During the Hindu fasting/vrat season in India, Sweet Potato, also called Shakarkandi in Hindi, is a versatile root vegetable widely used. Naturally organic, vegan, and gluten-free, it yields delightful dishes that are not only filling but also provide the necessary energy during periods of abstaining from food. One such delicious dish is the straightforward Sweet Potato Chaat, requiring just 5 ingredients. With this easy recipe, you can quickly prepare a fuss-free Shakarkandi Chaat, ideal for Navratri or any other religious fasts.
About Sweet Potato Chaat
Although I usually make the Shakarkandi Chaat for my Navratri fasting days, but it tastes just as fab any other time as well. In this recipe, everything is balanced – sweetness of the shakarkandi, faint pungency of black pepper powder, and tanginess of lemon juice and dried mango powder or amchur.
That’s the flavor pairing, you would absolutely love. This is a super quick, low-fat, nutritious snack to enjoy any time of the day.
Sweet potato is a superfood. This makes it obviously a better and more nutrient dense choice, when compared to the regular potatoes.
Since shakarkandi is also naturally sweet and starchy, it qualifies as a great veggie to make amazingly delicious sweet dishes as well, in addition to the savory ones like this Sweet Potato Chaat.
Check out these 2 sweet recipes that I have made with shakarkandi – Sweet Potato Halwa and Sweet Potato Gulab Jamun. While the halwa is also a great choice for your vrats or fasts, the gulab jamun serves as an equally decadent mithai (sweet) in your Diwali celebrations. In fact, I would say, better than your usual jamuns.
This Shakarkandi Chaat also packs many essential nutrients in it and is an excellent health dish. Because these tubers are rich sources of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, this chaat automatically becomes a wholesome and hearty meal in itself.
When I used to live in Gurgaon (now Gurugram), we used to have this Sweet Potato Chaat on many occasions during winters.
It is a common street food sold on thelas (carts) in the chilly season in North India. The smoky flavor resulting from the roasting of the sweet potatoes is still fresh in mind. That charm was something else, very hard to express in words.
For the Shakarkandi Chaat, the street vendors used to roast the sweet potatoes on coal, which would impart the lovely smokiness in the dish.
This effect is something that can’t be mirrored if you roast this tuber in an oven or even steam it in a pan or pressure cooker. Nevertheless, this chaat is still scrumptious.
For the spice powders in this Sweet Potato Chaat, I have used the ones that are commonly consumed during the religious fasting of Navratri days. But when not keeping a vrat, add whichever spice powder you like.
This chaat recipe with shakarkandi is easily scalable. So, you can prepare it in larger batches as well.
How to make Sweet Potato Chaat
Cook Sweet Potatoes
1. Firstly, rinse 260 to 270 sweet potatoes very well in water. Then, steam or boil them in a pressure cooker or a pan adding water as needed.
If cooking in a stovetop pressure cooker, pressure cook for about 3 to 4 whistles, in water just about covering the sweet potatoes.
Once the pressure drops naturally in the cooker, then only open the lid. Remove the boiled sweet potatoes using pasta tongs and set them aside to cool until warm.
I steamed sweet potatoes in an electric rice cooker. In the picture, you see 4 sweet potatoes. But I only used 2 of them for the chaat.
You can even peel sweet potatoes first and then steam them.
Make Sweet Potato Chaat
2. After the sweet potatoes are cooked well, peel lightly and chop them in small bite-sized cubes. Take them in a bowl.
3. Add ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, ½ teaspoon dried mango powder (amchur powder) and edible rock salt (sendha namak).
If making for non-fasting days, you can also add red chili powder and chaat masala powder. Some roasted cumin powder can also be added.
You can add the spice powders less or more according to your taste preferences.
4. Next, add ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
5. Mix gently. Check the taste and add any of the spice powders or lemon juice, if required.
6. Serve Shakarkandi Chaat immeditaely.
Expert Tips
- Ensure to cook the sweet potatoes perfectly. They must not become pasty or mushy.
- Depending on the size of the sweet potatoes, it can take less or more time for them to cook. You can opt to either boil or steam them.
- Remember to remove them once you open the cooker’s lid after the pressure drops naturally in the cooker. Keeping them in water might make them water logged.
- If you are not making this chaat for religious fasting, add red chili powder and chaat masala powder. Also, black salt can be added instead or rock salt.
- You can even jazz up the chaat by adding chutneys, curd and other chaat titbits, when not preparing for fasting.
- You can also add ¼ to ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder in this recipe.
- The quantity of the ground spice powders and even lemon juice can be more or less as per your personal likings.
More Navratri Recipes To Try!
Navratri & Fasting Recipes
Navratri & Fasting Recipes
Navratri & Fasting Recipes
Navratri & Fasting Recipes
Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.
Sweet Potato Chaat (Shakarkandi Chaat)
Ingredients
- 260 to 270 grams sweet potatoes or 1.5 to 2 cups chopped boiled sweet potatoes (shakarkandi)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon amchur powder (dry mango powder) or add as required
- ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- rock salt (edible and food grade) or sendha namak, add as required
Instructions
Boiling Sweet Potatoes
- Firstly rinse 260 to 270 sweet potatoes very well in water.
- Then steam or boil them in a stovetop pressure cooker or a pan or Instant Pot. If cooking in a stovetop pressure cooker, then pressure cook for about 3 to 4 whistles with water just about covering the sweet potatoes. Let the pressure drop naturally in the cooker and then only open the lid. Either drain the water and set aside the boiled sweet potatoes to cool. Or remove the cooked sweet potatoes with the help of pasta tongs and set aside on a plate to cool them until warm.
Making Sweet Potato Chaat
- After the sweet potatoes are cooked well and are fork tender and when they become warm, then peel them lightly and chop them. Take them in a bowl.
- Add the black pepper powder, amchur powder (dry mango powder) and edible rock salt (sendha namak). If making the chaat for non-fasting days, then you can also add red chilli powder and chaat masala powder. A bit of roasted cumin powder can also be added. You can also add the spice powders less or more as per your taste preferences.
- Next add the lemon juice.
- Mix gently. Check the taste and add any of the spice powders or lemon juice if needed.
- Serve Shakarkandi Chaat.
Notes
- Make sure to cook the sweet potatoes until fork tender. They should be softened but not become mushy.
- You can also add ¼ to ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder in the recipe.
- If not making for Navratri fasting, then you can use red chilli powder and chaat masala.
- Black salt can also be added instead of rock salt.
- Spice powders and lemon juice can be added more or less according to your taste preferences.
- The recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Sweet Potato Chaat recipe from the archives was first published on April 2016. It has been updated and republished on March 2024.
Oh I love it so much! So easy to make and so yummy!