Winter season is right around the corner and guess what, it's the season of the fresh and delicious sweet potatoes or Shakarkandi. Even though these days sweet potatoes are available through the year depending on the farm produce, the freshest harvests are still made available during winter months. The autumn and winter months are the primary season when the actual flavours of the sweet potatoes shine out.
But once you do have these sweet potatoes, what can you possibly make with them? If your taste buds are tired of the same old taste of the plain Shakarkandi Sabzi (Sweet Potato Curry), then, this fall, you must try making these eight creative delicacies with sweet potatoes and surprise your loved ones as well as your palate.
1. Sweet Potato Chips
Instead of regular old potato chips, you can have sweet potato chips that are tasty but also healthy. The sweet potatoes are thinly cut and then seasoned and either baked or fried until they turn golden brown. The taste is sweet and salty and should appeal to most taste buds. Plus, they are crunchy too. Sweet potato chips are simply irresistible when used with salads as they provide an excellent crunch while naturally sweetening each bite.
Video Credit: Chef Ranveer Brar
2. Shakarkandi Chaat
Shakarkandi chaat is an exquisite street food enjoyed in North India, from the streets of Punjab to Delhi. Using sweet potatoes in chaat simply transforms the humble veggie. The star ingredient of this dish are roasted or fried sweet potato cubes which are then topped with spicy, sour chaat masala and other toppings. With yoghurt, chutneys and garnished leaves of fresh cilantro, it is a great snack and healthful appetiser. A sweet potato chaat would provide you with a gastronomical journey as its flavor would be an explosion for your tongue.
3. Sweet Potato Paratha
Sweet potato paratha is an excellent Indian flatbread which mixes sweet potato’s taste with a variety of spicy fragrances. The dough is created by stuffing boiled and mashed sweet potatoes into whole wheat flour-based paratha dough and a mixture of aromatic spices. Dough discs are rolled out, flipped onto the pan and grilled with ghee until they turn golden to achieve that crispy texture. These parathas are served with yoghurt, chutney, pickles or just a dollop of ghee. In Indian homes during winter, these are considered as one of the favourite meals.
4. Shakarkandi Gulgule
Shakarkandi Gulgule is also known as sweet potato gulab jamuns in certain parts of India.They are a delightful Indian dessert. Made from a mixture of grated sweet potatoes, gram flour, and aromatic spices, these gulgule are deep-fried to golden perfection. Following that, most of them are bathed in a sugar syrup to ensure enough sweetness. With a crispy exterior and a soft, juicy and flavourful interior, Shakarkandi Gulgule is a dish you simply shouldn’t miss.
5. Sweet Potato Halwa
Sweet potato halwa has an exceptionally sweet and fulfilling taste that makes it an enjoyable Indian dessert. This Halwa is prepared by grating or mashing sweet potatoes, followed by further cooking using ghee, sugar and some aromatic spices like cardamoms, which makes it one of the favourite dessert delicacies in India. Nuts like almond and pistachio are added to it, making the dish crunchier and tasteful. The sweet potato halawa has two elements; the earthy sweetness of potatoes that is balanced with warm spices, resulting into a great dessert for festivities and also an after-meal treat.
6. Sweet Potato Rabri
Sweet potato rabri or Shakarkandi Rabri is an Indian dessert with a twist on the traditional Rabri. The sweet potatoes are slowly cooked in milk till they get all mushy and blended with it. Later, to make it richer and delicious condensed milk is added along with cardamom powder for flavouring. This leads to an exquisite, thick and rich blend that is conventional and yet modern to quench your thirst for sugary treats.
7. Sweet Potato Khichdi
You may have tasted plenty of Khichdi varieties, but have you ever tasted Shakarkandi Khichdi. The dish, which comprises sweet potato-flavored khichdi, tastes good and provides body sustenance for Indians. It is a delightful one-pot meal cooked with rice, lentils, and spices. The use of sweet potato chunks added in during the pressure-cooking process gives this khichdi a natural sweetness and creaminess, thus making it not just delicious but also a balanced meal.
8. Sweet Potato Tikki
This Indian snack includes the combination of sweet potatoes and many herby flavours. To make sweet potato tikki or Shakarkandi Tikki, sweet potatoes are mashed, mixed with some herbs and spices and then formed into patties like burgers that should be shallow fried on both sides till they become crisp and golden. These are sweet treats with blended and balanced flavour, and are enjoyed with chutney.