Sometimes it is the simplest things that tastes the best. And this has to be one of them, I am referring to “boulette arouille violette” – violet taro fritter. These little grated taro fritters, that is best enjoyed with chilli sauce or as we call it “masavaro” or a hot coriander chutney. For me any of them is good enough to enjoy these much loved “boulette”. Most commonly sold as a street food almost every on the island. The only downside to this is that the “boulettes” are so small. One would need to eat two of them at time to get a good mouthful and taste of them. So I like to make my own, as they are very easy to do and I can really enjoy a good plateful of them. I have not come across anyone yet who does not like “Gateau Arouille”.

As I am writing I am drawn towards my tropical island, memory lane again, where we used to find bushes of these Taro (Arouille Violette) in abundance everywhere. Like most things, unfortunately these are becoming very rare as home grown. However we can still find them in the supermarket and outdoor markets – a bit expensive but worth every penny. For those who do not know what I am referring to, Taro are root vegetable, grown and yield well in muddy soil and are very nutritious too. A staple root vegetable like potatoes and very popular food in Africa, South Indian, Chinese cuisine.

Like many of the food we consume in Mauritius we inherited this delicious vegetable from our ancestral family from Africa & Asia. Taro like potato is a very versatile vegetable it can be made into chips, both savoury & sweet dishes, cakes or even into little party bites.

So talking party bites we can now move on to “boulette arouille violette” recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 – 4 medium sized Taro (Violette), peeled and grated
• 2-4 Tbs cornflour
• A good piece of ginger – peeled and grated
• Pinch of sugar
• Fresh herbs such as coriander or parsley – chopped (it’s optional, but I like to add herbs)
• A few spring onion – finely chopped
• Green chilli – finely chopped (as per taste)
• salt as per taste
• Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Start by preparing the Taro, peel and grate them. In a bowl mix all ingredients, mix all together.
2. Heat oil in a deep pan on medium heat. Make like rough size ball and fry them until golden and crispy on the outside. I say rough edges ball as this will give the crispiness of these fritters.
3. I use a long chopstick to move them around in the hot oil, so they fry evenly on all sides.
4. Once golden on edges, remove and drain on kitchen paper. They should be soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
5. Serve warm with chutney of your choice.

Brinda’s Note: If you cannot find fresh Taro, use frozen taro chunks, which you can find in most oriental supermarket.