🍽️ Taro Dumpling

Taro-skin dumplings with meat, west Fujian Hakka.

Taro dumplings are a Hakka-style snack of the Longyan area in western Fujian, reflecting the highland tradition of cooking with taro. Local starchy taro is steamed, peeled and mashed, mixed with sweet-potato starch into a dough, then wrapped around a filling of pork belly, shiitake, dried bamboo shoots and dried shrimp, and steamed like plump dumplings. The translucent wrapper is soft, chewy and bouncy, while the filling is savory, juicy and fragrant. Taro aroma blends with meat and mushroom for a one-of-a-kind texture. A common steamed treat at Hakka festivals and guest meals in western Fujian, it embodies the Hakka spirit of using local mountain ingredients and is a regular item at Longyan eateries.