Queensland Arrowroot - Nutrition and Serving Ideas
The rhizomes form large starchy tubers that are a great substitute for potatoes and the immature seeds and young shoots can be eaten as well.Nutritional Value
Rhizomes:
- 1-3% protein
- 24% carbohydrate
- Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, & C
- Contain potassium, calcium and phosphorous
- Fibre
Leaves and shoots:
- 10% protein
Selection and storage
Only harvest the young tubers, those that are fleshy and whitish. Look out for small new shoots (less than 10cm long) – these ones will be nice and tender. Young tubers have the best flavour; the older ones are fibrous and hard.
Wash the rhizomes and remove the roots and store in the fridge crisper.
Alternatively, they can be stored in the ground or in a container covered in damp (not wet) soil somewhere cool and dark.
Preparing
Arrowroot Flour:
- Peel tubers and cut into 2- 3cm cubes,
- mince cubes or put in a blender with a little cold water and blend to a pulp.
- Tip the pulp into a bucket or large bowl and add more water.
- After a few minutes, the flour will sink to the bottom and brown fibrous liquid will come to the top, which is carefully drained off.
- Add more water and stir, and more fibre will come to the top, to be drained off.
- After several rinses, the water on top will be clear with no brown fibre remaining.
- Drain off the water and pour the thick white flour 1-2cm thick onto trays to dry in the sun or use a dehydrator.
- When it is dry it will be soft and flaky; bottle and store ready for use.
The flour keeps well and does not go rancid with age. The flour yield is usually about 1/4 to 1/5 of the original weight of the tubers.
As a vegetable:
- Wash them,
- peel with a knife and
- place into water until you are ready to cook them – they will oxidise otherwise.
Serving ideas
Queensland arrowroot can be:
- Baked
- Boiled
- Mashed
- Roasted
- Eaten raw in salads -they have a slightly sweet, crunchy texture
- Barbecued
- Stir Fried
- Cubed or grated and used as a thickener in stews, casseroles and soups
- Cut into thin chips
- Fried
- Young growing tips & unfurled leaves can be used as a cooked vegetable or added to stir-fries
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