When Christopher Columbus took sweet potatoes to Europe in 1492, little did he know that they would end up being roasted in huge ash filled tubs on shakarkandi wallahs’ carts in South-East Asia.
Neither did he know that the Spaniards would introduce them to the Philippines, and Portuguese explorers would later take them to Africa, India, Indonesia, southern Asia and North America. It would give him a great sense of achievement to know that by the 16th century nearly the whole world enjoyed savouring the tuberous root vegetable in a wide variety of desserts, quick breads, puddings, custards, casseroles, stews and croquettes.
However, to the best of my knowledge, the subcontinent enjoys one of the healthiest ways of eating the sweet potato. Come winter, and you see the shakarkandi wallah during the day just like you see the seasonal appearance of dry fruit wallahs, roasting peanuts in a big metal wok as November evenings arrive with a subtle hint of chill mixed with the whiff of roasted peanuts.
Roasting sweet potatoes causes caramelisation through slow, diffused heat and brings out the flavour. The shakarkandi wallah arrives with a dusty brown cart on which sits a huge iron tub covered with a gunny bag. The tub is filled with hot ash in which hide the roasted sweet potatoes. This is our equivalent of the jacket potato but far more interesting.
When a customer approaches, the cart owner lifts the gunny bag covering the tub and with soiled hands digs out an ash covered sweet potato, hot and tender. He weighs it on his rusting scales and picks up his little knife and places the sweet potato on a neat little square cut out of a newspaper. Holding it thus, he deftly peels off the skin and the creamy, waxy texture of the sweet potato appears. Every now and again he slides the knife across the rim of the tub to rid the knife of the waxy peel residue. He chops the sweet potato into bite-sized chunky pieces and hands it over to you. You have the choice of sprinkling it with the dusty spice concoction from the tin or have it spice free; if you are in Lahore, you might choose to put a squeeze of lemon on it.
Words cannot do justice to the experience of taking the first bite of the tender sweet potato. As your cold hands take on the heat from the newspaper parcel and your fingers get coated with the chaat masala, your taste buds experience something out of this world. There is nothing that parallels the taste of this Rs10 worth of shakarkandi.
It is interesting to learn that the sweet potato belongs to the same family as the morning glory and is considered a staple in Central America. Despite being such a popular road side snack, it is hard to explain why the sweet potato rarely appears on any dhaba, café or restaurant menu in any form.
Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A, potassium, vitamin C, B6, riboflavin, copper, pantothetic acid and folic acid. Since Vitamin A and C are powerful antioxidants, they help prevent and control colon cancer, atherosclerosis and heart disease associated with diabetes. Including sweet potatoes in your diet can help treat rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, bronchitis, asthma and smoking-related diseases like emphysema. The Vitamin A helps new skin cells grow and keeps skin looking young and healthy. It is even said that sucking a piece of raw sweet potato may help get rid of a cough.
The starch that sweet potatoes contain soothes the intestines and stomach. The high fibre content prevents acid build-up, reduces the risk of ulcers and balances the body’s water content.
When buying sweet potatoes, make sure they are firm and without any cracks or bruises. Refrigerating them might alter their flavour so storing them in a relatively cooler area of the kitchen is a better idea. The best way to preserve them is to boil in a little water with some jaggery which enhances the flavour. This way they can sit in the fridge for a week or so and used as required in salads or for snacks.
Sweet potatoes are as versatile as potatoes. Cinnamon, honey, lime, ginger, coconut and nutmeg or a pinch of salt and chaat masala enhance the flavour. Since they are already sweet, it is a good idea to use condiments that go well with the sweetness and not ones that add to it. French fries or sweet potato wedges served as a side in a Mexican restaurant in Texas tasted incredibly delicious with chilli-garlic sauce instead of ketchup.
To retain their nutritional content better, they should be baked, roasted or steamed rather than boiled, with a touch of lemon juice, salt, pepper and some chaat masala. Sweet potatoes can be added to fruit chaat, salads and a vegetable medley instead of potatoes. Think of them as a potato with fringe benefits; it can’t get any sweeter!