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Taro rice (yam rice) recipe

Today I want to introduce a traditional rice dish called taro rice (芋头饭).

Taro rice (芋头饭) is an easy one-pot meal that is incredibly delicious. The fragrance from the ingredients is enough to make you drool!

Besides taro, it is prepared with shitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage, and fried shallots. These ingredients are with high umami, and the rice soaked up all the flavors like a sponge, making it incredibly delicious.

Here are the detailed steps on how to make taro rice.

The root vegetable taro is called 芋头 in Chinese. Since yam is also called 芋头, it is commonly translated as yam rice. Both mean the same dish, 芋头饭.

Taro rice (芋头饭) is an easy one-pot meal that is incredibly delicious. The fragrance from the ingredients is enough to make you drool!

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1. Prepare the ingredients

a. Rice and taro

  1. Rinse the rice several times with water, then drain and set aside.
  2. Cut off the fibrous surface near the taro roots with a sharp knife until the soft flesh is revealed. Then peel off the skin of the reminder parts with a vegetable peeler. After that, wash the taro and cut it into small cubes.

b. Other ingredients

  • Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in water until soft, remove the stem, and cut them into small cubes.
  • Similarly, soak the dried shrimp in water until soft, squeeze out as much water as possible and chop it coarsely if they are too big. Finally, transfer the dried shrimp to a paper towel to absorb as much water as possible. This step prevents the dried shrimp from spluttering in the oil during frying.
  • Cut one stalk of spring onion into thin slices.
  • Coarsely chop two cloves of garlic.
  • Place the Chinese sausage (lap cheong) in boiling water for twenty seconds, then remove. The sausage casing will expand and separate from the sausage. You can slip out the casing easily. After removing the outer casing, cut the Chinese sausage into small cubes.
Taro rice (芋头饭) is an easy one-pot meal that is incredibly delicious. The fragrance from the ingredients is enough to make you drool!

2. Prepare the shallot oil

I have a separate article on how to prepare the shallot oil in detail. I usually make a batch of the shallot oil for various dishes. Here are the steps in brief:

  • Peel and wash the shallots.
  • Slice the shallots into thin slices.
  • Loosen up all the shallot rings.
  • Heat some vegetable oil in a pan to medium heat.
  • Place the shallot in the oil and fry it gently until golden brown.
  • Let the crispy shallot pass through a wire mesh strainer to prevent it from continuing cooking in the hot oil.
  • Return the crispy shallots to the oil and let them suspend in the oil. This method will keep the shallots from the air and remain crisp. You can also store the shallot separately in an airtight container.

3. Fry all the ingredients

  • Heat three tablespoons of oil in the wok to fry the taro pieces until they turn color. Note that the taro will not turn golden brown despite prolonged frying. Remove the yam pieces and drain in a colander. You can use the remaining oil for cooking the rest of the ingredients.
  • Deep-dry the taro until it starts to change color. Drain in a colander and remove the excess oil in the wok.
  • Add the dried shrimp and saute with the remaining oil over low heat until aromatic.
  • Include the chopped garlic, followed by the mushrooms and the Chinese sausage.
  • Stir-fry the ingredients over medium heat until aromatic. Then remove it from the wok.
  • Add a tablespoon of shallot oil to the wok to stir-fry the rice over low to medium heat for a minute or until it becomes dry and sticky.

4. Season the taro rice

  • Return the dried shrimp, garlic, mushrooms, sausages, and taro to the wok and mix with the rice thoroughly.
  • Season the rice with salt, sugar, white pepper powder, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce.
  • Add a suitable amount of dark soy sauce to adjust the color according to your preference.

Note: Some recipes include pork belly slices, ground pork, and dried cuttlefish. However,  I will leave them out since the ingredients I use has enough flavor for this recipe.

Taro rice (芋头饭) is an easy one-pot meal that is incredibly delicious. The fragrance from the ingredients is enough to make you drool!

5. Cook the rice with the electric rice cooker

  • Pour the rice mixture into an electric rice cooker.
  • Add sufficient liquid to cook the rice. I use the water to soak the dried shrimp and mushrooms as part of the liquid to cook the rice to enhance the flavor. The amount of liquid required should be slightly more than cooking the regular white rice, as the rice is drier after frying. Therefore, the liquid is sufficient when it is 1 cm about the surface of the rice mixture. 
  • Add some thinly sliced spring onions and fried onions to the rice. 
  • Witch on the rice cooker.
  • When the yam rice is cooked, let it rest for ten minutes before opening the lid.
  • Sprinkle more spring onions and fried shallot on top of the rice before serving.
Yield: 3 servings

Taro rice recipe

Taro rice square

Taro rice (芋头饭) is an easy one-pot meal that is incredibly delicious. The fragrance from the ingredients is enough to make you drool!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Ingredients A

Ingredients B (seasoning)

Instructions

Preparation

  1. Rinse the rice with water, then drain and set aside.
  2. Peel and cut the taro and cut it into small cubes.
  3. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in water until soft, remove the stem, and cut them into small cubes.
  4. Soak the dried shrimp in water until soft, chop it coarsely and drain on a paper towel.
  5. Cut one stalk of spring onion into thin slices.
  6. Coarsely chop two cloves of garlic.
  7. Place the Chinese sausage (lap cheong) in boiling water for twenty seconds, then remove the casing. Cut into small cubes.

Cooking

  1. Fry the taro pieces with some oil until they turn color. Drain in a colander.
  2. Stir-fry the dried shrimp, garlic, mushrooms, and Chinese sausage with some oil over low heat until aromatic. Then remove it from the wok.
  3. Add a tablespoon of shallot oil to the wok to stir-fry the rice over low to medium heat for a minute.
  4. Return the dried shrimp, garlic, mushrooms, sausages, and taro to the wok and mix with the rice thoroughly.
  5. Season with ingredients B.
  6. Pour the rice mixture into an electric rice cooker.
  7. Add sufficient liquid to cover the rice 1cm above the surface. 
  8. Add some thinly sliced spring onions and fried onions to the rice. 
  9. Switch on the rice cooker.
  10. When the rice is cooked, sprinkle more spring onions and fried shallot on top of the rice before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

3

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 466Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 1025mgCarbohydrates: 70gFiber: 7gSugar: 3gProtein: 9g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 1/8/2022

Pauline

Wednesday 3rd of August 2022

I've tried cooking the taro rice. Very successful & very yummy. Thank you so much for giving us this lovely receipe. By the way, I did add some belly pork to the rice. It's so so delicious. Tqvvm.

KP Kwan

Wednesday 3rd of August 2022

Hi, this is KP Kwan. I am happy to see you in this comment area, as you have read through my recipe. I am glad to reply to any questions and comments as soon as possible.

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