Vegan Eddo Recipe- Lemon Thyme Taro Root (2024)

Soft, smooth silky and delicious, this vegan eddo recipe takes the best of taros smaller cousin and tops it with fresh thyme, lemon, and olive oil after simmering it in a garlicky umami bath. Simple, but bursting with flavor, this homestyle preparation of starchy eddo roots is a great addition to any meal. They would be perfect with rice, and even better served with our swiss chard ohitashi and pickled stems. Whatever you eat it with be careful- these simple and modest roots might just steal the show.

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All About Eddo and Taro Roots

First things first- eddo is closely related to taro, and often considered one in the same, although they are smaller than most taro roots and come from a different (although closely related) plant. Eddo are commonly grown and enjoyed in China and Japan. They are fairly small, about the size of a golf ball, and covered with a hairy brown skin. The flesh inside is white, and contains a sort of slimy substance that is easily removed with cooking (although you may find it irritates your skin- if so, use gloves when handling). They have a light, starchy flavor, and a mild umami flavor. They’re high in fiber, and contain a good amount of vitamins A, C, E, B6, and folate, as well as magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, and copper. They should always be peeled and cooked before eating. Buy them when they are hard and firm, and store at them at room temperature, consuming before they soften at all.

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Making this Vegan Eddo Recipe

This recipe was inspired by a similar one from Just One Cookbook, which uses the same simmering technique with more traditional Japanese flavors. The basic concept is the eddo roots are peeled and then boiled until just cooked- this first boiling will help to remove any sliminess, bitterness or skin irritation. Then we move on to the delicious part- we make a brine, and then simmer the roots within. The eddo will absorb the soy and sugar, giving it a deep and complex flavor. It will also become soft and silky smooth, perfect to be topped with the rest of our flavor elements. Lemon, olive oil, and fresh thyme give a fresh flavor to these simmered roots, and are the perfect side to your dinner- think of them as upgraded boiled potatoes!