Crunchy, light, and tasty – Taro root fries are the perfect snack to pair with your drinks, burgers, sandwiches, and many more. It is one of the easiest snacks to make that you can make in three methods. You can air-fry, bake, or deep-fry them according to your desired taste and texture.
First, What Is Taro?
Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a root vegetable from the Araceae plant family, a vegetable similar to a typical potato. This is a different vegetable from a sweet potato, yam, and yuca. You can compare their differences with my guide, Taro Vs Sweet Potato Vs Yam Vs Yuca.
Generally, it has brown to gray skin and white flesh with purple dots. Its taste is like a potato, which is naturally sweet, starchy, and nutty. Taro can be used in various ways, from taro sago dessert soup to taro balls and taro paste.
One notable aspect of taro is that it is high in oxalate crystal. This substance is actually toxic when eaten raw and can cause skin irritation for some people when touched with bare hands. Thus, the best way to handle taro is to wear food-safe gloves, wash your hands after touching it, and make sure to cook it thoroughly before eating.
Why Taro Fries Is Better Than Regular Potatoes Fries
Taro is considered a healthier starch vegetable than regular potatoes due to its high fiber content. Moreover, it contains less sugar and has more vitamins E, A, and B than regular potatoes. However, taro is higher in calories and carbohydrates, so it may not be a better option if you are trying to lose weight and control your calorie intake.
Nevertheless, it is a healthy vegetable with several nutritional benefits. It helps improve digestion, manage blood sugar levels, and control high blood pressure. You can make it even healthier by cooking taro fries without oil.
How To Prepare Taro Fries
As mentioned, some people may have skin irritations with taro, while some don’t. To be safe, you can wear kitchen-safe gloves on your first try. The first thing you need to do is to peel and cut the taro.
Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Then, cut it into your desired shape. You can cut it into shoestring “french fries”, wedges, or curly fries, to name a few.
I recommend rinsing the taro after cutting it into your desired shape, and not before. In this way, it is not too wet and slippery when doing the cutting step. Rinsing the taro with water helps remove excess starch as well.
To season the taro, you can use the following seasonings:
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Cayenne pepper or chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dry mustard
- Paprika
- Dried parsley
- Dried oregano
- Dried thyme
- Dried basil
How To Serve Taro Fries
Taro fries go well with any dish. It is commonly paired with pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, and other fried dishes. Alternatively, you can eat it alone with a sweet or savory sauce.
The combinations are endless! Here are my favorite ways to serve taro fries for a sumptuous meal:
- Crispy Pork Belly (Burger)
- Buttermilk Chicken Burger
- Pulled Pork Tacos
- Salt And Pepper Chicken Wings
- Ippudo-style Teba Gyoza (Stuffed Chicken Wings)
- Korean Fried Chicken
- Prawn Paste Chicken
- Popcorn Chicken
- Potato Cheese Puff Pastry Tart
- Barbecue
- Pizza
- Ketchup and mayonnaise sauce
- Cheese sauce
- Mustard
- Salad cream
- Garlic sauce
Ingredients And Kitchenware To Make Taro Fries
In this recipe guide, I show three ways on how to cook taro fries. Apart from the basic kitchen tools you already have such as a knife, chopping board, etc., each method requires different kitchenware and ingredients. So, I listed each item below according to method:
Air Fryer Taro Fries:
Kitchenware
- Knife and chopping board
- Bowl
- Kitchen gloves
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 20g of sugar (adjust to taste)
- Oil
Oven-Baked Taro Fries:
Kitchenware
- Knife and chopping board
- Kitchen gloves
- Oven
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- Oil
- Black pepper
Deep-Frying Taro Fries:
Kitchenware
- Knife and chopping board
- Kitchen gloves
- Bowl
- Strainer
- Frying pan
- Strainer spatula or chopsticks
Ingredients
- Oil (enough oil for deep-frying)
- Salt and pepper (adjust to taste)
Three Methods To Make Taro Fries
The three ways to cook taro fries are via air-fryer, oven-baked, and deep-fry. Choose a method that suits your kitchenware availability and personal preference. If you prefer little to no oil, go for an air fryer and oven. If you don’t mind the extra oil, deep-fry is the best choice.
Check out my short tutorial guide on Instagram or TikTok to learn how to cook for each method. Finished making this recipe? Share which method you used to cook taro fries by commenting below!
Air Fryer Taro Fries:
- Start by peeling the skin and cutting the taro into sticks or shoestrings.
- Then, rinse the taro sticks in water to remove excess starch from the surface.
- Sprinkle about 20g of sugar (or adjust to your taste) and lightly coat them with a bit of oil.
- Mix well.
- Place the coated taro sticks in the air fryer.
- Set the air fryer to 180°C or 356°F and cook for 20 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, flip them over to cook the other side.
- Enjoy these brown and crunchy taro fries!
Oven-Baked Taro Fries:
- Peel the skin and cut the taro into sticks or shoestrings.
- Use kitchen paper towels to blot drythe taro and coat the taro sticks with oil and season with black pepper.
- Mix them thoroughly.
- Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or 356°F and bake for 15 minutes.
Deep-Frying Taro Fries
- To deep-fry taro fries, peel the skin and cut the taro into sticks or shoestrings.
- Rinse the taro sticks in water to remove excess starch and drain them. You can dry it with a kitchen towel to remove excess water.
- Heat a pan and add oil. Heat the oil until it begins to sizzle.
- Carefully place the taro sticks in the hot oil.
- Start with low heat to avoid burning and then increase the heat.
- Fry the taro sticks until they become crispy and golden brown.
- Sprinkle some salt and pepper seasoning and adjust to taste.
Easy Three Methods To Make Taro Fries
Equipment
- Knife and chopping board
- Strainer spatula or chopsticks
- Air fryer or Oven or Frying pan
Ingredients
Air Fryer Taro Fries:
- 20 g of sugar adjust to taste
- Oil
Oven-Baked Taro Fries:
- Oil
- Black pepper
Deep-Frying Taro Fries:
- Oil enough oil for deep-frying
- Salt and pepper adjust to taste
300g Taro
Instructions
Air Fryer Taro Fries:
- Start by peeling the skin and cutting the taro into sticks or shoestrings.
- Then, rinse the taro sticks in water to remove excess starch from the surface.
- Sprinkle about 20g of sugar (or adjust to your taste) and lightly coat them with a bit of oil.
- Mix well.
- Place the coated taro sticks in the air fryer.
- Set the air fryer to 180°C or 356°F and cook for 20 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, flip them over to cook the other side.
- Enjoy these brown and crunchy taro fries!
Oven-Baked Taro Fries:
- Peel the skin and cut the taro into sticks or shoestrings.
- Use kitchen paper towels to blot dry the taro and coat the taro sticks with oil and season with black pepper.
- Mix them thoroughly.
- Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or 356°F and bake for 15 minutes.
Deep-Frying Taro Fries
- To deep-fry taro fries, peel the skin and cut the taro into sticks or shoestrings.
- Rinse the taro sticks in water to remove excess starch and drain them. You can dry it with a kitchen towel to remove excess water.
- Heat a pan and add oil. Heat the oil until it begins to sizzle.
- Carefully place the taro sticks in the hot oil.
- Start with low heat to avoid burning and then increase the heat.
- Fry the taro sticks until they become crispy and golden brown.
- Sprinkle some salt and pepper seasoning and adjust to taste.
