Majida Rashid
Growing up, I looked forward to our rare family visits to Lahore, Pakistan. The main attraction for me was a delicious treat with just the right amount of sweetness sold by the roadside in the evenings. Vendors stood behind wooden boxes on wheels. They would start shouting out aloud, “Shakar kandi, shakar kandi, sweet potatoes!” even if they saw someone in a distant.
Vendors would open a hot sand-filled box as potential customers approached them. Then they would ask the customers the number of sweet potatoes they wanted. After taking the order, the vendors would put one hand in the box and magically pull something orange out of the sand and hand it to the customer.
I never asked the vendors if they cooked them in hot sand or baked them at home and transferred them into the heated sand to keep them warm during the winter. I was interested only in sinking my teeth in the warm mushy flesh that hid behind the orange skin.
Even though traces of sweet potatoes from centuries ago have been found in Polynesian islands, Incas were considered to have domesticated the tubers. Though now Indian scientists are claiming that it originated in the Indian subcontinent millions of years ago.
The words sweet potatoes and yams are used interchangeably in American supermarkets. I got confused the first time I saw sweet potatoes labelled as yams because yams in African countries are so different. Beautiful petunias that embellish our gardens with pretty colors may be more of a distant relative of sweet potatoes than a yam or a potato. These tubers (Ipomoea batatas) are members of the morning glory family, Convolvulacea. The word batata, meaning potato in Arabic, raises my suspicion that Arabs may have secretly played a hand in its distribution.
In addition to being a good source of Vitamin A, sweet potatoes are also filled with carotenoid antioxidants that are good for our immune system and eyesight. However, they also contain sugar and eating too many can cause bloating.
They come in various shapes and varieties. Their color can range from white to yellow, red, purple or brownish. Despite different varieties, they have somewhat the same flavor, but their reaction to the heat varies. I find the flesh of the orange ones, whether sold as yams or sweet potatoes, gets moist after cooking. But its cousins like Japanese purple, Hyman or even regular organic purple sweet potatoes dry up quickly during cooking, unless they are boiled in water.
Their dense pulp doesn’t lend itself to gourmet food but adding sugar to pump up its sweetness is an insult to these tubers. Honoring them with a dash of a few herbs or spices will enhance their sweetness.
It’s best to buy smaller ones with blemish free skin and thoroughly scrub them with a vegetable brush before rinsing. They store well in an airy and a dry place. Refrigeration can cause molding or sprouting.
They are ideal for when one doesn’t feel like spending too much time on cooking. The following recipe is easy and simple for busy weekdays. Quantity can always be increased along with the time.
Sweet Potato Skewers
Ingredients:
1 small orange sweet potato, about the size of a hand, cleaned and washed
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
A dash of pepper (optional)
Sporadically puncture the sweet potato with a fork.
Microwave for a minute and a half. It should be tough on the touch.
Cool completely.
Quarter lengthwise.
Cut into inch-thick pieces.
Heat butter in a frying pan.
Put the chopped pieces in the pan and shake well.
Cover, lower the heat and steam for 8-10 minutes.
Check after eight minutes to make sure the flesh is not mushy.
String them on a skewer.
Sprinkle with the condiments and return them to the pan.
Raise the heat and let them caramelize a little.
Serve hot.
Serves 1.
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Foodie Majida Rashid lives in Texas. Food and cooking are her passion. Her philosophical writing can be read at apakistaniwomans journey.wordpress.com. @Fron tiers _Of_ Flavor
