The Fries Revolution- Sweet Potato Fries

Suggestion to the restaurant owners and chefs is to experiment with fries and mashed made of Sweet Potatoes as sides to main courses offered as an alternate to regular fries and mashed potatoes for customers to choose from

Sweet potatoes; these nutrition packed starchy root vegetable are readily available, cheap, yet fairly neglected in our Pakistani cuisine. Its use is limited to those odd cart vendors selling roasted Sweet Potatoes outside schools and on street or eaten boiled mostly by kids at home. I don’t remember that anything made out of Sweet Potatoes is something that one can even think of serving in fine dining restaurants or they ever made it to the regular home cooking. 

Owing to its tropical and mostly warm climate; Pakistan is blessed with bounties of nature and Sweet Potato (Shakarkandi) is one such produce seen in abundance on vegetable carts mostly from November until March.  Most of us associate this not so very good looking tuber as a culprit to add extra pounds, since they are full of carbs. But these are good carbs, and infact low in calories then any cereal, 90Cal per 100gms of Sweet Potatoes. high in fibre content, and is very filling. They are naturally sweet and the sugars are released gradually into the blood, this ensure a balanced and regular source of energy, without increasing the blood sugars that causes fatigue and weight gain. Sweet potatoes are good source of vitamins; like B6 that helps reduce the chemical homocysteine related to degenerative diseases, also rich in Vitamin C and D.  Sweet Potatoes contain a substantial amount of minerals including Magnesium which is relaxing and anti-stress mineral and Potassium that helps regulate the heartbeats.

Sweet potato fries stays crispy and crunchy longer then the potato fries

Over the past few years during my travels to North America, I was pleasantly delighted to see the Sweet Potato on the menu. Right from casual cafes, to fine dining restaurants including popular Steakhouses and BBQ joints, Italian and all American eateries, Sweet Potatoe fries and mashed Sweet Potatoes are offered as popular sides. They are given as choices alongwith the regular potato fries and mashed, for a few dollars extra. So, back home in Karachi, I could not help craving for a good plate of Sweet Potato fries or a salad topped with grilled slices of them. I experiemented with Sweet Potatoes, they taste so well when cooked  in different ways besides the roasted ones that we readily get from carts. They are equally good when puréed, steamed, friend, mashed, baked, or grilled. They add great flavour and texture to soups and stews, tastes amazing when grilled and added as sides or to top the salads.

My suggestion to the restaurant owners and chefs is to experiment with fries and mashed made of Sweet Potatoes as sides to main courses offered as an alternate to regular fries and mashed potatoes for customers to choose from.

Here goes my all time favourite recipes of side made with Sweet potatoes that go so well with all kind of grilled, roasted meat or can be enjoyed entirely on their own.  I now regularly serve them as sides with many of my main courses that I cook and serve at home. Friends and family simply got amazed and thoroughly enjoy them every time.

Battered Fries:

A crispy and crunchy fries sweet potato fries

Ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes – ½ KG

Washed, skin scrouched and cut lengthwise fries.

Rub them in a bit s salt.

Deep Fry Batter:

Either make your own batter or just use any prepared batter from the super market shelf

My favourite to use for these fries are Oreal

Here goes a simple batter recipe if you choose to make your own:

-Corn Flour- 2 heaped table spoon

-1 Chicken or Beef cubes, or 1/cup fresh stock

-Salt n Pepper to taste

-one egg beaten

Beat batter ingredients in bowl with hand beater lightly only until they are just mixed. Your batter need to be more on the drier side then smooth or runny. Roll the fries in the batter to coat them lightly but unevenly. Heat vegetable oil (2-3 inches) to 375 degrees and Fry them in a deep pan or electric deep fryer.

Sweet potato fries stays crispy and crunchy longer then the potato fries.