Coconut Taro Gratin Food

COCONUT CHICKEN AND TARO ROOT

Steps:

• Mix cornstarch and water together in a large bowl until dissolved. Add soy sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and salt. Mix in chicken; cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator, about 15 minutes.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan or deep-fat fryer. Fry taro until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add shallots and ginger; cook and stir until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken; cook and stir until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Transfer chicken mixture to a large saucepan. Add fried taro. Pour in enough water to cover 3/4 of the mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the chicken reads at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 15 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and basil. Season with salt and sugar.

TENDER TARO ROOT COOKED IN COCONUT MILK

Steps:

• Bring the coconut milk to a boil in a saucepan; reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Cook the taro root in the simmering coconut milk until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the white sugar, palm sugar, and salt to the mixture; stir until the sugars are entirely dissolved into the mixture. Stir the coconut cream through the mixture; continue cooking just until hot. Ladle into individual bowls to serve.

TARO AND CHICKEN COCONUT CREAM CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Arrange alternating layers of chicken, onions, spinach or taro leaves, and taro root in a casserole dish.
• Mix coconut cream and water together with salt, and corn flour. Pour over the top of the chicken mixture.
• Cover with tomatoes.
• Cover casserole with foil or a lid and bake at 325* for 1 hour until until chicken and vegetables are done. Serve with lemon slices.

COCONUTS: OPENING, GRATING AND LIQUADO

Steps:

• Opening Coconuts: Open the coconuts by flinging them onto a cement or rock surface (this is how the monkeys do it!) Don't worry about losing the liquid, as it's not the coconut milk called for in cooking. Each coconut should break in 3 to 4 pieces. It is also possible to open a coconut by piercing the eyes of the coconut with a screwdriver or ice pick, draining the liquid through the holes and placing the coconut in a 400 degrees F oven for 20 minutes. Wrap the coconut in a towel and hit it with a hammer to loosen the shell and split it into pieces.
• Pry out the white meat and then pare off the dark skin.
• Grating Coconut Meat: To grate the white meat, put the meat through the grating disk of a food processor or use a hand grater. You should get about 7 cups of grated coconut from the two coconuts, which will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
• Reserve 4 cups of the grated coconut for the pie crust and filling.
• Coconut Liquado: To make the coconut milk, combine the remaining 3 to 4 cups of loosely packed grated coconut with the milk (use 3/4 cup of coconut for each 1 cup of milk) in a heavy saucepan. Heat slowly, bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat and cool. Strain the milk, pressing down on the coconut meat to extract all the liquid. Squeeze all the coconut through a towel to get any last drops. Discard the coconut.

BOILED TARO WITH COCONUT MILK

Steps:

• Scrub the outside of the taro.
• Place in a pot with enough water to half cover the taro.
• Cover and boil for about 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. (Make sure the taro is cooked very well, for the starches can irritate and scratch the throat if not cooked through completely).
• Remove and cool.
• Peel away the outside skin and chop taro into large cubes. (Cooked taro at this point can be mashed and formed into cakes that are delicious sauteed with butter).
• Place the coconut milk and the taro cubes into a saucepan and heat thoroughly.
• There should be enough milk to just cover the taro.
• Taste during cooking to see if taro needs more salt.

HERBED COCONUT MILK POTATOES AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375° F. Lightly grease a 9 x13 inch baking dish.
• In a medium saucepan bring Coconut Milk, salt, garlic, rosemary, thyme and pepper to taste, to a boil. Turn off heat and set aside. Note: mixture will taste salty alone but not when combined with potatoes.
• Wash potatoes well, slice thinly and cover with cold water. Set aside.
• Melt butter or (or vegan spread) in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture turns a golden brown color.
• Slowly whisk in the herbed coconut milk, a bit at a time. Stirring, bring to a boil and remove from heat.
• Drain potatoes and layer 1/3 on bottom of baking dish, overlapping each slice about half way. Pour 1/3 coconut sauce over potatoes and sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times, only reserving last cup of cheese for later.
• Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered 15-20 additional minutes. If potatoes are soft and a darker color is desired, broil potatoes until cheese is nicely browned.