ever peckish

Gâteau Arouille- Taro Fritters

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A brown bag full of taro fritter and an few "out of the bag" in the foreground- a spoon full of chutney on the side and a bowl with some taro roots in the background.

Street food is generally unfussy, delicious and comforting! Gâteau arouille (taro fritters) is a Mauritian street food we cannot get enough of. Crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, they are sweet, salty and ginger-y. This is one of few recipes for which we will whip out our frying pan. They are well worth the indulgence!

Gâteau arouille is made from taro. Taro is a starchy, earthy root vegetable of which there are numerous varieties. In South Africa, taro is also known as madumbi or amadumbe. It comes as small tubers with a moist taro centre.  In contrast, the commonly available taro (violette) in Mauritius is relatively larger and drier. Whilst mildly different versions of the fritters arise from the different taro, they are all utterly delicious.

  • A bowl full of taro roots.
  • A head of grated taro root set on a platter with some peeled taro root s next to it. a bowl with some unpeeled taro in the background
  • Hand shot of taro fritters being laid onto a long platter using a stainless steel spider spoon
  • A hand shot of a half eaten taro fritter with some tomato chutney. A platter full of taro fritter with a bowl of tomato chutney in the background

We cannot eat gâteau arouille without reminiscing about the street food vendor in the town of Rose Hill.  In our early years, going shopping in Rose Hill was a fun outing. It involved hopping aboard the bus, hitting loads of shops and importantly, it was a day of street food! From pistache griller (peanuts grilled on hot sand), confit (pickled fruit), Vona Corona (artisan Mauritian ice cream) all the way to the mighty gâteau arouille. The small fritters came in a small plastic bag in multiples of five, and we could never stop at five (each!).

Our gâteau arouille recipe is simple and forgiving. The tubers are peeled, grated and deep fried as little balls until golden and crispy. They are best eaten hot with a dollop of spicy satini pomme d’amour (tomato salsa).  

QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT GÂTEAU AROUILLE

Can I bake the fritters?
We recommend deep-frying for best results! However, we have baked them and whilst they did not get nearly as crispy, they still tasted delicious.

A brown bag full of gâteau arouille and a few fritters in the foreground- a spoon full of chutney on the side and a bowl with some taro in the background.

Gateau Arouille

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, gâteau arouille is a popular Mauritian street food. They are sweet, gingery and utterly addictive!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Snack, Tea time
Servings 20 small fritters

Ingredients
  

  • 325 g taro (about 275g after peeling) see note below if using Mauritian Violette
  • 1½ tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 tsp rhum (optional)

Instructions
 

  • With the aid of gloves, peel the taro using a vegetable peeler or knife.
  • Finely grate the peeled taro root and place in a large bowl (keep gloves on).
  • Add the salt, sugar, grated ginger and rhum (if using) to the taro. Mix the taro mixture until homogenous. At this point the taro will get very sticky.
  • In a frying pan, add 4-5 cm of oil and heat on medium high heat.
  • When the oil is hot, shape the taro into small balls (approximately 3 cm in diameter).
  • Carefully place the balls into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy on the outside on medium to medium-high heat. This should take roughly 5 minutes.
  • Remove from the hot oil and drain on two pieces of kitchen towel.
  • Enjoy hot with a dollop of spicy, tangy salsa.

Notes

For the Mauritian ‘Violette’ taro variety , add a teaspoon of cornstarch at a time to bind the grated taro until the mixture becomes easy to form into small balls.