Sep 24, 2020 Roasted sweet potatoes are tossed with crunchy peanuts, chutneys and crispy papdi. It’s so flavorful and also very easy to make!
Sweet potatoes are my favorite and I love that here in the US, they are always so readily available. I don’t really have to wait for a particular season for me to enjoy them. I pick a bunch of sweet potatoes every now and then from the grocery stores. Sometimes, I make tikkis with it, sometimes I just enjoy it plain roasted with cinnamon and honey. But my most favorite way to enjoy these is definitely Sweet Potato Chaat. Well, everything that has the word “chaat” in it is my favorite and so this is no exception. I roasted the sweet potatoes in oven and then drizzle them with so many yummy and flavorful things. In India, shakarkandi ki chaat aka sweet potato chaat is extremely common on roadside during winters. The sweet potatoes are cooked directly on coal and then cut unto cubes, sprinkled with spices and served with squeeze of lemon juice. I used to love eating it back home. Here, I like using my oven to cook the sweet potatoes, love the flavor of oven roasted sweet potatoes. If you have the chutneys ready, then this chaat is a breeze to put together.
This Sweet Potato Chaat
✔is a great way to enjoy the in season sweet potatoes. ✔is vegan and also gluten-free. ✔makes a great snack or lunch! ✔has a nice balance of crunchy, spicy and sweet flavors. So, what exactly is a chaat? Anything spicy and sold often on roadside carts is referred to as chaat in India. It”s spicy, tangy, has chutneys, yogurt and spices! Like this aloo tikki. Sweet potato chaat is a chaat made with sweet potatoes. It’s spiced and so good!
Ingredients For The Chaat
You may add more or less ingredients to this chaat depending on your preference. The sweet potatoes, spices and the chutneys are a must, rest of the ingredients can be added or removed as per liking. Sweet potatoes: I have used 4 large sweet potatoes here, which were little over 1 kg in weight. The sweet potatoes that I used had orange flesh. You can use other varieties of sweet potatoes too. I oven roasted the sweet potatoes, you may also steam them or boil them. Just make sure that the cubes are firm once cooked. You don’t want to over-cook them. Peanuts: for the crunch I added some roasted peanuts. I used raw peanuts which I roasted in a pan lightly and then added them with the roasted sweet potatoes. You can use cashews too, I just prefer peanuts here. If you are allergic to nuts, simply skip them. Papdi: again for crunch and flavor, I love adding some papdi to the chaat. For those who don’t know, these are deep fried crackers made with flour and are super crispy and a part of several popular chaat items like dahi papdi, papdi chaat etc. Chutneys: For this chaat, I have used 2 types of chutneys- cilantro chutney and the sweet tamarind chutney. You can add more or less of each depending how how you like your chaat. Some people do not like sweet flavor in their chaat at all, so in that case skip on the sweet chutney. And likewise if you prefer sweet flavors, add more of the sweet chutney and less of the cilantro chutney to your chaat. Chaat masala: this spice is what gives the chaat that tangy flavor. I add some to the sweet potatoes whole roasting them and also also sprinkle lots of it over the chaat. You cannot skip on this! Pomegranate: not only adds color but also flavor and crunch to the chaat. I like to add lots of pomegranate arils to my chaat. Garnishes: to garnish the chaat, I like to use sev (thin fried noodles made with gram flour), cilantro and some more of the cilantro chutney. They add a pop of color to chaat and makes it look inviting! Lime juice: a good chaat is incomplete without a good squeeze of tangy lime juice. You may also use lemon juice in place. Optional additions: in addition to what I shared, you can also add chopped onions to the chaat. Also boiled chickpeas or kala chana (black chickpeas) to add more protein to the chaat and make it more wholesome.
Serving Suggestions
Place this chaat in serving bowls and then garnish with pomegranate arils, cilantro and more chutney and serve straight away. Here’s another way to enjoy this chaat- pour lots of yogurt on top (I love eating it this way too), then drizzle more chutney on top of yogurt, sprinkle with chaat masala and serve. It’s so good either way!
Method
Pre-heat oven to 425 F degrees. 1- Peel and then dice the sweet potatoes into cubes (around 1-inch cubes). Transfer the diced sweet potatoes to a bowl and then add oil. 2- Add the 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala and 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix using your hands until all the cubes are well coated with the oil and the spices. 3- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast at 425 F degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender but yet retain their shape. Do not over-cook these. 4- While the sweet potatoes are in the oven, place the peanuts in a pan on medium heat. Roast for around 4 to 5 minutes stirring often until lightly roasted (careful not to burn them). Remove pan from heat.
5- Once done, transfer the roasted sweet potatoes to a large bowl. And then add the roasted peanuts to it. Also crush 8-10 papdi and add that to the bowl along with 2 tablespoons of pomegranate arils. 6- Then add the the cilantro chutney. 7- Followed by sweet tamarind chutney. Mix everything together. 8- Finally squeeze in juice of 1 lime.
Transfer the sweet potato chaat into serving bowl, sprinkle lots of chaat masala on top and then top with cilantro, sev, more pomegranate arils and drizzle some more cilantro chutney and serve!
If you’ve tried this Sweet Potato Chaat Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen! This post has been updated from the recipe archives, first published in November 2014.
title: “Sweet Potato Chaat " ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-05” author: “Willie Ortiz”
Sep 24, 2020 Roasted sweet potatoes are tossed with crunchy peanuts, chutneys and crispy papdi. It’s so flavorful and also very easy to make!
Sweet potatoes are my favorite and I love that here in the US, they are always so readily available. I don’t really have to wait for a particular season for me to enjoy them. I pick a bunch of sweet potatoes every now and then from the grocery stores. Sometimes, I make tikkis with it, sometimes I just enjoy it plain roasted with cinnamon and honey. But my most favorite way to enjoy these is definitely Sweet Potato Chaat. Well, everything that has the word “chaat” in it is my favorite and so this is no exception. I roasted the sweet potatoes in oven and then drizzle them with so many yummy and flavorful things. In India, shakarkandi ki chaat aka sweet potato chaat is extremely common on roadside during winters. The sweet potatoes are cooked directly on coal and then cut unto cubes, sprinkled with spices and served with squeeze of lemon juice. I used to love eating it back home. Here, I like using my oven to cook the sweet potatoes, love the flavor of oven roasted sweet potatoes. If you have the chutneys ready, then this chaat is a breeze to put together.
This Sweet Potato Chaat
✔is a great way to enjoy the in season sweet potatoes. ✔is vegan and also gluten-free. ✔makes a great snack or lunch! ✔has a nice balance of crunchy, spicy and sweet flavors. So, what exactly is a chaat? Anything spicy and sold often on roadside carts is referred to as chaat in India. It”s spicy, tangy, has chutneys, yogurt and spices! Like this aloo tikki. Sweet potato chaat is a chaat made with sweet potatoes. It’s spiced and so good!
Ingredients For The Chaat
You may add more or less ingredients to this chaat depending on your preference. The sweet potatoes, spices and the chutneys are a must, rest of the ingredients can be added or removed as per liking. Sweet potatoes: I have used 4 large sweet potatoes here, which were little over 1 kg in weight. The sweet potatoes that I used had orange flesh. You can use other varieties of sweet potatoes too. I oven roasted the sweet potatoes, you may also steam them or boil them. Just make sure that the cubes are firm once cooked. You don’t want to over-cook them. Peanuts: for the crunch I added some roasted peanuts. I used raw peanuts which I roasted in a pan lightly and then added them with the roasted sweet potatoes. You can use cashews too, I just prefer peanuts here. If you are allergic to nuts, simply skip them. Papdi: again for crunch and flavor, I love adding some papdi to the chaat. For those who don’t know, these are deep fried crackers made with flour and are super crispy and a part of several popular chaat items like dahi papdi, papdi chaat etc. Chutneys: For this chaat, I have used 2 types of chutneys- cilantro chutney and the sweet tamarind chutney. You can add more or less of each depending how how you like your chaat. Some people do not like sweet flavor in their chaat at all, so in that case skip on the sweet chutney. And likewise if you prefer sweet flavors, add more of the sweet chutney and less of the cilantro chutney to your chaat. Chaat masala: this spice is what gives the chaat that tangy flavor. I add some to the sweet potatoes whole roasting them and also also sprinkle lots of it over the chaat. You cannot skip on this! Pomegranate: not only adds color but also flavor and crunch to the chaat. I like to add lots of pomegranate arils to my chaat. Garnishes: to garnish the chaat, I like to use sev (thin fried noodles made with gram flour), cilantro and some more of the cilantro chutney. They add a pop of color to chaat and makes it look inviting! Lime juice: a good chaat is incomplete without a good squeeze of tangy lime juice. You may also use lemon juice in place. Optional additions: in addition to what I shared, you can also add chopped onions to the chaat. Also boiled chickpeas or kala chana (black chickpeas) to add more protein to the chaat and make it more wholesome.
Serving Suggestions
Place this chaat in serving bowls and then garnish with pomegranate arils, cilantro and more chutney and serve straight away. Here’s another way to enjoy this chaat- pour lots of yogurt on top (I love eating it this way too), then drizzle more chutney on top of yogurt, sprinkle with chaat masala and serve. It’s so good either way!
Method
Pre-heat oven to 425 F degrees. 1- Peel and then dice the sweet potatoes into cubes (around 1-inch cubes). Transfer the diced sweet potatoes to a bowl and then add oil. 2- Add the 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala and 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix using your hands until all the cubes are well coated with the oil and the spices. 3- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast at 425 F degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender but yet retain their shape. Do not over-cook these. 4- While the sweet potatoes are in the oven, place the peanuts in a pan on medium heat. Roast for around 4 to 5 minutes stirring often until lightly roasted (careful not to burn them). Remove pan from heat.
5- Once done, transfer the roasted sweet potatoes to a large bowl. And then add the roasted peanuts to it. Also crush 8-10 papdi and add that to the bowl along with 2 tablespoons of pomegranate arils. 6- Then add the the cilantro chutney. 7- Followed by sweet tamarind chutney. Mix everything together. 8- Finally squeeze in juice of 1 lime.
Transfer the sweet potato chaat into serving bowl, sprinkle lots of chaat masala on top and then top with cilantro, sev, more pomegranate arils and drizzle some more cilantro chutney and serve!
If you’ve tried this Sweet Potato Chaat Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen! This post has been updated from the recipe archives, first published in November 2014.
