Tag Archives: taro root

Asulia at Whole Foods Charles River Plaza

I love living in The Bean. One of the things that I love about Boston is how accessible everything is, including grocery shopping. Off the red line at MGH, Whole Foods Charles River Plaza is one of the best locations to get everything you need.

I’m ecstatic that Asulia’s taro root, kale and chick pea dumplings are now available in the freezer aisle at Charles River Plaza Whole Foods!

When I used to work in the financial district, I would walk to Whole Foods Charles River Plaza at lunch time to pick up lunch and or groceries for my newest kitchen adventure. It was a treat to get out and escape from work and the gym, where I was indoors in a basement doing yoga. A lovely, well-lit studio, but I preferred shopping and lunching at Whole Foods instead!

In the past, when I didn’t know what to do with my vegetable obsession (#vod), I’d go to my happy place — the produce section — for inspiration and dream of a day I could make a career in food. Well, I’m happy and humbled to see it come full circle.

Thank you for your continued support. We have added lots of new stores to the list and we have some fun event coming up. Come say hi!

Asulia in Whole Foods Dedham, MA

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Today is a special day over one year in the making. Beginning on 12/10/2013, you’ll be able to buy Asulia chickpea, kale, and taro root dumplings at Whole Foods Market, Dedham, New England’s largest WFM store!

Over a year ago, I ventured into specialty food and could never imagine where this journey would lead me. I think back to last winter when I first contacted WF and started Asulia’s partnership with this amazing team of truly thoughtful and caring members of our community.

It all began with an in-store visit to sample the dumplings with some team members at WF. Back then, the dumplings were wrapped in a traditional wrapper and the recipes were different. We didn’t have packaging, a kitchen or a legal entity.

Today alone, I’ve been in contact with over ten team members at WF who have made it possible for Asulia to get on the shelf, including foragers, grocery, regional and marketing team members. Thank you Whole Foods for your support! I look forward to continuing the plans we have together.

I’ve always envisioned Asulia at WFM from the very beginning and I’m proud to partner with a store that has similar values as Asulia — to make our planet a better place and help our community eat healthier.

Hundreds of people have helped shape Asulia today. This includes our supporters at WF, other friends, family, Indiegogo supporters, volunteers, advisors and fellow foodie entrepreneurs. Thank you all.

Please look for our dumplings in Whole Foods. More locations coming soon!

I’m so thankful for this day. It’s an early Christmas present for Asulia :)

Happy Holidays!

dumpling debut

Wednesday, 9/18 was the first official public Asulia dumpling tasting held at MIT’s Innovation Series “From Farm to Tablet”.  That morning, I dropped my mom off at the airport at 5am. I’ve done this many times before, but that day felt different. I was extra concerned about her safety as she leaves for a month overseas. I got choked up because, not only does she mean the world to me, but also because I want her to be able to continue to see that her decision to become my mom was not for nothing.

Then, I was nonstop all day. Kinda of surprising huh? A dumpling tasting that lasted an hour and a half took a full day of prep! I had to pick up fresh veggies, coordinate with my graphic designer, pick up the Indiegogo info cards from the printer, buy napkins and a table cloth, pack, eat something, and, oh, shower! There wasn’t an oven on site, so I found a friend that lived close by and borrowed hers. I couldn’t have pulled it off without my crew of 3 amazing ladies.

It was awesome to sample to the Boston and MIT community. Over 100 people stopped by Asulia’s table to try our our chickpea dumplings, kale dumplings, and taro root dumplings. People loved the taste of the fusion dumplings and wanted to hear more about Asulia and my story. They couldn’t believe the average calorie count is only 44 per dumpling. Many can back a 2nd and 3rd time for more dumplings! I loved seeing people’s faces as they bit into the dumplings and hearing their comments. Instant feedback! I can’t wait to do more demos and share my dumplings with more people.
Special thanks to Suzanne Brendle, Sarah Howes, and Taylor Rose for assisting!
Sue Liang, Asulia Foods

Sue Liang of Asulia Foods setting up for the MIT Dumpling Tasting

Taro Root, a better starch

unpeeled taro root, peeled taro root, taro root smoothie, an earlier Asulia packaging idea

Above, counter clockwise: unpeeled taro root, peeled taro root, taro root smoothie, an earlier Asulia packaging idea

Above, counter clockwise: unpeeled taro root, peeled taro, taro root smoothie, an earlier packaging pic of an idea I had for a taro & scallion boat before we knew a wheat dumpling wrapper was possible.
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Asulia uses taro root as the main ingredient in our Taro Root dumpling.

Taro root is a staple root vegetable in Southeast Asia, Africa, India, China, the Caribbean and the Polynesian islands. It’s often used like a potato. I grew up eating taro root in China, where I lived until I was five years old, in braised dishes and steamed with savory ingredients. Then, my mother and I moved to New York and then to Montana where I spent the vast majority of my childhood. Needless to say, it was hard to find taro, let alone any exotic vegetables back then.

When my mom and I would travel, we would make sure to eat taro. Taro root can be roasted, boiled, fried or baked. The leaves can be eaten just like spinach! Unlike potatoes, its texture is custardy and it has purple tinge once it’s cooked. It has a nutty flavor from natural sugars that come out during the cooking process. What sets this root vegetable apart from it’s starchy cousins is it’s nutrients. Taro contains three times as much fiber as a potato, is a great source of potassium and is a low glycemic index food. It’s also is very easy to digest.

The glycemic index measures how your blood sugar levels rise after you eat carbohydrates. An index number from 1-100, with 100 as the reference score stands for pure glucose, a.k.a. sugar. Foods are rated high (greater than 70), moderate (56-69), or low (less than 55). On the GI scale, taro is rated low with a score of 18. A low GI means that it’s absorbed into your body slower, which allows you to feel fuller longer since it takes longer to metabolize.

It’s important to keep in mind that you can’t eat taro raw, it needs to be cooked. To prepare taro root for cooking, peel it with a vegetable peeler under running water. This will help you to avoid any sensitivity to the juices, which can cause a mild stinging sensation. You can also a knife to remove the skin. Shield your hands with a towel or gloves.  Keep your taro covered with water in a bowl or pan until you’re ready to use it. It pairs nicely with with milk or other calcium-rich foods. I love taro with coconut milk. Here’s a recipe for a taro root smoothie.

Sue’s Taro Root Smoothie

1 1/2 cup ice
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup taro powder or ½ cup steamed fully cooked taro
1/4 cup of simple raw cane syrup or ¼ cup of sweetened condensed milk

Blend together and get your taro on!

 

Dumpling Preparations

Dumpling test run - Taro Root Dumpling Filling

Dumpling test run – Taro Root Dumpling Filling

I ran a large-scale test batch run of dumplings earlier in this week. That’s the filling for the Taro Root Dumplings pictured above.

I’ve never cooked a few hundred pounds of dumpling filling before! I found that I needed to adjust my recipes a bit. The dumpling recipes are final now, so next up is working on new nutrition labels.

 

I’m also planning a crowdfunding campaign. I’m self-funded so far, but I will need to raise money.

I had a meeting with Jill Rosenwald about the possibility of co-creating a special line pottery for Asulia’s kickstarter supporters, that you can serve dumplings on. So fun! I love Jill’s work.

Happy Lunar New Year

One of my cousins had her second child. I’m in up state NY visiting and spending the Lunar New Year with family. My mom cooked up a feast for all of us. There’s nothing like mom’s home cooking. To health and happiness!

From left to right: sweet and sour chicken, snap peas with chicken gizzards, salted chicken with scallion and ginger dip, braised taro root.

After the Lunar New Year celebration, I went to NYC for an event for women entrepreneurs. I stopped by the local Lululemon store to check out the bulletin board for guest passes to yoga studios in the area. The ladies at the store suggested I take a class at Pure Yoga in the West Village.  The class was good, but the instructor didn’t seem to mesh well with the corporate environment at Pure. He would probably be happier teaching in Brooklyn instead. Overall, I would come back the next time I’m in town though!

Dumpling Fillings and Fears

Last night I was in my mom’s kitchen to test three different kinds of vegetarian dumpling fillings: kale, taro root with toasted sesame seeds, and curry cauliflower with toasted pepitas, a new recipe idea I developed.

When all the dishes were washed, my mom and I sat down and chatted. Over the years she’s been slowly revealing more of her past, most of which I’ve never heard before.  After she was abandoned in China, she would spend nights walking the streets because she had nowhere to sleep. Fearing something bad would happen, she kept moving because she felt that if she was at least on the move, it would be harder for others to harm her. She encountered challenging situations through the years to say the least.

During my commute to meet a buyer at a store this morning, I reflected on what my mom had told me the night before and was over come with emotion. So many things had to happen in order for me to be here today.

Staying with friends and having my stuff around town makes me feel extremely unsettled. I view this as another day of opportunity to turn things around, not only for myself, but also for the girls that need me. I’ve never wanted to succeed at something so much before. I want to bring hope to girls and know it’s one of my life’s mission. I would love for my mom to still be around to see the impact she’s made not just for me, but in how it’ll be paying it forward.

We have to overcome our own self doubts, fears, and take a risk.