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Sweet Potato Hashale

Sweet potatoes are not only delicious to eat, but they are also very rich nutritionally. The high content of vitamins A and C, calcium, magnesium and potassium all help to improve the immune system and the functioning of organs like the eyes, heart and kidneys. They are also rich in antioxidants that help to take care of free radicals in the body and keep it younger. They may help in reversing diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. Apart from that they prevent adding unhelpful and unnecessary weight. They are best had boiled or steamed to keep the glycemic index low. Coconuts have been grown in India for centuries and have traditionally been used in both savoury and sweet dishes. Coconuts are considered a source of healthy fat, but the fat will add up if they are consumed in the form of coconut milk or oil. Also, they contain small amounts of saturated fats and so should be eaten in smaller quantities. Eaten grated or in pieces, they are a great source of fibre and so help digest the fat in them more easily and also keep the quantity consumed lower. The fat in coconuts is easier for the human body to digest and they don’t contain cholesterol like animal fats Coconut also contains iron, manganese, copper and magnesium, which aid in protecting against disease and ease inflammation in the body.

Recipe credit: Darshana Muzumdar

Serves 4 as part of a traditional Indian meal.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium to large sweet potatoes (350-400gms)
  • ½ coconut
  • ¼ cup jaggery or to taste
  • 8-10 cardamoms crushed to break them open

Method

  • Wash and steam or boil sweet potatoes. Cool, peel and mash. It should be grainy with a few lumps.
  • Grate coconut and soak it in three fourth cup of hot water. This will ensure it grinds finely.
  • Grind the soaked coconut and the cardamoms to a fine paste. Add a tablespoon or more water if necessary to allow the blades to move smoothly. Strain this through a damp muslin cloth placed over a pot.
  • Grate the jaggery, add it to the coconut milk, mix it well and allow to rest for a few minutes to let it dissolve easily.
  • Stir the coconut milk well till the jaggery dissolves. Add this to the mashed sweet potato and mix it all gently.
  • Serve it at room temperature or keep it in the refrigerator for a maximum of 3-4 hours to serve it cool.
  • Note: Do not keep the mixture in the fridge for too long as the coconut milk gets spoilt pretty fast. Hashale can also be made with ripe bananas and musk melon with the addition of soaked poha. The chibbuda hashale (musk melon hashale) is ideal to have in the summer.

For the Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB) version:

  • Do not strain the ground coconut.
  • Use date or raisin paste for sweetening the ground coconut.

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