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Sweet Potatoes is the little less talked about distant member of the potato family but you’d be a fool to ignore it for long. Sweet potatoes are a great source of complex carbohydrates, which means they’re digested slowly over time and don’t spike the blood sugar levels in your body like simple carbohydrates like potatoes and plain white rice do. They’re high on dietary fibre and beta-carotene, which is then converted into Vitamin A in our bodies. Vitamin A is beneficial in promoting greater immune functioning, proper cell division and growth and also in maintaining healthy vision. They’re great when mashed, fried, baked and even when used in soups and curries. Here’s 5 ways you can prepare sweet potato themed side dishes to break the monotony of your workweek lunches.
1. Curried Sweet Potato Lentils
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoon mustard oil
- 1 ½ onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup dry red lentils
- 2 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups water
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 4 sprigs of coriander
Method:
- Heat mustard oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion and carrot. Sauté the vegetables until the onion is soft and clear.
- Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for another 2 minutes.
- Add a few tablespoons water to the pot to help prevent sticking if necessary.
- Add the lentils, sweet potato, turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder, and salt. Stir to combine everything.
- Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the lentils and sweet potato are tender.
- Stir in the ½ cup coconut milk and bring it off the heat.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and stems for freshness.
2. Sweet Potato Red Capsicum Soup
Ingredients:
- 4 large red capsicum
- 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil
- 1 large or 2 small onions, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
- 5 cups of water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 232 degrees Celsius. Arrange the capsicum on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes, or until the skins are wrinkled and charred.
- Remove the capsicum from the oven and allow them to cool.
- Remove the stems, skins, and seeds from the capsicum, and roughly chop them and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium high heat and add the onions. Cook until the onion has turned translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
- Add the sweet potatoes and salt and stir fry them until they’re browned to an extent.
- Add the water and bring it upto a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
- Add the roasted capsicum to the pot and use an immersion blender to blend the soup till it's smooth and creamy.
- Add crushed red chili flakes as desired and serve.
3. Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers
Ingredients:
- 1 medium large sweet potato
- 1 ½ cups softened chickpeas
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- ¼ cup chickpea flour
- 2 teaspoons ground flax meal
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Method:
- Begin by roasting or microwaving your sweet potato. When roasting, preheat your oven to 205 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Prick your sweet potato a few times with a fork, then roast for 45-60 minutes by reducing the oven heat to 190 degrees Celsius, or until the potato is easy to pierce through with a knife. When microwaving, prick the sweet potato a few times with a fork, then place it on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 6-10 minutes on high, turning the potato over once halfway through cooking.
- In a food processor, combine the cooked sweet potato, chickpeas, and parsley sprigs and pulse 10 to 15 times, or until the chickpeas and parsley are thoroughly broken down. Scrape down the sides of the food processor, and then add the chickpea flour, ground flax meal, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Pulse 5 to 10 times, taking care not to over-process the mixture; it should retain some texture.
- Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Shape the mixture into 4-6 patties and place them onto your baking sheet.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the burgers are crispy and golden on the outside.
- Allow them to cool briefly before assembling them onto your burger buns.
4. Sweet Potato Hummus
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup water
- Sweet or smoked ground paprika for garnish
Method:
- Place all the aforementioned ingredients, except water, in a food processor fitted with the S blade. Pulse a few times to break the chickpeas down.
- Run the motor of the food processor and drizzle the water gradually.
- Continue processing for 2-3 minutes, or until the hummus is completely smooth.
- Remove it onto a serving bowl and sprinkle it with paprika and serve.
5. Air fryer sweet potato fries
Ingredients:
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika or other seasonings such as peri-peri seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Method:
- Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into ½ cm sticks.
- Put them in a bowl, drizzle over the olive oil and give them a tossing to coat evenly.
- Sprinkle over the seasoning, salt and freshly ground pepper, then give it all a good mix to ensure they are evenly coated.
- In your air fryer basket add the sweet potato sticks and air-fry them for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden, giving a little shake or toss after 5 mins.
