Innovate with Sweet Potato : 5 Must try Recipes for this Winter

Sweet potato (or shakarkandi) season is upon us, and there is so much that one can do with this humble vegetable. You can bake them, and then roast, fry, and turn them into so much more. The best part about the sweet potato is that most children love them, and for those who don’t, sweet potato can be easily camouflaged and served to your child.

Benefits of Sweet Potato
Apart from being absolute yum, the humble sweet potato has several health benefits. It is highly nutritious and is an excellent source of fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. It promotes gut health and helps in regular bowel movement. Sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A, an essential vitamin for healthy vision. Apart from these, sweet potatoes also help to build immunity and may even help to enhance brain function. So, how do you incorporate this wonderful vegetable into your children’s diet? Here are some exciting recipes to liven things up.

1. Sweet Potato Cutlets

Ingredients:
• 3 Sweet Potatoes
• ½ Cup Boiled Green peas
• Coriander leaves
• Two green chilies
• ½ tbsp Aamchoor
• ½ tbsp Red chili Powder
• 1 tsp Goner-garlic paste
• Salt, to taste
• 1 tbsp Chaat masala
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Cornflour, for binding
• 1 tbsp Whole wheat bread crumbs

Method:
1. Steam or roast the sweet potatoes.
2. Once cooled, remove the skin and mash the potatoes and the peas together.
3. Add all the spices and the lemon juice and mix well.
4. Make a thin slurry of cornflour and water.
5. Shape the sweet potato into round patties and dip in the slurry.
6. Coat with bread crumbs.
7. Shallow fry in a pan on low heat, until golden brown.
8. Serve with dhania-pudina chutney or tamarind chutney.

Tip:
Steam the beetroot in an idli steamer or roast in oven or tandoor after brushing with oil. You can even cook it in the pressure cooker.

2. Sweet Potato Halwa

Ingredients:
1. 2 Sweet potatoes, boiled
2. 4-5 Tbsp Ghee
3. 4 Tbsp Sugar (or as per taste)
4. ½ Tsp Cardamom Powder
5. One pinch saffron
6. 7-8 Roasted cashews
7. 7-8 sliced Almonds
8. 2-3 Tbsp milk

Method:
1. Boil the sweet potatoes.
2. Soak the saffron in the milk.
3. Peel and mash the sweet potatoes.
4. Heat ghee in a pan and add the mashed sweet potatoes to it.
5. Stir and let it cook till it starts to thicken and begins to leave the sides of the pan.
6. Add the saffron-infused milk at this point and mix well.
7. Add the sugar and the cardamom powder. And let it cook till it thickens again. Keep stirring in between.
8. Once thickened, add the cashews and the almonds.

Tip:
You can replace the sugar with jaggery to make it healthier.

3. Sweet Potato Chaat

Ingredients:
1. 2 Sweet potatoes
2. 1 Tbsp Chaat masala
3. 1 Tbsp Roasted and powdered cumin seeds
4. ½ Tbsp Chilli powder
5. ½ Tbsp Black salt
6. 2-3 Tbsp Lemon juice (or as per requirement)
7. 2 Tbsp Tamarind water

Method:
1. Boil or roast the sweet potato. When cool, peel and chop into cubes.
2. Add all the spices and mix well.
3. Adjust the spices as per your taste.

Tip:
You can leave out the tamarind water if you prefer. You can also add star fruit to the chaat for different tastes and flavors. If you can, get the spice mix from your neighborhood shaker kandi vendor, and add this to your chaat at home for a more genuine flavor.
4. Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
1. 1 Sweet potato
2. 2 Tbsp Rice Flour
3. 2 Tbsp Corn Flour
4. 1 Tsp Salt
5. 1 Tsp Oregano
6. 1 Tsp Peri-Peri Powder
7. Water (as needed)

Method:
1. Wash the sweet potato well and slice it into fries.
2. Mix all the other ingredients, except the water.
3. Take some of this mixture and sprinkle on the fries and shake well.
4. Add water to the rest of the powdery mixture and make a thin batter.
5. Heat oil in a wok. Dip the fries in the batter and deep fry.
6. Serve with mayonnaise, or aioli, or a mustard sauce.

Tip:
You can also bake these in an oven or air fryer without dipping them in the wet batter. Just coat them with all the dry spices and flour, and let them bake in an oven at 180-200F.

5. Sweet Potato Rice

Ingredients:
1. 1 Cup Sweet potato, cubed
2. ½ Cup Green Peas
3. ½ Cup Corn
4. ½ Cup carrot, sliced or cubed
5. 10-15 Cashews/ Almonds
6. 10-15 Raisins (Optional)
7. 2 Cloves
8. 2 Green Cardamom
9. 1” Stick Cinnamon
10. 7-8 Mint leaves, slightly crushed to release flavor
11. 1 Bay leaf
12. 1 Green Chilli, split, seeds removed.
13. 1 Tbsp Ginger paste
14. 1 Tbsp Oil
15. 1 Tbsp Ghee
16. 1 Cup Long grained rice, washed and soaked.
17. 2 Cups Water

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, cardamom, green chili, raisins, and cashews/ almonds and fry for a few minutes.
2. Add the ginger paste and stir well.
3. Add the crushed mint leaves. Mix.
4. Add the sweet potato and stir for a few minutes.
5. Add all the vegetables and sauté for a few minutes.
6. Add the soaked rice. Stir well.
7. Add water and salt to taste.
8. Add a spoon of ghee.
9. Mix and lower the flame as it begins to simmer.
10. Cover and let it cook for 7-8 mins.
11. Remove the cover and let it cook till the water evaporates.
12. Eat as is or with raita.

Tip:
You can omit the raisins and add a spoon or two of tamarind water for a tangy taste.

So what are you waiting for? Go into the kitchen and start creating. Make any of these super healthy and innovative recipes for your children. They will be equally loved and enjoyed by all your family members too.

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