Sweet Potato Cutlets

I started cooking only after I got married. My husband, luckily for me, comes up with creative ideas for recipes and I implement them...so he's basically the brain behind my skills :)

It was a lazy afternoon when he started asking me to make some snacks and while proving through my refrigerator, I saw some nice pink sweet potatoes.

My mom always made sure she put sweet potatoes in pulusu...a south Indian version of soup / broth. I love sweet potatoes for their unique taste and texture. Besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene (a vitamin A equivalent nutrient), vitamin C and vitamin B6.

There are quite a few dishes you can make using this root...and this time I wanted to make cutlets.

So I used 2 sweet potatoes which yielded about 12 cutlets...enough to feed 2 hungry stomachs :) There are two ways you could use to cook the sweet potatoes:

1. Pressure cooker: Cut them up into chunks (don't bother about the shape or size - you are going to mash them anyway), put them in a bowl and fill enough water to immerse the pieces...and pressure cook for about 10 mins or 3 whistles...whichever is faster. You don't have to peel the sweet potatoes, 'cos once cooked the peel comes right off.

2. Microwave: Peel the sweet potatoes, cut them up into chunks, put them in a bowl and fill enough water to immerse the pieces and microwave for about 8 - 10 mins.

Personally, I prefer microwaving them...only 'cos psychologically I feel it's faster...ultimately I am spending 10 mins either way...hmmm...ok I had never thought that through until I started typing it down...oh well...so ya...back to the recipe...boil them and drain out all the water.

Now mash the sweet potatoes...it doesn't have to be a fine paste...small chunks here and there enhance the taste of the cutlets...Now to the mashed potatoes, add 1/2 a tablespoon gram masala, 1/4th tablespoon freshly grated ginger (you could also use ginger-garlic paste...whichever you prefer), salt to taste (maybe about 1/2 a tablespoon), 1/4 cup of freshly chopped cilantro leaves and 1 tablespoon of yogurt.

If you noticed, I did not add too much of any spice...that is 'cos the stronger the spices, the more they dominate the sweetness of the sweet potatoes...so be as miserly as you can with the spices. Now mix all of them together and add about a 1/4th cup of chickpea flour. You will see that the color doesn't change much...and it doesn't have to. The flour is just a binding agent and if you use too much of it, your cutlets will taste floury.

Now that you have the mixture ready, heat oil in a wide skillet. How much oil? Well...let's see...your cutlets will be about 1 centimeter thick...so when you put the cutlets in the skillet, the bottom half must be immersed in the oil...I hope that wasn't confusing :) (maybe the picture below will help)

Anyway, while the oil is heating up, let's make the cutlets...now you can do it in two ways:

Take a ziploc bag, coat one side with a dot of oil, take a small dollop of the sweet potato mixture and make a patty...now turn the patty with the ziploc cover upside down onto your fingers and thanks to the oil on the ziploc, the patty will slip right out.

OR

Take a small dollop of the mixture onto your fingers, flatten it out with your thumb and put it in the skillet. (This is what I usually do)

Let the cutlets fry for about 1 or 2 minutes on each side, until they are a rich golden brown. And you know the rest, take the cutlets out, place them on a paper napkin so all the oil drains out, serve with any sweet chutney and enjoy ;)

To summarize the ingredients for you:
- Sweet potatoes - 2
- Garam Masala - 1/2 tablespoon
- Freshly grated ginger - 1/4 tablespoon
- Salt - 1/2 tablespoon
- Freshly chopped cilantro leaves - 1/4 cup
- Yogurt - 1 tablespoon
- Chickpea flour - 1/4 cup

Inspired from - Bal Arneson, Spice Goddess from the Cooking Channel

My Inspiration

Hi All,

A few days ago I finally saw this movie "Juile & Julia" (I have been waiting for almost a year to watch it). The plot runs around two stories from different generations...one of Julia Child, an American Chef recognized for introducing French Cuisine to the American "servantless" public...and the other around Julie Powell, an American write who was obsessed with Julia Child's cooking. So much so that she started a project "The Julie/Julia Project", a blog chronicling her attempt to cook all the recipes in Ms. Child's book Master the Art of French Cooking.

The movie inspired me, in that, it reminded me of the numerous times I wanted to write a blog about cooking. Every time I thought of it...the hundreds of blogs that already exist on cooking came to mind and I gave up the idea. But when I saw this movie, I said...well...I experiment in my kitchen (my husband's my guinea pig)...and I have a number of recipes and tips I'd like to share and also preserve...so why not. I hope you enjoy my attempt at chronicling recipes from various sources that include my grandmother's cookbook (recipes she collected from TV shows and magazines), my mom's recipes and different websites on the internet.

About me: I am a true-blue South Indian...and I enjoy rice more than rotis :) no no...don't stop reading...there will be recipes of dishes from different cuisines - don't worry! :)

I hope you enjoy my blog...have fun :)

Gayatri

PS - Thanks to my husband and sister-in-law...for telling me (a million times) that I can do this :)