Taro Dinner Rolls

Taro in the dessert at my third-cousin's wedding reception at Regent West Restaurant, segues into taro dinner rolls. I know, so lame. What can I say? Trying to make my Thanksgiving posts still relevant weeks later?

Anyway, I was inspired to make this after eating the taro mochi bun at Kiki Bakery, and thinking along the lines of slightly sweet Hawaiian dinner rolls. I figured it should be simple enough to adapt a potato dinner roll recipe. Of course, I probably should have done a test run first, but where's the fun in that?

Luckily, the rolls ended up very soft, slightly sweet, but only slightly taro-y. I didn't want to add too much taro or sweet potato because I was afraid it would affect the texture of the roll. I added in about half of an Okinawan purple sweet potato for color. I boiled the purple sweet potato together with the taro before mashing.

The rolls need several hours to rise, then shaped, then another rise before baking, so make sure you don't wait until the last minute if you plan to make these.


 Taro Dinner Rolls
Adapted from Country Living's Potato Clover Dinner Rolls

For about 20 rolls, you'll need:
About 1 1/2 lbs taro root, cubed
About 1/2 lb Okinawan purple sweet potato, cubed
5 cups flour
4 tblsp or 1/2 stick butter
2 tblsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp or 1 package active dry yeast

Taro root. You'll want the large kind of taro root for this recipe. In Vietnamese, the kind of taro you want for this recipe is called khoai mon.


It's got slightly purple centers. Peel the outside and cut into 1-inch chunks. You'll want about 1 1/2 lbs of taro and about 1/2 lb of purple sweet potato. Boil until softened.


Then puree in a food processor. While the mixture is still warm, add 2 tblsp sugar and 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast. The warmth of the puree and the sugar will help activate the yeast.


Then in a bowl, add the taro/sweet potato puree with 5 cups flour, 1 cup cold milk, 4 tblsp butter, and 2 tsp salt.


Mix well and form mixture into a ball. Then cover with plastic wrap and a towel and set in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours.


The dough should have doubled in size.


Wet or oil your hands and form balls. For the clover shape, roll three small balls and place them into one muffin slot.


Taro clover diner rolls waiting to rise.


Set in a warm place and let the dough rise again for another hour.


Then bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.



Enjoy!

My "Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner with an Asian Fusion Twist" recipes:
Apple Crumble Pie
Ca Ri Ga (Vietnamese Curry Chicken) Pot Pie 
Chai Black Tea
Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry/Plum/Hoisin Sauce
Mashed Okinawan Purple Sweet Potatoes
Peking Duck-Style Roast Turkey with Flour Wrappers, Scallions, Cucumbers and Cranberry/Plum/Hoisin Sauce
Pumpkin Pie with Chai Spices
Sichuan Green Beans
Taro Dinner Rolls

And the leftover turkey recipes:
Shichimenchou (Japanese Turkey Bone) Ramen
Turkey and Cranberry Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Turkey Vegetable Soup

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1 year ago today, Kong Namul (Korean Seasoned Soy Bean Sprouts).
2 years ago today, bougainvillea, gladiolus, and Chicago Peace rose.