scrub them to clean (if they’re soiled). Remove all the soil. Then transfer them to another pot. Fill the pot with water till the taros are fully immersed. Add two teaspoons of salt and place the pot on fire for boiling the taros.
In another pot, take the eggs, add water and ¾ teaspoon salt, and keep them for boiling too.
While they are boiling, wash tomato, green chilies, pandan leaves and curry leaves. Cut onions first into two halves each and slice all the halves. Cut tomatoes, garlic cloves and green chilies into small pieces. Tear the pandan leaves into halves.
If the taros and eggs are boiled by now, take them off the fire and peel the taros. Mash the peeled taros finely.
Take 4-5 tbsp. coconut oil in a pan, heat it and add the cut garlic cloves, pandan leaves, curry leaves, tomatoes, onions and green chilies, and stir fry. After stirring for some time, add chili powder, curry powder, black pepper powder, cardamoms, cloves, turmeric powder and salt, and stir fry again. Now add the mashed taros. Cook for a while. Remove from fire and let the mixture cool down.
In another pan, take sugar, yeast, salt and coconut oil, and mix well. Then add warm water and again mix well. Cover it and leave for 10 minutes. Then add flour, mix well and turn it into a dough, and leave again for 30 minutes more.
By this time, you can peel the eggs and cut each peeled egg into halves.
Now grease the rolling surface with coconut oil and rolling the dough over it just with hand, pinch off medium-sized balls. Spread each ball with hand to make it flat. Spread a little taro mixture on to it and keep one half boiled egg pressed over the mixture. Close the flattened piece from all sides.
Heat coconut oil in a frying pan and fry all the buns till golden brown. Your spicy taro buns are ready!
Hibiscus Tea
To make hibiscus tea, boil two glasses of water in a kettle. Take 5-6 hibiscus flowers (rosa-sinensis) in each glass and pour the hot water on them. You’ll see the red extract of the flowers steeping into the water. Squeeze a lemon in the water. Your hibiscus tea is ready!
See how the two sisters are enjoying the food and drink, sitting on a mat, on the farm. Enjoy it in the same way if possible. Happy cooking, eating and drinking (tea)!