Sweet Potato Chaat

Growing up in Delhi, winter brought with it the famous shakarkandi (sweet potato) chaat. You would see people setting up their carts in markets, outside parks, near colleges all selling this lovely little snack.

This is my version of the classic. I’ve made it a wee bit more to suit my palate and so it’s not the simple childhood treat that you might remember.

Traditionally, the chaat is made with boiled sweet potato, lemon juice and salt. Easy peasy! To me, however, this has always been a tad bit too sweet and so not something I would automatically gravitate towards.

I got these ginormous sweet potatoes from Farmizen, the local veggie subscription service I use. They send across fresh, organic produce every week and it’s the best quality!

Just look at the size of that thing!

I scrubbed it clean, cut it into eighths and then boiled it till was cooked through. It should be soft enough for a fork to go through. Once drained and cooled, it becomes super easy to peel and cut into smaller pieces. I then roast the boiled sweet potato on a hot pan. This gives a little crunch and colour to the potato. You don’t need to brown them, just get one side slightly brown. Makes a whole world of difference!

After this, you just need to toss it with some basic spices, lemon juice and fresh coriander. Done! That simple!

This chaat is such a beautiful medley of flavours and textures – sweet, salty, spicy, tangy while being soft and crispy at the same time. The brain doesn’t know how to process this goodness!

I really think you should try this soon. It is delicious, healthy and different from usual chaats. A great thing to add to your evening snack menu, I say!