Sweet Potatoes in a Spicy Tomato Gravy

How do you deal with events that are beyond your control? Especially when you live far away from close family. Dealing with unexpected life events requires a certain acceptance of fate and what it hands to you. 2017 has already been a tough year, hopefully the later part of the year will turn out to be better.

Events this year has taught me not to postpone meeting people be it visiting or at the least calling. It might sound old fashioned in this age of texting and snap chatting but most of you know what I mean. And moreover nothing like doing it today. I got retaught not to take things for granted and being aware and cognizant of people's generosity. Keeping these things in mind all the time is hard. Anyway...

Being glued to the idiot box is something I do a lot though I tell my children that it will make them more idiotic. But advice is to give but not to take right? TV is just made for those nights when jet lag makes sleep impossible when everybody else is sound asleep, add to that a mind that is not at ease with 1000 things swirling around. For just those days thanks to whoever came up with 24 hour TV.

It was during one of those mind numbing TV watching days that I stumbled on to this recipe. The name of this recipe is what caught my attention "Silakadi Thamba Kari". I don't remember if the lady who demonstrated the recipe telling why such a name.

Sweet Potatoes seem to be all the craze even in India. Filled with vitamins and also extremely tasty what is not to like? If you live in the US look for Japanese Sweet Potatoes or the Jersey White Sweet Potatoes to make this recipe. Both of these have a white flesh and is much firmer than the orange sweet potatoes that you normally see in most grocery stores. If you are using the orange fleshed yams just be careful not to overcook it.

I used Jersey White Sweet Potatoes which works perfect in this recipe. The gravy works well with either chapathis or rice.



Recipe in pictures,

Wash and peel the sweet potatoes. Make 1 1/2 inch dice and put them in a bowl of water to prevent discoloration.
Heat a wide mouthed pan and heat the oil. Add in the seasonings and when the mustard starts to pop add in the onions and green chilies. Add in the spice powders - turmeric, coriander and chili powders.
Add in the tomatoes and let cook till the tomatoes become mushy. Add salt.
Add in the sweet potatoes and mix it into the gravy. Cook for about 10 -12 minutes or till the sweet potatoes are tender. Do not overcook.

Sweet Potatoes in Spicy Tomato Gravy
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients

1. 4-5 medium sweet potatoes peeled and diced into 1 1/2 inch dices.
2. 1/2 red onion finely chopped or 1/2 cup of diced shallots
3. 5-6 green chilies slit
4. 1 cup of finely diced tomatoes
5. 2 tsp of turmeric powder
6. 2 tsp coriander powder
7. 2 tsp chili powder
8. salt to taste
9. seasonings: mustard, cumin and curry leaves
10. 2 tsp of oil

Method

1. Clean and peel the sweet potatoes and make about 1 1/2 inch dice. Place them in a bowl of water till ready to use. They tend to turn black otherwise.
2. In a wide mouthed pan heat oil and when hot add the cumin and mustard seeds. When the mustard starts to pop add the curry leaves.
3. Add the onions and green chilies and saute till the onions turn translucent. Add in the spice powders, turmeric, coriander and chili powders and give a good mix.
4. Add in the tomatoes and let it cook till it becomes mushy. Add salt and cook for a few more minutes.
5. Add in the diced sweet potatoes. Let it cook for about 10-12 minutes till they are soft. (see Note:) Turn off the heat.
6. Note:Adjust the cooking time based on the sweet potatoes you are using. Some cook quicker than the others.

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Garlic Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Around this time of the year sweet potatoes are very popular and making pies with them seems to be the recipe of choice, which calls for adding about a cup of sugar. Won't this smother the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes? That is my opinion and pumpkin and sweet potato pies are not my thing anyway.

That reminds me of the Diabetes supplement that came along with the Washington Post. It had some sobering information that the number of people with diabetes has gone through the roof compared to the 50s especially Type 2 among young people. Type 2 diabetes among the young population has a lot to do with diet. Our sweet tooth combined with the stealth inclusion of sugar by food manufacturers, the per capita sugar consumption keeps going up. Doctors say that added sugar in the form of fructose is far worse than sucrose which comes from sugar beets or sugar cane. As expected the Corn Refiners Association says that it is unfair to single out one particular ingredient. So while each association argues for its own product consumers are the ones who suffer.

Though many of us know that added sugar in beverages such as soda, sports drinks and energy drinks and they are bad, there are other foods like pasta sauce, salad dressing and yogurt which have the reputation of being healthy but unfortunately are all stealth carriers of sugar and perhaps more harmful. The daily sugar limit for women is about 6 tsp and for men it is about 9 tsp (1 tsp = 4 grams) which can be had from a single serving cup of yogurt which I shockingly discovered. For more information read this article “Targeting Americans' sweet tooth” .

Sugar has no starring role in today's recipe but the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes is amplified when they are roasted and they taste much better than any sugar be it sucrose or fructose. Moreover sweet potatoes when compared to regular potatoes are considered to be better though it does not bear out by the nutrition profile. The big problem is how potatoes are usually cooked - french fries, deep fried, baked but smothered with sour cream and other cheesy topping which is usually the problem.

Because sweet potatoes are sweet, I am guessing they are eaten boiled or roasted which is perhaps why it is considered more healthier.

I make these Sweet Potato fries often which are very tasty but these roasted potatoes in some ways are easier and with the added garlic are also just as tasty.

Jersey Sweet Potatoes, with skin peeled.
Heat water in a pot and boil the potatoes till they are partially cooked. Take care not not to overcook them.
Add the oil and spices to the cooked potatoes .
Toss the potatoes in the oil and spice and spread in a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in a 350F preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Broil for 4-5 minutes to brown the potatoes on the top.

To make roasted sweet potatoes be it fries or cubed I prefer the white fleshed sweet potatoes which are called Jersey White Sweet Potatoes. In texture they are very similar to the Indian sweet potato. They take a bit longer to cook than the orange fleshed sweet potato and does not get mushy that quickly.

Garlic Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Preparation Time:15 minutes
Cooking Time:45 minutes
Ingredients

1. 3 medium sized sweet potatoes (I used Jersey Sweet Potatoes
2. 2 tbsp of basting oil (or olive oil)
3. 4 garlic cloves minced fine
4. 1/2 tbsp red chili powder
5. salt to taste

Method

1. Peel the sweet potatoes and dice them into bite sized pieces. (see Note:)
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
3. Cook the diced sweet potatoes in boiling water for 3-5 minutes that is if you are using a sweet potato that takes longer to cook. They should be only partially cooked. Take care not to overcook them. If using the quick cooking orange fleshed sweet potato do not boil them.
4. Toss the sweet potatoes in the oil, minced garlic, chili powder and salt.
5. Spread the tossed sweet potatoes in a single layer on a baking sweet and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes till they start to brown. If required broil them for another 5 minutes.
6. Note:After the potatoes have been peeled, they tend to discolor quickly, so keep them submerged in water.
7. The basting oil I used had herb in them so feel free to add any chopped herbs of your preference.

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Quick and Easy Snack - Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Evenings are kind of stressful with two kids back from school hungry and the two adults back from work hungry. Nobody thinks straight with all that hunger running around. One adult is especially stressed with the need to put dinner out in a few hours and has no time for elaborate snacks. Anyway to tide over the few hours till dinner time it is better for everyone's sanity if something is put into the respective stomachs without too much hard work.

It is times like those that sweet potatoes are a life saver. They cook pretty quickly. Although they can be eaten just boiled nobody prefers them that way. I can understand because I don't much care for mushy (or not) boiled sweet potatoes either. Once they see the toaster oven for a few minutes the very same sweet potatoes become a sought after snack.

The other interesting thing I am noticing is a lot of people eating sweet potatoes with their protein instead of rice or pasta or whatever. I know sweet potatoes are kind of fad these days.

I prefer the white fleshed and purple skinned sweet potatoes over the orange fleshed and brown skinned sweet potatoes. Both work well for these fries. The white ones take a bit longer to cook than the orange ones. Toaster oven is what works best for this. The big oven takes longer to preheat and it is not worth it methinks for the small quantity.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients

1. 1 or 2 sweet potatoes peeled and cut in half
2. salt
3. chilli powder or any seasoning preferred
4. 1-2 tsp oil

Method

1. Boil the sweet potatoes till it is half cooked (do not cook it fully)
2. Cool and cut into thin strips.
3. Toss it with salt, chili powder and the oil.
4. Spread it on a baking tray in a single layer and broil (using toaster oven) for 8 minutes on one side, flip and broil for another 8 minutes.
5. If there are more than can hold do it in batches.

Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Curry

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was discussing Thanksgiving with a co-worker yesterday. She had purchased a 14 lb turkey and was looking forward to cooking it with family visiting her. She asked me what I was going to cook. She gave a laugh when I mentioned I might cook some goat biryani, thought I was joking but she quickly realized I was serious. The first Thanksgiving had deer on the menu so goat maybe not that far off don't you think?

.

Squash with white sweet potato

Cooking a whole turkey is a whole day job so unless I was real serious turkey is way too much. The dark meat turkey biryani maybe but a whole turkey? No!.

We also got around to discussing sides. I try to have sweet potato, green beans, cranberry for a thanksgiving dinner but with an Indian twist of course.

When I saw this pumpkin recipe on Veggie Belly I knew I was going to give it a try. I made it with butternut squash and sweet potato. I also tried it with acorn squash and pie pumpkin but was not too crazy about it because both tend to be stringy. The sweet creamy butternut squash or sweet potato is what suits this recipe best.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Curry
Ingredients

1. 1/2 butternut squash about 2 cups diced
2. 2 Sweet potatoes (use the orange or white) diced
3. 1/4 cup of diced onions
4. 2 tbsp curry powder any brand - I used homemade Kuzhambu thool
5. 1/2 tsp of red chili powder - optional as per heat requirement
6. 2 tbsp of fresh coconut grated or 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
7. salt to taste
8. seasonings: mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves
9. 1 tsp oil
10. 1 tsp turmeric powder

Method

1. Heat oil in a wide mouthed pan and add the seasoning. When the mustard starts to pop add the onions and saute till they are soft.
3. Add the cubed squash and sweet potato and the curry powder, turmeric powder and mix well. Add about 1 cup of water and let it cook till the squash is almost cooked. Takes about 8-10 minutes. Do not overcook. Add salt.
4. If using fresh coconut make a paste and add it to curry. Let boil for another 5-6 minutes.

Serve with chapathis or rice.

Sweet Potato Paratha

I am not all that fond of Indian cities. The crowds, traffic, pollution, heat all besides adding to the annoyance makes me want to run away to my ancestral village. Here in the US, it is the suburbs that get to me. The lack of people, the cemetery like quietness all make it seem like human beings were sucked out and the shells of their dwelling were left behind, even though the truth is there are a lot of people who live in suburbia. It is absolutely impossible to tell the unique character of a place but for the sameness that seems to permeate suburbia all over this country.

In contrast the US cities are the ones brimming with character and quirks. These are the qualities that make you want to go back to the city again and again or not. I have professed my love for DC. There is a lot to like about DC and I won't go there today.

The other city I keep falling in love over and over is New York city. Who doesn't you say? The crowds which seem to forget that niceties like letting someone pass, the honking cars, the exotic tongues all add to the charm. There is something happening all the time but of course the city never sleeps so no surprises there.

Christmas in New York was crowded, noisy and did I say crowded? Usually we stay with friends in New Jersey and drive through the city which is not the same as exploring by walking. This time we took a bus from DC to NY and stayed in the city. This meant we had to do a lot of walking and the cold and wind made it a bit difficult but walking we did. We were in the heart of Broadway after all so did catch a theater performance as well.

It took all of 10 minutes to realize that everyone keeps walking and fast so stepping aside to let someone pass is normally not done. Among all the walking the street carts provided the fastest and easiest way to get food. My favorite among the small eateries was Maoz Vegetarian Falafel sandwiches a chain. The falafels were crispy and flavorful. I also sampled falafel from the cart vendors, so I had something to compare against and I paid almost the same price for both but thought the Maoz was way better.

The contradictions the first and second paragraphs can be explained thus. It is probably the dullness of life in suburbia that makes me appreciate cities here in the US perhaps. Whereas in India the chaos of every day in the city makes for appreciating village life. Grass is greener on the other side always.

What is your favorite city?


Now on to the recipe,

It is not actually a recipe but a suggestion. Sweet potatoes parathas like sweet potato fries should be the new find. The super soft slightly sweet parathas were a kids delight as well. What brought the recipe about were some overcooked mushy sweet potatoes. To eat boiled sweet potatoes they have to be cooked just so when overcooked they taste just about inedible. Not to despair, just set them aside to be used in making parathas.

I did not add any other spices to it but a tiny bit of chili powder and grated ginger would be nice too.

Sweet potato parathas
Ingredients
1. 2 sweet potatoes
2. 2 - 2 1/2 cups of wheat flour (atta)
3. a pinch of salt
4. 1 tsp chili powder (optional)
5. 1/4 tsp of cumin powder (optional)
6. 1 tsp of grated fresh ginger (optional)

Method
1. Peel and mash the sweet potatoes till smooth.
2. Add the wheat flour and salt (and the spices if doing so) and mix to form a smooth dough.
3. Let it sit for 30 minutes (this is a must).
4. Now make small lime sized balls and roll it evenly into a 4-6 inches in diameter.
5. Heat a tawa and cook the paratha first on one side and when it starts to get brown spots flip and cook on the other side.

Serve with pickles or just by itself.