Egyptian Kolkas - Taro Root Stew

Name: Egyptian Kolkas - Taro Root Stew
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Egyptian
Ingredients: 4 cups taro root chopped into 1" (2.5 cm) cubes; 4 cups roughly chopped swiss chard; 10 garlic cloves; 1 cup cilantro leaves (packed down); 6 cups broth (duck or chicken are the best); 1 tbsp ghee; Salt to taste (depends on the salt level of the broth)

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Egyptian kolkas is a delicious taro root stew made with a garlicky cilantro green sauce, taro, and homemade broth. I've never cooked with taro until trying this dish in Egypt, and this taro recipe is one of my favorite Egyptian recipes!

As I've been discovering how time-consuming Middle Eastern food is, I've got a hack for this recipe at the bottom of the post. The taro root and garlic cilantro sauce can be frozen separately, turning this into a 20-minute weeknight dinner.

If you aren't sure what taro looks like at the grocery store, it's a root vegetable. You might need to search for it at an Asian or Middle Eastern supermarket. When I find it, I buy it all up and stick it in my freezer (similar to what I do with fresh mulukhiyah).

What I Love About This Recipe

The garlic cilantro green sauce is AMAZING! I want to put it on everything. It's the flavors of the ghee, roasted caramelized garlic, and fresh cilantro that really make this sauce delicious. I love that the cilantro green sauce, broth, and chopped taro root can be frozen (separately) in a bag for a really quick weeknight meal.

Kolkas, is a hearty flavorful stew that can be made vegan. I prefer to make this stew with duck broth and eat it with Egyptian Calrose rice.

Ingredient Notes

Taro root: The main ingredient for this recipe is taro root. I recommend buying taro root fresh when you can find it. I really like this dish a lot, so I buy taro root in bulk when it is available. To freeze taro root, peel and chop it into 1" (2.5 cm) squares. If you are unable to find taro root, you can substitute white potato for this recipe.
Broth: My favorite broth for this recipe is homemade duck broth. Chicken broth and vegetable broth are suitable options as well.
Swiss chard: I use roughly chopped regular swiss chard for this recipe. I think any type of chard or greens will work, but it might change the flavor a bit.
Fresh garlic: You definitely need whole fresh garlic cloves for this recipe. Jarred garlic, garlic flakes, garlic powder, or chopped garlic are not appropriate substitutes.
Fresh cilantro (coriander): I recommend using only the leaves of the cilantro (coriander), however, if you are in a rush, you can use the stems as well.
Ghee: I highly recommend using ghee to get the right flavor, however it's not the end of the world if you use butter or olive oil. Just make sure that you don't burn the butter or olive oil with too hot of a pan.

How To Make The Garlic Cilantro Green Sauce

In a nonstick pan on medium-high heat add some ghee. Add the whole garlic cloves and caramelize for about 3 to 4 minutes uncovered. Make sure to turn the garlic over on all sides. Don't let the ghee get too hot. Otherwise, the outside of the garlic will burn and the inside of the garlic will not cook.

Turn down the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. This is to make sure that the garlic fully cooks.

The garlic is finished cooking when it can be easily mashed with a fork. Using your fork mash the garlic in the pan prior to adding the cilantro and swiss chard. Cover the vegetables and cook on medium for about 4 minutes. They will reduce in size a lot.

Use a blender or food processor. You can either use a food processor or a blender for the garlic cilantro green sauce.

swiss chard with cilantro and fried garlic

How To Cook Taro Root

If using more than one taro root, cook them separately. Different taro roots may need different cooking times. If you mix them together, you might end up with some pieces really cooked and other pieces undercooked.

Taro cooks a lot like a potato. First, boil the taro for about 15 to 20 minutes until tender. When you can easily pierce the taro like butter, the taro is fully cooked. Depending on the taro root itself, the cooking time will vary.

Add the cilantro garlic green sauce and boil for another 5 minutes. Serve with rice.

Tips and Tricks

Use ghee. My favorite fat of choice for this recipe is ghee hands down. Ghee is clarified butter and it has a little bit different taste to butter. If you can't find ghee, you can use butter, just don't overheat the pan.
It's optional to remove the center stem from the swiss chard. Some people remove the stem, but I keep it to save some time. Because the swiss chard gets blended, you can't really tell a difference texture-wise.

Is This Freezer-Friendly?

Yes! This taro stew is easily frozen in 2 parts:

Freeze the taro uncooked by peeling it and chopping it into cubes. Add the uncooked taro to a freezer-friendly storage bag.
Make the kolkas garlic cilantro green sauce. Add the sauce to a freezer-friendly storage bag.

To make kolkas, add the frozen taro to some chicken or duck broth. Boil for 20 minutes, or until the taro root has cooked. Add the defrosted green sauce to the taro and broth mixture. Boil on high for another 5 minutes.

FAQs

What is a substitute for taro root?

Yucca, parsnips, or white potatoes are a good substitute for taro. Although the flavor is not completely the same, these root vegetables come close.

What does taro root taste like?

Taro root has a similar taste and texture to white potatoes. Taro is slightly firmer than potatoes but has a starchy texture. There is a slightly different after taste than white potatoes.

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