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Showing posts with label sweet potato/shakarkand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sweet potato/shakarkand. Show all posts

Friday, July 3, 2015

Cracked wheat (daliya) and Vegetable Soup

I am still continuing the healthy diet/weight loss recipes series this week. Trying to discover new ways to cut those excess calories from a meal while still providing finger-licking nourishment has been challenging. This week I came up with a delicious soup with the goodness of carrots, sweet potato, tomatoes and cracked wheat. Blame it on the balmy weather of Bangalore but I am craving for loads of soup these days !

Read on for the recipe -


















Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -


  • 2 tbsp cracked wheat / daliya
  • 1 small carrot
  • 2 medium sized tomatoes
  • 1 small sweet potato
  • 1/2 tsp sugar or honey (optional)
  • salt to taste
  • a dash of pepper



Preparation - Lightly roast the cracked wheat.

Peel and dice the carrot and sweet potato.

Cooking - Cook all the vegetables along with 1 cup water in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles. Keep aside till steam escapes.

Strain the vegetables and puree them. Use the vegetable stock to cook the cracked wheat in the same pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Keep aside for steam to escape

Pour the puree into the pressure cooker. Add 1/2 cup warm water, sugar/honey and salt. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 2-3 mins.

Serve with a dash of coarsely ground pepper.


Friday, December 19, 2014

Oats and Sweet Potato Cutlets

I do not believe in waiting for the New Year to implement any resolutions. So, after returning back from my Odisha trip I have been monitoring my diet quite strictly. This year it is not just about losing a few extra pounds but also getting back to a leaner and fitter self. And that requires a lot of mental discipline as well.

I have switched to cooking with very little oil and have bought a non-stick appam pan in which i toast the dishes which traditionally require deep frying. Vadas, cutlets, koftas are some of the examples. I am yet to perfect the oil-free/ low-oil gravy for my dishes but I keep experimenting with that as well. Have been thinking of investing in an air-fryer. Please leave behind a comment/suggestion below the post if you have had a good experience with it.

This recipe combines the goodness of Shakarkandi/sweet potato with oats. While I usually boil/roast sweet potato and have it with black salt, pepper, chili powder and optionally a dash of lemon juice, this one can also be served as snacks. And all those health-conscious guests out there are going to fall head over heels in love with it. Read on for the recipe -






Preparation Time - 20-25 mins ( including 15 mins of standby time)


Ingredients -

  • 2 medium sized sweet potatoes 
  • 3-4 tbsp masala oats (I used Saffola oats in Curry & Pepper flavour)
  • 1/4 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/3 tsp pepper powder ( skip if using Pepper flavored oats )
  • 2 pinch black salt
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp oil


Preparation - Wash and cook the sweet potato in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles.

Keep aside till steam escapes. Drain excess water, remove and peel the sweet potato .Transfer it to a mixing bowl.

Add all the remaining ingredients except for oil. Mash together. Divide into 10-12 equal portions and give desired shape (disc, oblong, heart or diamond). (Roll the cutlets over some oats spread out on a flat plate for a better presentation)

Cooking - Heat a non-stick frying pan. Grease with 1/2 tsp oil.

Place the cutlets and fry them on a low flame till small brown spots appear. Flip over and repet for the other side as well.

Remove from pan and serve hot with lemon wedges and sauce/chutney.



















Note - Do remember to leave any suggestions regarding an air fryer if you have used one .

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Spicy Sweet Potatoes (Chatpati Shakarkandi)

An easy and spicy curry made with sweet potatoes, this one goes well with Kuttu (buckwheat) parathas/puris or Rajgira ( Amaranthus ) parathas/puris. Spiced generously with chili and peppers, and dry mango powder providing the necessary tang, this one is a sure winner.

Read on for the recipe -







Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

  • 2 sweet potatoes (or 2 cups boiled, peeled & cubed )
  • 1-2 green chili
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 pinch asafoetida
  • 1/3 tsp chili powder
  • 2 pinch pepper powder
  • 1/2 tsp amchur/dry mango powder
  • black salt/rock salt/sendha namak
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1 tsp ghee/clarified butter

Preparation - Cut the sweet potato into 3 inch long pieces. Put in a pressure cooker with 1 cup water and cook for 2-3 whistles. Keep aside till steam escapes.

Peel them and cut into smaller discs.

Cooking - Heat the oil and ghee in a wok.

Add the green chili and cumin seeds. Once the spluttering stops, add the sweet potato and fry for 1-2 mins.

Add all the spice powders and salt. Sprinkle a bit of water. Fry them till the spices form a layer around the potato pieces.

Serve hot with Kuttu/Rajgire paratha/puris.


Monday, September 29, 2014

Sweet Potato Chips

Another easy Navratri recipe with sweet potatoes (Shakarkandi) !! Comes handy when entertaining guests/friends over those nine days of fasting.





















Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -


  • 1 Sweet potato 
  • freshly crushed pepper or pepper powder
  • rock salt as per taste
  • oil for deep frying (rice bran/sunflower/olive)

Preparation - Peel the sweet potato and make thin slices (thinner the better). 

Cooking - Heat oil in wok. Add the sweet potato slices a few at a time. Fry on both sides till crisp.

Remove from wok and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil Sprinkle the rock salt and pepper on the hot chips and toss to coat them. Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container once cooled.



Note - One can also use table salt instead of rock salt.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Shakarkandi Chaat (Navratri Special)

Shakarkandi Chaat is a famous Delhi street food that it very common during the winters. While I have never seen it in any of the cities that I have lived in, I came to know about it from a neighbor of mine. We happened to be discussing pregnancy cravings and she mentioned that she had lost all her appetite during those nine months. "Lucky you", all the ladies chipped in. A very natural reaction (and laced with some envy too) for all those who had experienced such cravings and were still in the process of losing all those pounds gained as a result of gorging on sweets and other high calorie stuff. Coming back to my neighbour, as she continued to share her stories about how people around her would try and get her to eat, one particular recipe caught my attention. The description of a yummy sweet potato and fruit chaat prepared by her grandmother-in-law almost reduced my mouth into a pool of saliva. This was something I had to try at least once.

I made a small change in her recipe by omitting the fruit. And it turned out to be just yummylicious. Read on for this simple 'phalahari' chaat which is very apt for the Navratri -






Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

2 cups boiled/baked, peeled & cubed sweet potato
1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp lemon juice
rock salt as desired

Preparation - Take all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Toss well.

Serve immediately.


Note - One can also add sliced bananas, pomegranate, nylon sev, amchur/chaat masala, coriander leaves, green chilis, etc to spice it up further.


Monday, August 4, 2014

Shakarkand ka halwa (sweet potato halwa)

Shakarkand or sweet potato is a rich source of fiber with almost twice as much fiber as compared to other potato varieties. Thus they are digested slowly and do not spike sugar levels as is the popular belief. Also they are rich in Beta-carotene, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. They are also loaded with manganese. All there nutrients make it good for the heart/arteries, regulating sugar levels and ofcourse a low-cost 'beauty food'. Yup, it is the combination of Beta-carotene, Vitamins C and E which go into the making of the beauty capsules for hair, skin and nails.

I like to have boiled sweet potato as an evening snack at times or even make it into a sweet-sour gravy. But very recently that I go to know that it can be made into a delicious halwa. This is Tarla Dalal's recipe which I have followed with some minor changes. This halwa is also consumed on fasting days especially during the ongoing Shravan month.







Preparation time - 20 mins ( including 10 mins standby )

Ingredients -


  • 1 medium sized sweet potato
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp ghee
  • 2-3 tsp chopped dry fruits ( almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts )
  • a pinch of saffron
  • 3 tsp sugar ( or to taste...I prefer less )


Preparation -  Wash and clean the sweet potato. Boil in a pressure cooker ( with 1 cup water )for 3-4 whistles . Keep aside till steam escapes. Peel and grate it.

Cooking - Heat the ghee in a wok. Add the nuts and fry for a minute. Remove and keep aside.
Add the grated sweet potato and fry till it is a little brown.

Add the milk, saffron and sugar at this stage. Mix till the milk is absorbed and it forms a creamy mixture. It should start leaving the sides of the wok once it is done. Finally add the nuts and remove from flame.

Garnish with a few strands of saffron and nuts. Serve hot or cold ( both taste good ).



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