Photo | Selina S. Lee

It’s been a while since I had this soup. Mom used to make it for us (my sisters and me) when we were little. I remember how it bothered her that taros were difficult to peel because it made her hand itchy. Here I am putting my gloves on and brushing them clean. I do like this method of boiling them first to easily peel them. If you try to peel them raw, it’s a bit of a disaster. Itching everywhere and you might shave off too much of the taro itself. This soup tastes very similar to gamja guk (potato soup) – wait, do I have a recipe for that here?!? Taro has an interesting starchy texture (almost like slime) to them. Definitely try it and find out if you like it!

Toran Guk (토란국) Taro Soup – 4 servings

Ingredient
6-8 large taro (toran)
¼ lb lean ground beef
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground white pepper
2 tsp garlic, minced

1. Soak the taro in cold water for a few minutes. using a vegetable brush, roughly clean the dirt and remove long hair. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add toran and boil it for 15-20 minutes until you are able to poke through using a metal chopstick or a fork. There should be enough water in the pot to submerge the toran.
2. Transfer the toran into a mixing bowl. When it’s warm to the touch, using a small pairing knife, remove the skin. Cut into bite-size chunk pieces. If the toran is small, use it as is.
3. In a large pot, add ground beef, salt, white pepper, and garlic. Cook it until beef turns color (about 5 minutes). Add 6 cups of water with cooked toran. Boil it with a lid on for another 5 minutes.
4. Add scallions and finish seasoning with salt.

Tip: If you are using stainless steel pot or non-stick, add some oil to cook the meat. Also, sometimes touching taro will give you some skin irritation so make sure to wear a glove when cleaning them.