Sweet And Tangy Sweet Potato Chaat Recipe
If you like food that is packed full of punchy flavors and depth, then chances are you are a big fan of Indian cuisine. Indian dishes often combine an abundance of fresh, bright, and colorful ingredients with rich, fragrant spices, so it's no wonder that the country's culinary culture has been such a successful and well-loved export. One famous subcategory of Indian foods is the popular south Asian street snack called chaat. Originally devised as a convenient snack to be eaten with your hands, the name chaat is said to come from the word "chaatna," which is a sort of Hindi-language equivalent to "finger licking good."
Chaat masala is a complex spice blend that employs dried mango powder as one of its main ingredients. This spice blend plays a key role in a number of traditional Indian dishes, such as pani puri and papri chaat, and is vital for creating a proper chaat. It's definitely one to add to the spice rack.
This recipe for sweet and tangy sweet potato chaat by Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye combines sweet potatoes with a variety of fragrant spices and chaat masala, along with a fresh and bright mint cilantro sauce, to create a fantastic vegetarian dish that can be served alongside other side dishes or enjoyed with a simple protein.
Gather the ingredients for this sweet potato chaat recipe
To make this sweet and tangy sweet potato chaat recipe, you'll need sweet potatoes, garlic, grated ginger, ground coriander, and ground turmeric. For the sauce, pick up some fresh mint, cilantro, lemon juice, natural yogurt, chili paste, and the all-important chaat masala. Finally, be sure to grab an onion, sliced tomato, pomegranate seeds, and sev. Sev is a popular Indian snack of chickpea noodles, and it makes the perfect finishing touch to this dish, adding crunch and a salty, spiced flavor.
Cook the sweet potatoes
This recipe for sweet potato chaat is a slight variation on another dish that is commonly made with potatoes: aloo chaat. The substitution of sweet potato is excellent for a number of reasons. First, their bright orange color makes for a visually striking dish. Nutritionally, they boast some pretty impressive credentials, too: Sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamins A, B6, and C, as well as copper and potassium. Lastly, they are quite simply delicious, with a sweet, caramelized flavor when roasted, which pairs perfectly with the mixture of spices in this recipe.
To prepare the potatoes, toss the wedges with cooking oil, garlic, ginger, coriander, and turmeric, then roast them in the oven until they are soft and starting to caramelize.
Make the mint and cilantro chutney
Indian dishes are known for their tasty toppings and condiments. This dish calls for a delicious sauce to add brightness and freshness, which will cut through the richly spiced, sweet, and tangy sweet potato chaat. To make the mint and cilantro chutney, combine the mint leaves with the fresh cilantro in a food processor, along with the grated ginger, lemon juice, natural yogurt, chili paste, and chaat masala. Turn the food processor on and blend everything together until a you have a lovely smooth sauce. Set this aside for serving, or, if you want to add a level of sophistication to your presentation, you can transfer the sauce to a bottle to be ready to drizzle over the sweet potatoes.
Add the finishing touches
Once the sweet potato wedges have finished roasting, take them out of the oven and add them to a bowl with the sliced onion, chopped tomato, more chaat masala, and lemon juice. Toss all the ingredients together and then serve the dish up hot and fresh. You can pour the mint and cilantro sauce over the dish or serve it on the side. Don't forget to top the chaat with pomegranate seeds for a burst of fresh sweet flavor, as well as sev for that savory, salty crunch. Additionally, you might want to add some plain yogurt for a little extra freshness and tang. Enjoy, but be warned: This sweet potato chaat masala is incredibly moreish! Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1 tablespoon + ½ teaspoon grated ginger or ginger purée, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- ½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons lemon juice, divided
- ¼ cup natural yogurt
- ½ teaspoon chili paste or chopped chili
- 2 teaspoons chaat masala, divided
- ½ onion, sliced
- 2 salad tomatoes, sliced
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
- 2 tablespoons sev
- Extra yogurt, for serving
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Add the sweet potato wedges, garlic, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, coriander, turmeric, salt, pepper, and cooking oil to a large bowl, tossing thoroughly coat the potato wedges.
- Transfer the sweet potato wedges onto a large baking sheet and roast for 40-45 minutes, until they are cooked through and beginning to caramelize.
- Meanwhile, make the mint and cilantro sauce. Add the mint and ¼ cup cilantro to a food processor with the remaining ½ teaspoon grated ginger, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, natural yogurt, chili paste, and ½ teaspoon chaat masala. Blend everything together until relatively smooth, then set aside.
- When the sweet potato wedges are cooked, remove them from the oven. Add them to a large bowl along with the sliced onion and chopped tomato, as well as the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons chaat masala, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and ¼ cup cilantro. Toss everything together and transfer to a serving plate or bowl.
- Top the sweet potato wedges with the mint and cilantro sauce, pomegranate seeds, and sev.