Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (2024)

BY :Bebs | Published: | Updated: | 32 Comments

RECIPE PRINT

5 from 13 votes

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Get this Bicolano Laing recipe! Dried Taro leaves cooked in coconut milk with a lot of chilies! A simple no-fuss recipe that is as authentic as it can get!Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (1)

I wanted to make Laing for the longest time. However, dried Taro leaves are not available in Germany but now that we are back in the Philippines, I grabbed the chance to make some.

Buying the dried Taro leaves was the easiest part as they are available in most big supermarkets. Now, I had the option to buy canned coconut milk or use a fresh one. If you know me by now, you would have guessed that I chose the first rather than the latter..hehehe! I am all for making and doing it the easier way.

Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (2)

Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (3)

Now, I only needed to have an authentic recipe for Laing and it cannot get more authentic than getting it from a 100% Uragon. So I got in touch with an old friend and colleague from my very first job when I was still working in Manila (ages ago). Jonas is a born and bred Bicolano and gladly shared his simple but delicious Laing recipe.Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (4)The truth is, I was not a big fan of Laing at the beginning until I tried the authentic Bicolano Laing. It was dried and oily, wherein the coconut milk has been cooked long enough to produce oil and the dried Taro leaves have completely absorbed the coconut milk in. Also, unlike other Laing I've tried before that, the leaves are still mostly intact and not mushy. That is how I like my Laing and this is my target.

Unlike other Laing recipes, this one contains really just the basic ingredients and I would say it is more than enough and already perfect. Thanks again Jonas Bermeo for sharing your Laing recipe and for the additional tips...

You may also like tocheck out another Bicolano dish: Bicol Express!

Printable Recipe

Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (5)

Print Review

Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk)

5 from 13 votes

Get this authentic Bicolano Laing recipe! Dried Taro leaves cooked in coconut milk with chilis! Simple no-fuss recipe!

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Course :Main Course

Servings =5

Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 cups coconut milk (add 1 cup water if using coconut cream)
  • 1 medium onion - chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic - minced
  • 8-10 pieces dried fish or smoked fish
  • 5 cups dried Taro leaves
  • 3 pieces labuyo chili or 5 pieces bird's eye chili - each cut into 4-5 pieces

Instructions

  • Place coconut milk, water, onion, garlic and dried fish in a pot. Bring to boil over medium-low heat.

  • Once it starts to boil, add the dried taro leaves. Cover pot with lid and let it boil for 10 minutes without stirring.

  • Add the chilis. Season with salt if still needed.

  • Let it boil until coconut milk is reduced or almost completely gone.

Nutrition

Calories: 380kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 5gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 34gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 26mgPotassium: 611mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1350IUVitamin C: 18.4mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 6.6mg

Have you tried this recipe?Mention @foxyfolksy or tag #FoxyFolksyRecipes!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    What do you think?

  1. Mom Salonga says

    Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (18)
    Just got into this in my iPad. Will be a follower.

    Reply

  2. Kei says

    Hi, can I use hibe/dried shrimp instead of the fish? Thank you.

    Reply

    • Bebs says

      Sure you can.

      Reply

  3. Marge Ponce says

    Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (19)
    Hi there!
    Hope you are in good health in the very warm weather of SoCal. Thank you for the Filipino recipes you shared with us. Some I have already cooked like exact-copy of your recipes. The Laing was exceptional among your other great ones. I’d like to inform you that I shared a link of above recipe to my health app, Lose It. This app helps me to steer clear from former bad habits of uncontrolled calories and quantity. It has given me a target of Oct 2024 to gradually lose 30 lbs excess of my weight. This app reads the nutrition posted and advises me the serving I need to be at par with my targetted weight. Thanks many to your passion of quality, tasty and many healthy Filipino recipes.

    A fan who used to eat too much, Marge

    Reply

  4. Dolly C says

    Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (20)
    Thank you for sharing your recipe!

    Reply

  5. Sue says

    Can the dried laing be washed before cooking.

    Reply

    • Bebs says

      sure you can wash it quickly just before adding it.

      Reply

  6. winkle says

    do i need to cook the dried fish first? TIA!

    Reply

    • Bebs says

      No need to cook the dried fish first . It will cook with the taro leaves.

      Reply

    • Bebs says

      I am happy to hear it, Kuido!

      Reply

  7. Kim says

    I have fresh tarp leaves in my garden that I’m trying to learn how to use. Would you reduce the liquid if using fresh leaves?

    Reply

    • Bebs says

      Hi Kim, yes you might need to reduce the liquid as the taro leaves will not be absorbing them.

      Reply

    • April Yedica says

      Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (22)
      Thanks you for sharing this. My Mom and Lola is pure Bicolana and this recipe is authentic. I remember my Lola cooked laing all the time without sauteing it.. Im always following ur recipe and my American husband love it ❤

      Reply

      • Bebs says

        Great to hear that it passes you Bicolano taste 😉 and you hubby's too.😘

        Reply

  8. Maria says

    Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (23)
    hello can i put bacalao instead? thank you

    Reply

    • Bebs says

      Hi Maria, is it also dried? You can also skip the dried fish and just add salt or fish sauce.

      Reply

  9. Von says

    And can you sub out the dried fish for just fish sauce (patis)? xx

    Reply

    • Bebs says

      Sure you can Von.

      Reply

  10. Von says

    Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (24)
    Hi there,
    Can you freeze this after making it? How does it stand up to after defrosting and reheating?
    Thanks!

    Reply

  11. Jasmine says

    Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (25)
    Hi,
    I was wondering would tinapa flakes work? If not, what kind of dried fish would work? I have a seafood city down the street and my parents love this dish.
    Side note* all your recipes are delicious everytime I make them. Thank you

    Reply

    • Bebs says

      Yes, tinapa would work wonderfully.

      Reply

  12. Lynnda Pauline Moxham says

    Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (26)
    Yum yum 😋😍

    Reply

    • Bebs says

      Thank you!

      Reply

  13. Venia says

    Will it taste the same if I use spinach leaves vs taro? The Asian store is far from where I live but spinach abounds in the grocery store nearby.

    Reply

    • Bebs says

      My sister-in-law who lives in Paris does it with spinach and it is a close copy she said.

      Reply

  14. Christine says

    Hi Bebs,
    I tried making this dish and it was delicious, however, mine had a bitter aftertaste. What could be the cause of it? Is it some preparation or cooking technique issue? Or I got the bad leaves? I used the dried ones sold in the asian store. It looked clean and properly packaged, imported from the Philippines.

    Reply

    • Bebs says

      I read that it could be a reaction of the leaves to stainless steel.

      Reply

  15. Gobain says

    Hi. Did you wash first the dried taro leaves? Thanks

    Reply

    • Bebs says

      No Gobain. You put the dried taro leaves directly to the pot. Just make sure they are good quality leaves and clean and properly packaged.

      Reply

  16. Pete Clemente says

    Hi, Is the dried fish daing? What's the best alternative if there are no asian shops?

    Reply

    • Bebs says

      Hi Pete, dried fish is different from daing. You can use small smoked fishes instead.

      Reply

Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy (2024)

FAQs

Authentic Laing Recipe (Taro leaves in Coconut Milk) - Foxy Folksy? ›

Place in a large saucepan of boiling water and cook on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes; drain thoroughly. Add to the taro leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes, or until the taro leaves are tender to the taste.

How long does it take to cook taro leaves? ›

Place in a large saucepan of boiling water and cook on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes; drain thoroughly. Add to the taro leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes, or until the taro leaves are tender to the taste.

How to make laing not itchy? ›

Gabi leaves should be washed thoroughly and cooked adequately as they are high in calcium oxalate, which can cause an "itchy" or burning sensation in the mouth. Drying the leaves under the sun before cooking is said to lessen the amount of these crystals.

What is laing in English? ›

Laing (pronounced [ˈlaʔɪŋ] LAH-ing), is a Filipino dish of shredded or whole taro leaves with meat or seafood cooked in thick coconut milk spiced with labuyo chili, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, ginger, and shrimp paste. It originates from the Bicol Region, where it is known simply as pinangat.

Why are taro leaves itchy? ›

The “itching” characteristic of Taro plants is caused by the presence of crystals of calcium oxalate (Jiang Gaosong 1996), the concentrations of which in Colocacia esculenta have been reported to range from very high values in young leaves (12,576 ± 108mg/100g DM) (Radek and Savage 2008) to levels of 236 mg/100 g fresh ...

How do you remove toxins from taro leaves? ›

To deactivate the poisonous oxalates in taro leaves, they must be cooked until they soften which only takes a few minutes when boiling or 30 minutes to an hour when baking ( 10 , 11).

What happens if you don't cook taro leaves properly? ›

Taro roots and leaves are poisonous when eaten raw because they contain calcium oxalate. Some taro varieties produce a slime that can cause irritation (usually itchiness when peeling). These issues are neutralized through cooking. Most cultures use taro as an accompaniment or foundation for proteins.

How to get rid of itchy throat from taro leaves? ›

Hello, you can try hot ginger lemon tea with some honey that will give you some relief. You should avoid having uncooked taro stem in future to avoid such problems. Rather cook it and have it with lemon juice. The itch in this case is due to small calcium oxalate crystals irritating your throat.

Why does my mouth itch after eating taro leaves? ›

Taro can be boiled, steamed, or oven-baked, however, must be cooked thoroughly to prevent mouth and throat itching caused by a substance in raw taro called calcium oxalate. The leaves have the same itching effect if not cooked properly.

How to remove itch from taro? ›

Both vinegar and lemon juice have mild acidic properties that can neutralize the oxalate crystals responsible for the itching. After peeling any starchy vegetable, dampen a clean cloth with vinegar or lemon juice and gently rub it over the affected area. Rinse with water afterward to remove any residue.

What to pair with laing? ›

Laing goes so well with fried fish, pork, chicken, and Filipino barbecue. Serve over steaming rice and you're day is complete.

What does the name Laing mean? ›

Laing (/læŋ, leɪŋ/) is a Scottish surname, commonly found in countries settled by Scots, such as Canada and New Zealand. It is a descriptive surname, cognate with the English surname Long, meaning "tall".

What is the disadvantage of taro leaves? ›

If not handled properly can lead to some harmful side effects to health. Taro leaves contain high levels of oxalate, which is a natural compound found in many plants. Some people at risk for kidney stones need to avoid foods that contain oxalate, which can contribute to kidney stone formation.

Who should not eat taro root? ›

It's also easy to use and can be enjoyed in a number of unique recipes, including taro tea, cakes, chips, side dishes and desserts. However, it's important to always cook before consuming, avoid if you experience any food allergy symptoms, and moderate your intake if you have diabetes or are following a low-carb diet.

How do you remove oxalic acid from taro leaves? ›

Overall, boiling the taro leaves was an effective way of reducing the soluble oxalate content of the cooked tissue.

How do you know when taro is done cooking? ›

Let the taro simmer for about an hour. When it is ready, the boiled flesh of the taro root will be soft to the touch.

Can you overcook taro? ›

The cooking of taro root is everything when it comes to making a roasted curry with it. If you over cook them they will get so mushy and clump up when you roast it. If you under cook it then it will be hard to peal off the skin.

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