Everyone Is Rooting for Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes may not be part of daily meals, but they may help you add more healthy years to your life. Small wonders, everybody is ‘rooting’ for them, including celebrities and chefs, who are reinventing sweet potato recipes in several ‘a-pee-ling’ ways. These humble root vegetables are now in demand due to their taste, numerous health benefits and their versatile use in culinary applications. Sweet potatoes have been a part of chaat and fasting dishes in India. Sweet potatoes can be either yellow or purple. Both variants can be prepared in numerous ways.

Rooted In Tradition

Sweet Potatoes are eaten all over India in various forms and preparations. In North India, they are roasted in winter, tossed with lemon and chaat masala. “In Maharashtra and Gujarat, sweet potato is boiled or roasted and eaten during the fast. In South India, it is used in poriyals, curries, or steamed and tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves. In Bengal and Odisha, sweet potato is roasted or added to vegetable preparations and snacks,” says Chef Ashish Singh, COO and Culinary Director, Café Delhi Heights.

Global Appeal

The starchy sweet potatoes are popular in global cuisine, too. “In Japan, they are roasted to make the street snack Yaki-imo. In Korea, they are fried to make Goguma Mattang (caramelised cubes) and also Korean glass noodle Japchae (made from its starch). While in America, it is boiled/mashed for the Sweet Potato Pie,” says Chef Ishita Shah, Sous Chef at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai.

Sweet potatoes have made their way up from street food to café menus. Chef Ashish Singh says, “Sweet potato has evolved from a street-side snack to a restaurant and cafe ingredient because of its versatility.” Also, its complex carbohydrates fit well with modern preferences for wholesome, plant-based foods. Chefs now use it in refined forms, roasted, fried, puréed, or plated in salads, elevating its perception while retaining its comforting, earthy appeal.

Beyond The Mash

Sweet potatoes lend themselves to both indulgent desserts and savoury creations. Their sweetness and creamy texture make them a chef’s delight. “From comforting soups to crisp tikis, salads, stuffed parathas, and healthy pizza bases, sweet potatoes shine in every form,” says Chef Anshul Dhyani, ITC Grand Central, Mumbai.

Sweet potatoes vary by colour (orange, white, purple) and starchiness. “In India, the purple-skinned, white-fleshed variety is common. Their low glycemic index makes them a "superfood”. From vibrant purple sweet potato lattes to savoury sweet potato gnocchi, they offer a gluten-free alternative that satisfies both health-conscious and gourmet palettes, adds Ishita.

Nutritional benefits

Sweet potatoes are gluten-free and a nourishing addition to the daily meal. Aditi Prasad Apte, Senior Clinical Nutritionist, Aster RV Hospital, says, “Sweet Potatoes are a source of carbohydrates that release sugar slowly into the bloodstream. These carbohydrates maintain energy levels and prevent sudden sugar spikes when consumed in the right amount. Sweet potatoes contain fibre, Vitamin C and beta-carotene, and increase immunity and benefit the skin. Sweet potatoes have potassium, which enables the regulation of blood pressure, and keeps both muscles and nerves healthy.”

The best way to eat them is by boiling, steaming, roasting or baking with little oil. “Eat in moderation; one medium sweet potato at a time is enough. Resistance starch increases when sweet potatoes are cooked and eaten cold. It becomes complex to digest, making it a good weight loss snack,” States Aditi.

Health Staples

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

(Exe Chef Anshul Dhyani, ITC Grand Central, Mumbai)

Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes – 500 g, peeled and diced

• Butter – 20 g

• Olive oil – 1 tbsp

• Onion – 1 chopped

• Garlic – 3 cloves

• Vegetable stock – 750 ml

• Fresh cream – 100 ml

• Salt

• White pepper

• Nutmeg – a pinch

• Fresh parsley – for garnish

Method

1. Heat butter and olive oil, and sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic

and sweet potatoes, and sauté for 2 minutes.

2. Pour in vegetable stock, boil, and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender. Blend them in a mixer.

3. Return to heat, add cream, salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Garnish with parsley and cream.

Healthy Bites

Creative ways to add sweet potato to one’s diet: (Chef Anshul Dhyani, ITC Grand Central Mumbai)

• Sweet Potato Smoothie Bowl: Roasted sweet potato blended with banana and dates.

• Sweet Potato Chaat: Tossed with citrus, chaat masala, herbs and seeds.

• Sweet Potato Gnocchi or Dumplings: Soft, pillowy bites.

• Sweet Potato Flatbread or Wrap: mashed into dough for a fibre-rich, sweet base for wraps and rolls.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

(Ishita Shah, Sous Chef at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai)

Ingredients

Gnocchi

• 1 large sweet potato

• 1 cup flour

• 1 egg

• Pinch of salt.

Sauce

• 2 tbsp butter

• ¼ cup passion fruit pulp

• 2 tbsp vegetable broth.

Garnish

• 6 sage leaves.

• Salt and pepper

• 1 cup Parmesan

Method

1. Roast sweet potato, peel and mash it, mix it with egg, salt, and flour. Knead into a soft dough.

2. Roll dough into logs, cut into nuggets, and boil until they float.

3. Fry sage leaves in butter and remove them. In the butter, add passion fruit and broth and simmer. Add boiled gnocchi to the sauce, coat well, and top with crispy sage.

Earth Salad

(Chef Ashish Singh, COO and Culinary Director, Café Delhi Heights)

Ingredients

• Sweet Potato – 80 g

• Kassava – 100 g

• Raw Banana – 200 g

• Salt – 2 g

• Black Pepper – 1 g

• Lettuce – 60 g

• Mix Micro Greens – 0.5 g

• Basil Leaves – 5 g

• Orange (fresh slice) – 25 g

• Edible Flowers – 0.5 g

• Goat Cheese – 25 g

• Cream Cheese – 20 g

• Walnut – 15 g

• Prunes – 20 g

• Dressing

• Cooking Cream – 20 ml

• Cream cheese-50 g

• Salt

• Black Pepper

Method

1. Peel sweet potato, kassava, and raw banana.

Cut and fry in an air fryer. Toss with salt and black pepper.

2. Wash and dry lettuce and microgreens. Tear lettuce into pieces. Mix in cream cheese dressing, salt and pepper.

3. Balsamic Reduction: Reduce the balsamic vinegar on a low flame until syrupy.

4. Arrange lettuce on the plate. Place sweet potato, cassava, and banana. Keep basil dust-coated goat cheese balls over the salad and a prune quenelle topped with a walnut.

5. Garnish with microgreens, edible flowers, and an orange slice. Drizzle balsamic reduction.

Sweet Potato Eaters

• Tamannaah Bhatia has shared on social media a sweet potato chaat recipe with curd and mint chutney as a healthy snack.

• Janhvi Kapoor likes to eat a ragi sweet potato paratha as a nutritious option.

• Glen Powell likes sandwiches of air-fried sweet potato slices instead of bread, filled with kale, avocado, and a fried egg.

• Coco Gauff loves sweet potatoes as they give her carbs, and she stated in an interview that she eats them with sugar, butter or cinnamon.