Mashed taro recipe: Swamp taro corms from freshwater pits

Name: Mashed taro
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Marshall Islands
Ingredients: 1000 g swamp taro; 300 ml coconut cream; 2 tbsp coconut sap syrup; 1 tsp salt

Swamp taro corms from freshwater pits, boiled and crushed under thick first-press coconut cream.

How to make Mashed taro

Peel 1 kg of swamp taro corms, the large fibrous Cyrtosperma kind rather than the small dasheen. Wear gloves, the raw sap irritates the skin.

Cut into 3 cm chunks and boil in salted water for 30 to 40 minutes. Swamp taro is denser than potato and needs the full time.

While it cooks, grate the flesh of one mature coconut and squeeze out 300 ml of thick first-press cream. Do not use the watery second pressing.

Drain the taro and crush it hot with a wooden pestle, coarsely. The traditional texture keeps chunks, it is not a whipped puree.

Pour in the coconut cream off the heat and fold it through with a teaspoon of salt, so the cream stays fresh and does not split.

Finish with 2 tablespoons of coconut sap syrup if you want it in the sweeter household style, and serve hot alongside fish or breadfruit.

What is Mashed taro?

Mashed taro is a traditional dish from Marshall Islands, boiled, and takes about 1 hour from start to finish. It is built around swamp taro and coconut cream. The recipe below uses 4 ingredients and is written out step by step.

How long does Mashed taro take?

At 60 minutes it is quicker than 77% of the 586 dishes in Copper's atlas. The method runs to 6 steps, the longest being 40 minutes.

Any tips for making Mashed taro?

Crush the hot taro coarsely, keeping chunks, and fold in the coconut cream off the heat so it stays fresh and does not split.

How Mashed taro compares

Hard to find elsewhere: swamp taro (1) and coconut sap syrup (1).

Cooked with the same thing elsewhere

Other traditional dishes built on coconut cream, from other countries.

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Kón 🇫🇲 Micronesia
Fish amok 🇰🇭 Cambodia
Kokoda 🇳🇷 Nauru
Kokoda 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

Copper documents Marshall Islands alongside 197 other countries. Every recipe is free to read, with the full ingredient list and every step.