Vegetables · Leafy greens

Taro leaves

Large heart-shaped taro leaves cooked long with coconut milk; used in laulau, palusami and Caribbean callaloo.

Also called: luau leaves, lu, lū, rourou, dasheen leaves, callaloo (dasheen), arbi ke patte

Around the world: lau talo (sm) · lū (to) · rourou (fj)

What it is

Taro leaves are big, arrow- or heart-shaped green leaves on long stems. They are eaten only after thorough cooking, because they contain irritating calcium oxalate. In the Pacific they wrap food or are simmered in coconut cream; in Trinidad, dasheen bush callaloo is a creamy soup; in Gujarat, patra rolls leaves with gram-flour paste.

Colocasia esculenta (leaves)

How it’s used

Palusami / lu pulu with coconut cream
Hawaiian laulau wrappers
Trinidadian callaloo soup
Patra / alu vadi rolls
Filipino laing

Characteristics

Taste: Spinach-like, earthy and mild once cooked.
Texture: Silky and melting after long cooking.
When cooked: Must be simmered or steamed thoroughly; undercooked leaves cause an itchy, scratchy throat.
Sold as: fresh, frozen, canned, dried
Cooking uses: Commonly cooked, Suitable for boiling
Common in: Pacific Island, Samoan, Fijian, Tongan, Trinidadian, Gujarati, Filipino, Caribbean