Dasheen Puffs: A Vegan Recipe

Dasheen Puffs are a bit of a delicacy in Dominica. Presenting an alternative to the plain boiled dasheen, which many people find can be a bit heavy and boring; puffs are light and super tasty. Most dasheen puff recipes advise using various amounts of milk, eggs, and butter which, as a vegan, put them off of my menu. So a few weeks ago in kitchen creativity I came up with my own vegan version which I share here with you.

Be warned as always with my recipes, that I am of the ‘no-measuring, no-timing, improvise everything’ school of cooking so all quantities are very approximate. Also this recipe does not read like a standard cook book text so I advise you to follow as best you can and then do as you will with your own experimentation!

INGREDIENTS:

• Dasheen (2 medium sized dasheen makes about 25 puffs)
• Coconut Milk
• Toloma
• Onions
• Green sweet pepper
• Seasoning peppers
• Chive (aka green onion)
• Spices
• Salt
• Homemade veggie stock cubes* or alternative
• Olive Oil

*I make my own veggie stock cubes by blending a mixture of seasoning peppers, chive, parsley, garlic and other herbs such as big-leaf thyme, Italian basil, oregano etc. Quantities of each vary according to what I have from the market and my plant pots! Put the selection in the blender with a small amount of water and liquidise, then freeze in an ice-cube tray and use them as needed – it’s a perfect time saver! If you choose to use alternative veggie stock please be sure it is all natural with no MSG.

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Peel the dasheen. (Be warned….dasheen can make your hands itch like crazy so either wear gloves or get your man with tough hands to do this job!)
• Boil the dasheen in plenty water with a bit of salt
• When the dasheen is soft, drain the water and trim off the bits that look hard or have odd colouration on them.
• Cut into small pieces and return to the pot with a small amount of water and a veggie stock cube (see above* for details)

Plain boiled dasheen with a homemade veggie stock cube

In the meantime….

• Chop and sauté an onion, green pepper, chive and other seasonings to your taste and just as they are getting soft add a selection of dried spices and a little salt. I like to use paprika, turmeric, cumin…but the choice is yours. Stir a little more on the stove and then set aside.
• In another small bowl, mix three teaspoons of toloma (arrowroot) with some coconut milk to make a thin paste and set aside. This is your egg substitute and will help the mixture bind.

Back to the dasheen…

• When your dasheen mixture looks mushy and soft, remove from stove and mash it up…you can use a pestle and mortar, fork or potato masher….just make sure it is well pounded
• Add a few spoons of olive oil and coconut milk to help the process but be sure not to make your mixture get too mushy
• Once you have your pounded mixture, add in the toloma mixture and the onions and spices mixture and stir up all together.

Mashed dasheen with seasoning mix

• At this point you can taste and add more of anything you think it might need such as salt or pepper.
• Then take small amounts of your mixture and use your hands to form it into small patties. This gets mucky but don’t worry the dasheen does not itch at this stage.
• Roll your patties on a plate with a mixture of whole-wheat flour and cornmeal and when they are coated, set aside.

Coated puffs ready to cook

Cooking the Puffs…

• When all your puffs are formed and coated you are now ready to fry!
• Use a good pan that doesn’t stick…an old cast iron one is great if you have it.
• Heat a small amount of olive oil and when hot add your puffs. (I usually fry about 6 at a time so the pan is not overcrowded and I can make sure I turn each one on time)
• Turn your puffs regularly until they are golden brown on each side

Puffs in the pot

• Once cooked, place them on a plate with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil

Finished puffs

Enjoy…

• Serve with other healthy, nutritious foods and enjoy to the max!

Dasheen puffs served with black beans & coconut cream, garden salad, avocado and pumpkin seed pate

The whole process of making dasheen puffs is a bit laborious but well worth the effort. My little girl loves them! Extra puffs can be cooled and stored in the fridge and reheated and eaten when desired over the next day or two.

I look forward to hearing your results with this recipe and let me know if you have any suggestions to add. Happy, Healthy Eating!