Romy's Shakarkandi or Sweet Potato Chaat

Extracted from Romy Gill’s India, by Romy Gill (Quadrille $42 ). Photography by Sam Harris & Poras Chaudhary

We always ate this shakarkandi chaat when we went to Punjab during our holidays, as the vendors only sell it at certain times of the year. This is a spicy, sweet and tangy recipe which can be eaten at any time of day. The sweet potatoes that we get in India have a slightly different texture and colour, but they taste very similar when cooked this way.

Ingredients

100 g (31/2 oz) sweet potatoes
1 tsp ground black salt (kala namak)
1 tsp Chaat Masala
1 tsp toasted ground Jodhana Cumin
4–5 tsp imli ki chutney (tamarind chutney)
juice of 1 lime
chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) or mint, to serve

Methods

Boil the sweet potatoes in their skins until soft, then remove from the pan and set aside until cool enough to handle safely. Once cool, peel the sweet potatoes and dice them into bite-size cubes.
Whisk together all the remaining ingredients along with 50 ml (13/4 fl oz/3 tbsp) water in a bowl and drizzle over the cooked sweet potatoes. Toss the potatoes in the dressing so they are evenly coated and serve with chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) or mint scattered over the top.