I was taking part in The Recipe Hunters monthly Challenge and this month’s challenge is the letter E and you can choose your option from a list….Me… I chose Espresso as that was easy I already had the recipes. One intrigued me so I went back to the said list and it was Elephants Ears? Somewhere at the back of my mind, it rang a bell…Ding Dong!

So I asked my friend Mr Google who laughed at me and as soon as he showed me….The penny dropped…..We had them in Phuket by the Rai in the field near our house and the river that runs alongside had massive ones some of those leaves reached 3 feet long and 2 feet wide and the plants can grow 8 feet tall.

The elephant ears thirst for water is why they are so prolific in soggy areas and they are also popular here not only for landscaping but also near water features they are quite an impressive plant.

… The corms or roots are also to be found on every market stall it’s Taro. Silly me!

As it is in most other Asian countries, taro is also a popular flavour for ice cream in Thailand. Like with many plain or ugly fruits they make something quite delicious.

Most Thai sweets & puddings do not include wheat flour, which makes these desserts gluten-free and suitable for those who are gluten-intolerant.

The typical list of ingredients is simply rice or tapioca flour, water, coconut milk and eggs cooked with the taro and or pumpkin the multitude of resulting variations is just amazing.

Ingredients:

• 115gm taro root, cut into 1” pieces
• 115gm pumpkin cut into 1” pieces
• 1 1/2 cup thick coconut cream ( see note below)
• 3 Tbsp palm sugar.

Let’s Cook!

Add taro and pumpkin to the coconut cream and palm sugar, then bring to boil. Reduce to low heat and cook for approximately 10 minutes, until tender.

Pour into small ramekins or one large dish and when set cut into squares. Sometimes this dessert is also cooked in small pumpkins, either way, it is very nice.

N.B. Coconut Cream:

For recipes requiring coconut cream, do not shake the can of COCONUT MILK before opening; spoon out the thick cream on top. On hot days, refrigerate the can so that the cream will harden and can be easily separated from the lighter milk.

This is a very easy dessert to make and when it is ready to eat just close your eyes, and pretend you are in the lush tropics of Thailand while spooning a smooth cool coconut dessert into your mouth… Heaven on earth.

N.B…Although all parts of the plant can be eaten including the leaves…which are edible, BUT they (and all parts of the plant) contain needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate which are a skin irritant, so they must be cooked and prepared correctly first…

Saying that they are used a lot in Indian cookery as wraps or the greens or stems are sauteed.

Thank you for reading this post on the interesting Elephants Ears…

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a creative week  xx