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Snack Fish & Seafood

Food Flavour DNA

Nutritional Values

🔥550kcal
💪20gProtein
🌾78gCarbs
🥑18gFat
🌿5gFibre
⚖️300 gServing

* Per serving · 300 g. May vary.

Allergens

🦐 Shellfish 🌾 Gluten

O-Tao

How to order / say it
Say it โอวต้าว — [Oh-Tao]
Order I'd like the O-Tao, please.
Locally ฉันขอโอวต้าวหนึ่งจาน
Say locally

A crispy taro and seafood stir-fry.

Why try it?

O-Tao is a unique representation of Phuket's snack culture. It blends taro and seafood, embodying the local preference for meals using ingredients from the land and sea, offering a glimpse into daily life on the island.

How it tastes

The dish features crispy, golden taro matched with tender seafood. Its flavors are subtle yet distinctly savory, with a hint of earthiness from the taro bringing balance to the seafood's natural sweetness.

Origin & History — first documented: 1925

Introduced in the early 20th century, O-Tao originated from Chinese immigrant communities in Phuket. It was crafted to maximize use of local taro root and plentiful seafood, becoming a cherished local snack over decades.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 🥕 300 g taro
  • 🦐 100 g oysters
  • 🌾 50 g tapioca flour
  • 🧂 2 g pepper
  • 🌿 30 g spring onions
  • 🫒 30 ml oil

Method

  1. 1 Grate taro and mix with tapioca flour to form a batter.
  2. 2 Heat oil in a pan and pour batter in to form a thin pancake.
  3. 3 Add oysters and sprinkle pepper onto the pancake, cooking until edges are crispy.
  4. 4 Cut into pieces and garnish with chopped spring onions before serving hot.

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All Asia recipes — Thailand — Phuket — O-Tao
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