Taro Hummus — Modern Fusion

Ingredients

• 500 g taro, peeled, cut into even pieces, fully cooked
• 80 g tahini
• 45 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 60 ml olive oil, plus extra to finish
• 1 tsp paʻakai, Hawaiian sea salt, or to taste

Method

1. 1
   Cook the peeled taro pieces in salted boiling water until completely tender throughout. Test by piercing the centre with a skewer; it must pass through without resistance. Drain and allow steam to escape for two minutes.
2. 2
   This is where the dish lives or dies. Transfer the hot taro to a blender or food processor. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. Blend on high speed, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy with no trace of lump or grain. Adjust paʻakai to taste.
3. 3
   Transfer to a serving bowl. The finished dip should present as a uniform purple-grey, carrying the aroma of taro, tahini, lemon, and garlic simultaneously. Finish with a pour of olive oil across the surface.