If you haven’t noticed by now, I’ve been having tons of fun making all sorts of chips in the oven. From simple oven baked sweet potato chips to more exotic kale chips and sunchoke chips, I’m starting to think there’s no limit to what you can bake as chips!
I happened to be Chinatown this past weekend, so I stopped by the Asian grocery store. I love taro in so many things, so it was not hard to decide to pick one up. Of course, deciding to make chips took no stretch of the imagination. Unlike sunchoke chips (which I just sort of made up off the top of my head), taro chips are actually marketed and sold. Those chips are fried though, so maybe there’s some novelty to this recipe?
In any event, these chips are crunchy with a mild distinctive taro flavor. Sprinkle a tiny bit of salt on top, and you won’t be able to stop eating them.
Here’s a picture of a taro root (in case you don’t know what one looks like). You have to peel off the outer, rough skin before slicing it. I used a Mandolin slicer to make nice, even, thin slices.
Spray with a vegetable oil mister and lay across in a single layer on a pan. I used a toaster oven, so I could only make a few chips at a time.
Bake at 400 degrees. They will begin to curl up, and will eventually brown on the edges.
Oven Baked Taro Chips
1 Taro root
vegetable oil spray
salt
Mandolin slicer (optional, but very helpful!)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a peeler, remove the rough outer surface of the taro root. Using a mandolin slicer (or a cleaver), slice the taro into very thin and even slices. Spray both sides of each slice with an oil mister. Bake for about 20 minutes (or until the chips turn golden brown). Let cool, and enjoy!
Notes: I made this in a toaster oven. Ovens vary, and the thickness of your slices will vary as well, so use the time as a guide, but definitely keep an eye on the chips. Otherwise, they will turn black!
It’s best to bake similar sized “chips” together, as they will have similar cooking times. Otherwise, it will be a pain to take some chips out but leave others in there because they are not done. The window of opportunity between not-quite-done chips and burnt chips is only about 5 minutes, so definitely keep an eye on those chips!
Enjoy!
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Well, I love taro, and I love baked sweet potato chips…so why not taro chips? Brilliant idea! It’s so annoying how it’s not available in a lot of stores, though. I miss taro!
I love taro chips! Back when I was in college and able to do thing like this, I ate a huge bag of Terra taro chips in one sitting. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I’d like to make these at home myself. It’s always better that way right?
a fantastic idea! you can package them all together for an ultimate healthy chip mix
Wow, these are so pretty! I love taro chips but have never thought to make them. I even have a mandolin so no excuse. Thanks for the inspiration!
What a great idea! I love taro. I’ve had store bought taro chips before but never thought to make my own.
Very nice and creative. I really like it!
Oh wow that is such a unique recipe! I have never tried these. Yum!
The variety you have shown here is known as “pink Samoan”. I use it as a fried chip with a dish I serve in my restaurant and I love it! There are however, some important things you should know about Taro.
It should never be consumed RAW. It is considered toxic and will make you ill.It needs to be well cooked to break down these toxins. Pacific Islander recipes seem to cook it really well, often to a mash.
When handling it is advisable to wear gloves. The fibrous skin has minute hairs that can irritate the skin. It is also advisable to peel the root with a thicker cut to minimise your potential exposure. Sounds scary, but don’t be frightened off! It is a delicious vegetable, with many uses.but do be careful!
I am loving this recipe, especially that they are baked not fried. We often buy root veggie chips but this looks like a fun project for the summer!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE taro chips and have never thought about making them myself. Great idea. I wonder how it would work with beets and carrots? That might be fun to try and a lot easier to get a hold of than taro for me, here in the NW. Thanks for the post.
I agree with a couple of the other comments. Great simple recipe and so much better than ones that are fried. You probably could do other root vegetables too. I also like the idea of using a toaster oven since it is more economical than the full size oven.
To get your toaster oven go to
http://www.toasterandconvectionovens.com
Lots of Asians Polynasians immigrants in Hawaii so thats why Taro took off in Hawaii .
Taro has been a big staple for centuries in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines,Samoa, Tonga. Other asian countries use taro to but not as much as the previous countries mentioned.
French fries, a simple toast, or even a sandwich, everything is possible using this upgraded version of a Toaster called the Toaster Oven.
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Thanks for this DIY baked taro chip. I mentioned your site and the link to your taro article on my travel foods blog at smartygirltravel.blogspot.com
I’m definitely going to try this recipe because I love taro and all the things you can make from it. Locals in Hawaii eat taro all the time and it’s their number one staple like potatoes are to Caucasians.