Taro & White Bean Curry – A Guest Post by Chinmayie @ Love Food Eat

Taro and White Bean Curry

I have known her for more than two decades; we grew up on a same street and studied at same school. But we both lost touch when we moved to different cities for higher education. It was only last year when I met her again in my home town when she came to visit me and Lil Dumpling with her ma and gorgeous daughter and then we kept in touch through social network. Few month’s later she mailed me about starting her food blog and since day one, I have become a fan of her beautiful clicks, and what she cooks! It is my greatest pleasure to introduce beautiful Chinmayie of Love Food Eat, a food blog which is unique and simply stunning! Her blog may be just six months old but it is already studded with priceless recipes and beautiful narration. After one look at her blog and I am sure you’ll not want to miss reading her posts. So why not follow her on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook!

Though my blog is just 6 months old, my love for trying out new food and browsing food blogs is almost a decade old now. One of the first blogs I fell in love with was ‘Monsoon Spice’. In those days whenever I wanted a recipe for a particular dish from my region (Mangalore) I would immediately look up MS as I was sure it had everything I would look for. For a very long time I had no idea who Sia was. When I finally found out that it’s the same Sia, my neighbor from native I was thrilled! We grew up in the same town, on the same street and studied in the same school! But it was our love for food which brought us together once again! 

Now that I am a food blogger myself, my respect and love for MS has only doubled. Blogging fabulously well for over 5 years is a HUGE accomplishment. Being just 6 months old in food blogging Sia is a super senior to me and I have a lot of respect for her! When Sia asked me if I could guest post for her I almost jumped with joy! I was going to be writing for one of the best Indian food blogs I know! Thank you so much for the opportunity Sia…

It took me so long to actually decide on what to cook for MS. I wanted it to be Indian as that’s what MS really stands for. But there were hardly any Indian Dishes that Sia hadn’t blogged ;) I decided that I was going to use some local Indian vegetable and basic Indian spices and develop something new. That is exactly what I have done with this simple Taro Curry.

Taro for Taro and White Bean Curry

Taro also known as Colacasia which is native to South East Asia is a popular root vegetable in our region. It tastes like potato but has a more earthy and nutty flavour. It’s cheap and grows everywhere. These tubers which are actually toxic when raw are low in fat and are very high is dietary fibre, essential vitamins and minerals when cooked. These hearty, flavourful roots are considered a less fashionable poor man’s vegetable and I want to change that with this delicious curry recipe!

White Beans for Taro and White Bean Curry

I used white beans which are locally known as ‘Tingalavare’ with Taro which together makes for a creamy curry. The gravy is very simple with just coconut and black pepper. Resulting curry is very mild unlike most other popular Indian curries. It is not loaded with too many spices which makes it lite on the palette. Fragrant curry leaves add a wonderful aroma to the dish which takes it to the next level.

Taro is slightly slimy when raw so be careful while handling it. Also it can be a little itchy so discard the water it was boiled in. If Taro is not available to you use any starchy root vegetable in this dish, potato should be just fine. Replace the white beans with cannellini beans to make it easier. This is oil free, healthy and vegan, a hearty curry perfect for cold evenings. Serve this over hot rice and I am sure even people who are not too crazy about Indian food will enjoy it.

Taro roots

Taro and White Bean Curry

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Recipe: Taro and White Bean Curry
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Shelf Life: Best served fresh but can be refrigerated for up to 2 days
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner
Spice Level: Low
Serving Suggesion: With Rice or Roti

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Ingredients:
2 cups Taro Roots, peeled and diced
1 cup White Beans, soaked and boiled
1 cup fresh/frozen Coconut
5-10 Black Peppercorns
2 springs of fresh Curry Leaves
Salt to taste

Taro and White Bean Curry

Method:

1. Soak the white beans in hot water for a couple of hours. Boil in salted water till soft (I used a pressure cooker)
2. Wash and peel the taro and cut it into cubes. Wash it in running water till most of the slime is gone. Place it in a big pot of salted water, bring to a boil, drain and keep aside.
3. Grind coconut and black pepper into a smooth paste adding water if required.
4. Combine all the ingredients in a pot and bring it to a boil. Add salt and curry leaves and let it simmer for 2 minutes till the curry leaves infuses it’s aroma into the curry.
5. Serve hot over rice or with roti.

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Notes:

• Taro is slightly slimy when raw so be careful while handling it. Also it can be a little itchy so discard the water it was boiled in. 
• If Taro is not available to you use any starchy root vegetable in this dish, potato should be just fine. 
• Replace the white beans with cannellini beans to make it easier.