Taro Root Tomato and Cocoyam Stew

Two easy vegetable African food recipes to make today are Taro Root Tomato Stew and Cocoyam Vegetable Soup.

Have you ever stood and stared at new vegetable produce from the international foods section of your local supermarket and how to cook it?

In recent years, many exotic-sounding products have been introduced on the shelves of supermarkets around the world.

As a result, people have found out about food items like pumpkin leaf, taro, cocoyam, and many are curious to try the newly found items.

Many foods are unknown outside places of origin and introducing new foods helps open up international fair trade markets.

Vegetable Taro Root Tomato Stew Recipe.

Taro Root is a staple crop used in many African, Asian, Caribbean, and Hawaiian recipes. Taro Root Tomato Stew is an easy one-dish recipe made throughout Africa. Pottage is a thick soup or stew and taro root is a starchy vegetable consisting of 2/3 water with a fibrous outer coating. Taro root is commonly used in place of a potato, however, Taro root and leaves should not be eaten raw.

Ingredients

2 taro roots

2 handfuls cleaned taro leaves, chopped finely

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoons palm oil

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups vegetable broth

Directions

Wash taro root boil with skin in salted water until soft. Drain, peel and cut into pieces. Wash chopped taro leaves and stems boil 5 minutes and drain. In a medium frying pan add palm oil and sauté onions with seasonings; add taro root, leaves, broth and tomatoes simmer 15 minutes.

Cocoyam Vegetable Soup Recipe.

 Where yam is King of crops, African cocoyams are often associated with peasant crops; cocoyam is considered a poor man’s crop or a woman’s crop.

Women are the cultivators of cocoyam farming in most African countries, thus improving cocoyam production should have a direct impact on the most economically vulnerable groups.

Cocoyam, if eaten raw, the calcium oxalate crystals causes a stinging feeling to the mouth and throat; cocoyam must be cooked before being eaten.

Ingredients

1 large cocoyam root peeled and diced

3 large tomatoes, diced

2 handfuls bitter leaf or kale

2 medium chopped onions

1 medium chopped red bell pepper

1 medium chopped green bell pepper

1 teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon tamarind paste

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 cups vegetable stock

Directions

Add all ingredients to a large pot, simmer until thick 25 minutes. Serve warm with rice.

Bonus African recipe.