Eel Stewed with Taro

Method

1. 1 Peel the taro while your hands are dry to avoid itching, then soak it in salt water for 15 minutes to reduce the stickiness.
2. 2 Remove the slime from the eel, cut it into pieces, and marinate it with turmeric and shrimp paste for 20 minutes.
3. 3 Pan-fry the eel for 3 minutes, then add the crushed galangal and shallots and stir-fry until fragrant.
4. 4 Pour in 300 ml of water, add the taro and simmer for 25 minutes until the taro is tender but not completely dissolved.
5. 5 Season with fish sauce and sprinkle with plenty of perilla leaves — perilla is the perfect accompaniment to braised eel with taro.

With an appliance

• Oven 1 hr

  Replace step 4: cover and simmer the eel with taro in the middle rack of the oven at 170 degrees for 25 minutes; do not stir midway so that the taro becomes tender but not yet dissolved, and the perilla leaves are still sprinkled in step 5.