Malango Coco / "Big Taro" Corms
[Coco Yam, Big Taro (Philippine market); Badjang (Philippines);
Malanga Coco]
All the Philippine and Southeast Asian markets here in Los Angeles have these
corms, usually labeled "Big Taro". They are closely related to Taro, but much
different size and somewhat different flavor and cooking properties.
The photo specimen was 10-1/4 inches long, 4-3/4 inches diameter and
weighed 4 pounds 6 ounces (2 kg). They get quite a bit larger, but this
was the largest one I could find that hadn't been cut to make its size
more manageable.
More on Arums.
To the left is a slice of the Corm in the photo at the top of this page.
Cut into 3/4 to 1 inch cubes it cooked in just 10 minutes after coming to
a boil, and was crumbly in texture. The flavor was pleasant and surprisingly
sweet. The crumbling mitigates against using in soups and stews. It seems
probably it is always used as a mash. There was no hint of oxalic acid or
calcium oxalate, even in the peel.
Buying:
"Big Taro" corms are widely available in Philippine
and Southeast Asian markets, at least here in Southern California. They
should be firm and unwrinkled, with no soft spots or mold. Check the small
end for any softness. They are not yet grown in Africa or the Tropical
Americas, so will not appear in markets serving those communities.
The photo specimen was purchased from a Philippine market in Los Angeles
(Eagle Rock) for 2022 US $0.99 / pound.
Storing:
The photo specimen, as purchased, was wrapped in
stretch film to prevent dehydration. Keep in a cool dry place with no
direct sunlight they will keep for maybe a week. Check for softening,
particularly at the small end, and use immediately if detected. The decay
will go deep very quickly.
Cooking:
Big Taro corms should be peeled, though I detected
no toxic Oxalic Acid and Oxalates. Cut into 3/4 to 1 inch cubes, and cooked
for just 10 minutes after coming to a boil, cubes from the outer edge still
had a some firmness at the edge, while interior cubes were already soft and
crumbling. With another couple of minutes cooking it would be ready to
make a mash.
Another person who was only able to identify this corm as "Big Taro"
had not seen it before. He just popped the whole corm into the Microwave
and nuked it. He was quite happy with the result, which was fluffy like
mashed potatoes, but drier.
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