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!
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).
How To Make Taro Root Stew
Boil the peeled, cubed taro in broth for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender, while preparing the garlic cilantro green sauce. When you can easily pierce the taro like butter, the taro is fully cooked.
In a nonstick pan on medium 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 will not cook.
The garlic is finished cooking when it can be easily mashed with a fork. Using your fork, mash the garlic in the pan before 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 to blend the garlic cilantro green sauce.
Add the cilantro garlic green sauce to the cooked taro.
Boil for another 5 minutes so the flavors infuse. Serve with vermicelli rice.
📋 Recipe
Egyptian Kolkas - Taro Root Stew
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 tablespoon ghee
- salt to taste depends on the salt level of the broth
Instructions
- Taro. Cut the outside layer of the taro root off like you would a pineapple. Slice the root into 1" (2.5 cm) cubes. Boil the taro root in broth covered for about 15 to 20 minutes while preparing the garlic cilantro sauce. Each taro root is different, so they may differ in cooking time. The taro is done when its color is all white and you can cut into it easily (like slicing a cooked potato).
- Cilantro garlic sauce. In a large nonstick frying pan on medium heat, add the ghee. Once the ghee has melted, add the whole cloves of garlic and cover with a lid. Cook for around 8 to 10 minutes, flipping the garlic halfway. Once the garlic is soft enough to mash with a fork, mash the garlic in the pan with a fork. Add the chopped swiss chard and cilantro leaves. Add the salt. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, swiss chard, and cilantro mixture to a food processor. Blend on high.
- Pour the blended garlic cilantro sauce into the taro and broth mixture. Continue to cook on high heat for about 5 minutes so that the flavors infuse. Serve with rice and a squeeze of lime.
Notes
- Taro might be hard to find, so white potatoes, yucca, or parsnips can be substituted.
- Taro root can be peeled, cut into chunks, and frozen for up to 4 months in an airtight bag.
- The garlic cilantro sauce can be made in bulk and frozen.
- The nutrition facts do not include 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 fresh taro root, you can substitute frozen taro root.
- Broth: My favorite broth for this recipe is homemade duck broth. Chicken broth and vegetable broth are suitable options 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 in too hot of a pan.
- Freezer storage instructions: Store this taro stew in the freezer in two parts: the cubed taro root and the green sauce. To make kolkas from frozen taro and frozen cilantro sauce, 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.
Nutrition
FAQs
Yucca, parsnips, or white potatoes are good substitutes for taro. Although the flavor is not completely the same, these root vegetables come close.
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 aftertaste than white potatoes.
For more hearty Middle Eastern recipes, try bazella (pea and carrot stew), bamia (okra and oxtail), or Egyptian koshari.
Dale Binkley says
Can you find the spot in your Kolkas recipe where "it's" should be "its"?
Lily says
Hey Dale, Thanks for catching that! Did I fix it?
Kechi says
I am seriously loving all the flavors in this dish! What a wonderful combination with rice.
Lily says
Thank you!
Claudia Lamascolo says
What a wonderful way to spice up a stew with some ethics flavors delicious
Lily says
Thank you!
Ritisha Gupta says
Wow this looks so delicious! Never heard of egyptian kolkas before but looks super tasty. Definitely will be trying.
Lily says
Hope you like it!
Tara says
Such a wonderful and easy stew! So much flavor! I love that it can easily be frozen too.
Lily says
I'm a huge fan of freezer meals too! Hope you like it!
Dannii says
I have never heard of this before, but it looks delicious. I can't wait to try it.
Lily says
Hope you like it!