BY: CELEBRITY MASTER CHEF – DR. KAVIRAJ KHIALANI
Potato is one such inviting word upon hearing which most of us feel tempted to grab into but not to forget the carb into it as well. The need of the hour today is to somewhere modify a little and to twist and turn slightly towards a better outcome on our plates and also to tickle the palate with something interesting and worthy.
me it has always been one of the top most preferred ingredient in my kitchen which has not only assisted in many ways from basic recipes, to fillers in some dishes, to add texture and volume, to help thicken up gravies etc as well.
From a very young age we all have indulged in this simple and satisfying commodity from enjoying our all-time favourite French Fries, Finger Chips to our Desi hit Vada Pao, to the breakfast special hot and appetizing Aloo Parathas with a bowl of Curd and Papad.
I know while reading this most of us are getting those cravings of going for a quick potato bite and relish ourselves with something delectable and enjoy a quick filler in between those meals. But guess what, today we have an even more interesting ingredient to speak about and that’s Sweet Potato- also called Shakarkhandi in India.
We do agree that not many of us have really tried too many varieties with sweet potatoes so far, while some of us have easily adapted to it but most of us need a little practical ideas and easy tips at times to make that shift from the regular to the not so regular cooking styles in our kitchens, hence this write up for all you foodies, to create that bit of open minded approach and shift from potato to sweet potato once in a while for a change and loads of healthy offerings too.
Top 10 Health Benefits of Sweet Potato:
- Sweet Potatoes help prevent Vitamin-A deficiency.
- They have been considered fairly good to be eaten in moderation while managing diabetes.
- Good for Managing stress, helps improve the shine and gloss on hair and our skin as well.
- A great ingredient to be eaten for good eye care and vision, it is also one of the popular memory enhancing foods.
- sweet potatoes have a good offering in terms of Vitamin Besides it also gives us considerable amounts of iron and potassium.
- It has also been believed that sweet potato consumption helps minimise sugar absorption.
- A few studies also suggest that sweet potatoes help in issues related to arthritis too.
- They are considered to be healthier alternatives to the regular potatoes in many ways.
- They offer much lesser calories as compared to having our regular potatoes, they are also considered anti-bacterial, anti –inflammatory.
- Sweet potatoes are packed with anti-oxidants, vitamins, essential minerals.
Here are a few recipes with Shakharkhandi for all our readers to try out:
Recipe-1] Shakarkhandi Ka Desi Salad
Ingredients.
For the Body of the Salad:
- Sweet potato/Shakarkhandi- 300 gms, peeled, cut into cubes & boiled until just cooked or even can be baked or roasted.
- Boiled sweet corn- 1/2cup
- Capsicum-1/2 no, green cut into small cubes.
- Tomatoes-1 small cut into cubes
- Cucumber-1/2 no. peeled and cut into cubes
- Onions/shallots- 2 to 3 tbsp., cut into small cubes.
- Green chilies- 1-2 nos. chopped
- Coriander leaves- 2-3 tbsp. chopped
- Mint leaves- 8 to 10 no. for garnish
- Roasted crushed peanuts- 2 to 3 tbsp.
For the Dressing of the Desi Salad:
- Olive oil- 2 -3 tbsp.
- Mustard paste-1 tsp
- Chat masala-1/2 tsp & salt to taste
- Roasted crushed cumin powder- ½ tsp
- Mayonnaise or hung curd-1/2 cup
- Tomato ketchup-2 tsp
- Chili sauce-1 tsp
For the Base of the Salad: – Assorted lettuce/salad leaves/purple cabbage- 1 cup
Method:
- Prepare all the ingredients for the salad.
- In a mixing bowl, combine together the ingredients for the dressing and stir well.
- Add in the ingredients for the body of the salad from boiled sweet potato cubes to everything else and give it a quick toss.
- Arrange the base of the salad on a plate and top with the fresh salad, sprinkle the peanuts, fresh herbs, coriander, mint etc and serve it immediately.
Chefs Variations:
- Try the same salad concept with a twist of Indo-Chinese fusion combine tamarind chutney with little schezuan chutney and toss the sweet potato in combination with non-veg like roast/grilled sliced chicken, tandoori chicken tikka, or sliced mutton seekh kababs, tava fry prawns!
- To add some more fillers, choose to add some boiled healthy options like whole-wheat pasta, vermicelli,
- grilled or pan fried egg plant cubes, a little pesto mayo or hung curd for the dressing.
Recipe-2] Pan Baked Spiced Soy & Sweet Potatoes.
Ingredients:
- Sweet potatoes- 350gms.peeled, cut into small cubes.
- Soy keema/granules- 100 gms. Soaked in warm water for 10 mins.
- Oil- 2 tsp
- Butter-1 tsp
- Garlic- 1tsp.chopped
- Onions- 1 small. Chopped
- Tomato puree- ½ cup
- Peanut butter- 2 tbsp.
- Warm water- 1 cup for cooking
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper powder-1/4 tsp
- Garam masala powder- ½ tsp
- Chili flakes and mixed herbs to taste
- Grated paneer/ crumbled tofu- ½ cup
- Cheese- ¼ cup grated
- Chopped parsley/cilantro- 2 tsp
Method:
- Prepare all the ingredients for the recipe.
- Heat oil and butter in a pan, add in the garlic, onions and saute for 15 seconds.
- Add in the soy and sweet potatoes and saute, add all spices, tomato puree, little water along with peanut butter and allow the mixture to cook on a low flame for 8 to 10 mins.
- Add paneer/tofu and mix lightly, top with little grated cheese and place the pan in a pre-heated oven at 150 degrees Celsius for 8 to 10 mins, serve hot with herbed garlic toasties.
Chefs Variations:
- Try the same recipe with sweet potatoes in combination with boiled diced eggs, ham, salami or chicken sausages with little white sauce and cheese for a change
- For a more desi option, I prefer adding soy chunks with sliced mushrooms and sweet potato in combination with little makhani gravy with little added fresh cream and cheese to skip the peanut butter.
Recipe- 3] SWEET POTATO CURRY
Ingredients:
- Sweet potato- 400gms, cleaned and cubed
- Oil- 2 tsp
- Ghee- 1 tsp
- Cumin seeds-1 tsp
- Hing-1/4 tsp
- Dry red chili- 1 no
- Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
- Fennel seeds-1/2 tsp
- Ginger-garlic paste-1 tsp
- Onion paste- 1 cup
- Tomato puree-1/2 cup
- Cashew paste- 1 tbsp.
- Salt to taste
- Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
- Coriander powder-1 tsp
- Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
- Garam masala powder-1/4 tsp
- Water-1/2 cup
- Fresh coriander leaves- 2 tbsp. chopped
Method:
- prepare all the ingredients as per the listed recipe.
- heat oil and ghee in a pan, add in the hing, cumin, mustard seeds and chili etc and give it all a nice stir.
- add in the onion paste, ginger-garlic paste and cook for 3-4 mins, add little water. Add in the tomato puree, salt and all powdered spices add in the cashew paste and a little curd as well if desired.
- allow the masala to cook for a few mins now add in the diced sweet potato cubes and mix, cover and simmer and allow to cook for 10-12 mins.
- check for seasonings, and turn off the flame once the potato is cooked just on the bite, do not overcook. Add some fresh chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with phulkas, rotis etc.
Recipe-4] SWEET POTATO & CAULIFLOWER CURRY
Ingredients:
- Sweet potato- 400gms, peeled and cubed
- Cauliflower- 400 gms, cut into med florets.
- Oil-2 tbsp.
- Ghee-1 tbsp.
- Garlic-1 tsp chopped
- Curry leaves- 8-10 no
- Slit green chiles-1-2 no
- Ginger-garlic- red chili paste- 1 tbsp. mix
- Onion paste- 1 cup- fried, browned and then made into paste
- Tomato puree-1/2 cup
- Salt to taste
- Red chili powder-1/2 tsp
- Coriander powder-1 tbsp.
- Water-1/2 cup
- Cashew paste-2 tsp
- Fresh cream-1 cup
- Kasuri methi- 1 tsp
- Fresh coriander leaves- 2 tbsp. chopped
- Ginger juliennes- 2 tsp for garnish.
Method:
- prepare all the ingredients for the recipe as per the list.
- heat oil and ghee in a pan and add in the chilies and then add in the prepared paste with onion paste and others.
- ensure to mix all well, cook for 2 mins, add salt, tomato puree and all the powdered spices, add in some water as needed some cashew paste/ fresh cream and allow to simmer for a few mins.
- now add in the sweet potato cubes and cauliflower and mix well. place the mixture on a low flame and allow to cook in steam for around 15-20 mins.
- finally add in the fresh coriander and mix well, serve the recipe hot with phulkas, rotis, kachumber, dahi and papad.
Recipe- 5] SWEET POTATO CURRIED COCONUT BITES
Ingredients:
- Sweet potato- 400 gms, peeled and cubed
- Oil-2 tsp
- Ghee-1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Curry leaves- 8-10 no
- Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
- Mustard seeds- ½ tsp
- Hing-1/4 tsp
- Dry red chilies-1 no slit
- Green chilies-1 no slit
- Water-1/2 cup
- Fresh grated coconut-1 cup
- Cumin powder-1/4 tsp
- Chaat masala-1/2 tsp
- Fresh coriander leaves- 3-4 tbsp. chopped
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
- Lime juice-2 tsp
Method:
- prepare all the ingredients for the recipe as per the list.
- cut the sweet potato after peeling and washing into uniform pieces.
- blanch the sweet potato in water and a little salt for a few mins and refresh the mixture. Use the liquid for cooking purpose.
- now to stir fry the recipe, heat oil and ghee in a pan, add in the spices one by one and allow to splutter and crackle.
- add in the blanched sweet potato, salt and all powdered spices, little water and cover and cook the sweet potato for 8-10 mins.
- finally add in fresh coriander, lime juice, few drops of lime juice. Serve this recipe with steaming hot rice, dal fry and papad.
