Malanga or Taro is a tropical root vegetable from South America.

The outward appearance of the vegetable was what drew us in. So, when we got home, we researched what it was and how to use it.

In our research we found that malanga is one of the foods that are least reactive with allergens.It is also filled with potassium and fiber.

If you have ever had Terra Chips, malanga (Taro) is included in the assortment. It is the crunchiest chip in the bunch with a white color base sporting purple specs all over.

We found simple recipes to make our own version of the Taro chip.

First, you have to remove the outer coating of the root vegetable which can be very slippery. As you start to remove the coating, you will see almost a milky white liquid that becomes extracted from the vegetable. Keep peeling ..

If you feel any soft spots, you can cut those sections out. I am not sure if they are okay to eat or not, but I stick with assuming it isn’t.

At this point, fill up a large stainless steel pot (if you have one) and fill it with any type of oil you like. In high heat, our first choice for oil is grapeseed oil and our second choice is coconut oil.

When using oil in high heat, you have to remember it will cook faster than you think.

Once the vegetable is peeled and you have your pot heating, you can cut the malanga either long ways or in circles, like chips. We usually try for the circles. They have to be sliced very thin. We do not have a fancy vegetable slicer, so we improvise with a cheese slicer.

Whichever way you choose to slice it, make sure it is sliced thin. This is super important to make the vegetable have the same texture and crunch as a chip.

Before you start to fry the chips in the oil, line a large baking sheet (or several baking sheets depending on how many you will be making) with a good amount of paper towels for the excess oil to fall onto.

In order to test if your oil is ready, take three pieces of the malanga and place them in the oil. It should immediately bubble and take only about 5-7 seconds to cook/crisp.

They will still cook a bit once you remove them and put them on the paper towels. You want the color of the chips to look exactly like in the image below. I recommend using a metal slotted spoon to remove the chips from the oil.

Once you have tested your oil, you can go ahead and put the malanga into the oil in batches. Make sure the malanga pieces do not overlap one another or else they will stick together. After you take the batches out and put them onto the paper towel, salt the chips to your personal taste. We like them pretty salty!!

Once they are done take a picture, post it on your Facebook or Instagram and tag us or post it down below and let us know if you thought it was easy to follow!