When you need a great make ahead appetizer dish, this sweet potato chaat Indian style never fails to impress. As long as you have the mint chutney and tamarind date chutney , you can make this sweet potato recipe in moments, especially if you use a pressure cooker to cook the sweet potatoes.
What is chaat and why are Indians so obsessed with it.
Chaat is a savory snack. uh! That was sort of lame! Here I am going on about how Indians are obsessed with chaat and then say it is a savory snack!
Let me try that again! Chaat is nostalgia. It is fond memories of eating food with friends and family. A chaat is sweet and tart, hot and cold, crunchy and soft, spicy, nutty, salty snack full of umami. It’s a crave inducing thing and usually people get addicted.
Main Components of a Sweet Potato Chaat
- The base – roasted sweet potatoes if you have the time or boiled sweet potatoes
- A sweet sauce – Like the tamarind date sauce
- A spicy sauce – like the cilantro mint chutney
- A cooling sauce – made from yogurt and honey
And that’s it. It is very easy to make and you can add fruits like the star fruit or pomegranate to add crunch.
A traditional Indian style sweet potato chaat is cooked on coals. It is a street food favorite during winters in New Delhi, where it is called Shakarkandi ki chaat.
I saved a lot of time by pressure cooking my sweet potatoes, but you can simply boil them in a pot of water or make roasted sweet potatoes on the grill or in the oven. To make up for the loss of smoky taste that I would have gotten by roasting, I pan seared the sweet potatoes in a little oil after peeling and cubing the boiled ones.
This is my dish for the Progressive Eats party this month because we are celebrating Indian picnic. So get ready for your 4th of July picnics with some delicious food. Any chaat makes a great picnic food because it is easier to carry components of the chaat and mix them together just before eating.
Sweet Potato Chaat
Ingredients
- 4 large sweet potatoes
- 4 tbsp Cilantro mint chutney
- 4 tbsp Tamarind and date chutney
- 2 tbsp yogurt
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Pressure cook or boil the sweet potatoes until tender. ( Boiling the potatoes will take about 15 minutes)
Peel and dice into 2 inch pieces
Heat oil in a pan and sear the sweet potatoes a few at a time, until golden brown in color on the edges. Add a pinch of salt to the sweet potatoes while searing.
Mix the yogurt and honey until smooth
Put a layer of sweet potatoes in a bowl, and top with cilantro mint chutney, tamarind date chutney and the yogurt mixed with honey
Enjoy hot or cold
Recipe Notes
This recipe requires two other components to complete it.
There are links for the recipes to both the chutneys in this recipe card. You don’t have to make the full recipes for the chutneys.
Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month’s theme is an Indian Picnic. And I am the host. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats it’s a virtual party. A theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. Come along and see all of the delicious Indian Picnic inspired dishes!An Indian Picnic
Appetizers- Indian Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce – That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Sweet Potato Chaat – SpiceRoots
- Onion Pakoras – Indian Fritters with Spicy Sauce – Creative Culinary
- Aloo Paratha – Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Kati Rolls With Chicken and Egg – Mother Would Know
- Lamb Meatballs in the Instant Pot – Shockingly Delicious
- Indian-Style Beef Kabobs with Cilantro – Coconut Sauce – From a Chef’s Kitchen
- Indian Street Tacos with Grilled Shrimp – Beyond Mere Sustenance