Some days I wake up to a salt craving, which I’ve read in the past can be a result of boredom or stress. My attention span is short so if I’m plopped in front of a TV with not much to occupy my hands or mind, I could easily be bored. The other day I was watching TV with my boyfriend’s mom, and I really really really wanted some chips. I didn’t want to give in to that potato monster [read: addiction] and I had luckily picked up a large taro root from the T & T Asian Supermarket when I was in Ottawa a few days earlier. The obvious solution would be to make taro chips. Taro root is a low-calorie, starchy [vegetable] that is full of nutrients – woo hoo!
Carbs wise, it’s pretty comparable to the carb count in other vegetables and has a good amount of fibre and minerals.
In the past, my association with taro was in bubble tea and in steamed Chinese desserts with a form of tapioca. I grew up with taro [芋頭] in my “tong sui” and that was that. One day, I walked in the chip aisle at my local grocery store and lo and behold, taro chips had become a mainstream Western snack.
I mean yes, you can totally buy this at the grocery store in North America…but come on! It’s so satisfying to make stuff at home. Taro, has 30% less fat than the potato and a bit more fibre. This alternative won’t break the bank either as one large section of taro root can be thinly sliced to fill a medium sized bowl full of crisp chips.
Taro Chips
Instead of deep fried potato chips, these chips are baked and lightly covered with olive oil. The taro is slightly sweet in flavour. Great with a glass of cold lemonade in the summer! Also great with dips and as a side for steak.
Ingredients
- olive oil extra virgin
- 8 oz taro root 1/2 medium taro root
- sea salt
- fresh ground pepper if wanted
Instructions
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Heat oven to 400F with the racks of the oven sectioning the space in 3rds. Lightly cover the baking pans with olive oil. I usually use stoneware on the bottom rack for best heat transference.
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Use a peeler to clean off the skin of the taro root and slice it thinly in the rounds. On the baking sheet and stoneware, lay the sliced taro roots without overlapping. Brush the tops of the slices with a bit more oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
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Bake for 12 minutes. At the halfway point, check the chips and see if you should rotate the trays to a different rack; chips should start to curl up at the sides, turning a golden brown. Leave in for 3 minutes more.
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Season with salt once you take the chips out and cool chips until crispy. Transfer to server dish/bowl.
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