Ingredients
Taro
- 800 garouille, taro root
- juice of 1 lime, to stop browning
The mix
- 2eggs
- 4 tablespoonsplain flour
- or 4 tablespoons gram flour
- 5garlic cloves, crushed
- 4spring onions, finely sliced
- a large handful of coriander, chopped
- 2chillies, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoonground cumin
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- 1 teaspoonblack pepper
- a few thyme leaves
To fry
- oil, for deep frying
To serve
- chilli chutney
- a bread roll, optional
- newspaper or paper
Directions
- Peel it thickly with a sharp knife. Take off all the hairy brown skin. Take off any discoloured flesh beneath. A vegetable peeler is not strong enough.
- Rinse the peeled root under cold water. Keep it in water with lime juice. That stops it browning while you work. Grate the taro on the coarse side of a grater. A food processor works if you pulse it.
- Work quickly, since it discolours fast. Squeeze the grated taro lightly in your hands. Pour off the water that comes out. Do not squeeze it completely dry.
- Put the grated taro in a bowl. Beat the eggs and add them in. Add the crushed garlic to the bowl. Add the spring onion and coriander. Add the chillies and the thyme. Add the cumin, salt and black pepper. Add the flour in the very last of all.
- Mix it all together thoroughly. It should hold together when squeezed. Add more flour if it seems loose. Frying them needs the right heat. Pour oil into a deep pan to eight centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 175C for frying. A drop of mixture should sizzle up at once.
- Drop spoonfuls of mixture into the oil. Use two spoons to push them off cleanly. Do not crowd the pan at any point. Fry them for about four minutes. Turn them over as they colour. They should be deep golden all over.
- Break one open from the first batch. The inside should be cooked and creamy. Lift them onto a wire rack over a tray. A rack keeps them crisp all round. Scatter a little salt over them while hot. Serving them is done immediately. Wrap them in paper as the stalls do. Serve chilli chutney alongside. They go soft within fifteen minutes.
Technique
- Raw taro contains calcium oxalate crystals that irritate skin, mouth and throat badly, so it must be peeled and grated with gloves and cooked thoroughly.
- The taro is grated raw rather than boiled, and that raw starch binds the fritter and cooks through in the oil to give a creamy centre; boiled mashed taro goes gluey instead.
- The fritters are heavily herbed with coriander and spring onion, and that green flavour is what defines them.
Substitutions
- Gram flour stands in for plain flour and gives a slightly crisper result.
- Any taro or cocoyam works, though the moisture varies.
Variations
- Gateau piment and gateau brinzel are fried in the same oil at the same stalls.
- Some cooks add grated ginger to the mixture.
- Brede songe, the taro leaves, are cooked as a green in their own right.
History
Arouille, taro, grows in wet ground across the island; the fritter is sold alongside gateau piment from the same pan of hot oil.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gato arouille?
Gato arouille is a snack from Mauritius: grated taro fritters, crisp outside and soft within, sold at street corners. Arouille, taro, grows in wet ground across the island; the fritter is sold alongside gateau piment from the same pan of hot oil.
How long does Gato arouille take to make?
Gato arouille takes 30 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 24 fritters. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Gato arouille?
Yes, within limits. Gram flour stands in for plain flour and gives a slightly crisper result. Any taro or cocoyam works, though the moisture varies.
What is the most important thing to get right in Gato arouille?
Work quickly, since it discolours fast. Squeeze the grated taro lightly in your hands. Pour off the water that comes out. Do not squeeze it completely dry.
