Taro Flour Balls

Last updated 2026-11-09 — Taro Flour Balls are a brownish, soft snack. Making them involves several steps: Farmers first "clean" the sweet potatoes grown in their fields, then grind them into pulp using machines. The sweet potato pulp is placed in large vats to settle. After several days and nights, the water on top becomes clear, but a thick layer of starch settles at the bottom. The water is poured off, and the starch at the bottom is scooped up with a shovel, spread out in the sun to dry, and once dried, ground into a powder. This is considered a type of starch with quite a high sugar content. To make delicious Taro Flour Balls, further refinement is needed. Take some plump, good-quality taro, boil them until cooked, peel them, and mash them into a paste using a blender. Mix the taro paste with the taro flour, add an appropriate amount of water, and a bit of minced meat—either lean or fatty is fine. The fat adds richness and improves the texture, and adding some dried shrimp will enhance the flavor even more. Once everything is well mixed, steam it in a large pot until cooked and it’s ready to eat. Freshly steamed Taro Flour Balls are incredibly tasty—the familiar warmth greets you as you take a bite, fragrant and hot. Dip a little in soy sauce and vinegar, and enjoy a smooth yet non-sticky texture that gets more flavorful the more you chew. It’s so delicious you just can’t stop eating, with a lingering aftertaste that keeps you coming back for more. A common way to prepare them is to let the Taro Flour Balls cool, slice them, and then stir-fry with some scallions and seasonings—the flavor is simply amazing.