If your a Chaat addict than this is definitely one for you to try. We tried to simplify this recipe so that it makes a finished sauce which you can freeze or have prepped for when ever your craving some sweet potato chaat.
Growing up, my mum has always had a special way of cooking. She doesn’t measure, she doesn’t follow recipes, and she definitely doesn’t use a timer. She cooks with intuition – adding a little of this and a little of that, tasting as she goes. Somehow she always creates the most incredible favours.
The challenge is trying to write her recipes down! If I turn around for even a second, she would have added 5 more ingredients. When I ask “Mum, what did you put in and how much?” her response is usually “you know just a enough.” To her these things feel like common sense. But for those of us who want to recreate these dishes at home, that “just enough” can be a little difficult to follow.
One of the biggest reasons we started sharing these recipes is because of how many people have told my mum, “You need to open a restaurant,” or “You need to share your recipe.” Her food has always brought people together and I want to preserve those flavours while making them accessible for everyone.
So naturally we experimented a little with this Sweet Potato Chaat. Like many recipes that are shared from family kitchens, this one came with a few failed attempts – but those mistakes are often where the best tips come from.
What we tried differently:
BALANCING THE CHILLI:
The first time she made this chaat it tasted absolutly amazing and she had me hooked with the tangy flavours. But I found that she did her magic with a sprinkle here and sprinkle there of her spices which would be very hard to replicate when considering different ratios of potato’s, sauce and spices. So I challenged her to create the chaat sauce that was complete with the right ratio of spices.
In the initial recipe she put fresh chilli in the blender, but we found every time we trialled it the taste would vary depending on the strength of the chilli. There was one batch were the chilli was so overpowering that you just couldn’t taste any of the other flavours. So we took this our and used chilli powder for the recipe. If you like yours extra spicy then feel free to add half a green chilli to the blender.
TAMARIND PASTE VS HOMEMADE TAMARIND PUREE
The original recipe mum made she used home made tamarind puree which gives a depth of flavour, however this adds a unnecessary step which we replaced with AYAM tamarind puree. The taste was very similar and we were able to achieve the same flavour palette in the recipe by adjusting the water ratio. If your thinking about using tamarind slab, then just bring 1/4 cup of slab with 1/4 cup water to simmer on the gas until it resembles a puree. Strain the water and use 2 tbsp for this recipe.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BHUNA JEERA (roasted cumin seed powder)
I didn’t believe that using the right bhuna jeera would make a big difference, but on one of our attempts we used regular bhuna jeera and there was a noticeable flavour deficiency. – If you can use our Bhuna Jeera recipe.
CHOOSING YOUR SWEET POTATO
For this recipe I recommend red sweet potato with white flesh (these can have more of a purple skin sometimes). These are not as sweet and hold their shape better when boiled.
Making Sweet potato chaat for meal preps:
If you’re looking for a quick, lunch-friendly meal prep, then this is a winner.
I made 3 meal prep portions using approximately 500g of red sweet potato. It kept well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just warm them in the microwave for about 1 – 2 minutes. If they look a bit dry then add a splash of water before heating them up.
My favourite things about this recipe is that the chaat sauce can be made ahead and frozen. 1/4 cup of the sauce can be used for 200-250g of red sweet potato.
Because I love batch cooking, I always look for ways to make future meals easier. Cooking everything from scratch every single day sounds lovely in theory – buy realistically, life gets busy! So I would recommend making double this batch of chaat sauce and freezing it.
My favourite tick is freezing it into ice cubes. That way, when I’m ready to make this dish, I can simply pull out a couple of cubes, boil my potatoes, and I’ halfway there. Small steps like this make a big difference when you’re trying to feed a family, save time, and still enjoy homemade food.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. Every dish we share carries a little piece of our family – the flavours my mum has created over years of cooking, the lessons we’ve learnt through trial and error, and the joy that comes from sharing food with others.
I can’t wait to hear what you think! ❤️
Notes from our kitchen:
- Make extra chaat sauce and freeze it for easy future meals
- Use Bhuna Jeera for the best flavour
- Add fresh chilli if you like extra heat
Sweet Potato Chaat (Shakarkandi Ki Chaat) – A Recipe made with love and many taste tests
Course: Snacks, LunchCuisine: ChaatDifficulty: Easy4-5
servings15
minutes50
minutesSweet potato chaat is a popular Indian street food that brings together the classic chaat flavour combinations – sweet, sour, spicy and fresh.
Ingredients
800g -1kg Red sweet potatoes (4-5 thin ones)
CHAAT SAUCE:
1 cup fresh coriander (with stems)
1/8 cup mint leaves
60ml lemon juice
1 tbsp AYAM tamarind puree
½ cup water
¼ tsp bhuna jeera (roasted cumin seed powder)
½ tbsp salt
1 tsp chaat masala
1/8 tsp chilli powder (optional)
Directions
- POTATOES:
1. In a pot boil the sweet potato for 30-45 minutes depending on their size. Spike a fork into the potato, if it lifts the potato sticks to the fork and lifts up its not ready yet.
2. Leave the potato aside to slightly cool, then peel the skin off with your fingers or use a knife to grab the skin and peel it back.
3. Cut the potatoes into desired sizes (2cm – 3cm)
4. The potatoes need to be lukewarm when serving them. - CHAAT SAUCE:
1. In a blender add coriander, mint, lemon juice, tamarind puree and water, blend until it forms a sauce like consistency.
2. Add all the spices; bhuna jeera, salt, chaat masala and chilli powder and stir. (this will make 1 cup of sauce)
3. Use ¼ cup of the sauce for 200g-250g worth of potatoes. Mix in the sauce with the luke warm potatoes and garnish with coriander leaves. ENJOY!
Notes
- If your only making one serving use 200g-250g of potatoes with ¼ cup of sauce. If your making the whole 800g – 1kg of potatoes then use all the sauce in this recipe.
- You can steam the potatoes by peeling the skin off first, then cutting them to the desired size before steaming them. (boiled ones taste better but steaming them is healthier).
- You can also use a pressure cooker to speed up the process, as this will usually only require 10 -15 minutes.
- If you would like to meal prep these can last 2-3 days in the fridge with the Chaat sauce on it. Just add a dash of water when heating up the potatoes.
- Use Red sweet potato with white flesh as it’s best suited to this recipe. They are not as sweet or wet as the other sweet potatoes allowing them to kep their shape better when boiled.
- Make sure to use our bhuna jeera recipe as it does change the flavour profile of the dish. If you don’t have this you can substitute it for Ground cumin powder or just roasted cumin seed powder.
