Spicy Sweet Potato Salad - Sweet Potato Podimas

Podimas literally means Crumbed. It is popularly made with potatoes or plantains (vazhakka). I have posted the recipe for Potato Podimas and Vazhakka Podimas before. I also made a version of Potato and Chickpeas Podimas as well. Do click on the links to check them all out.



I got inspired to try Podimas with Sweet Potatoes. This time instead of serving it as a side for Rice, I decided to make it as a Salad (main course). I have listed all the ingredients that I have used and the recipe below. But if you do not quite get all the Indian ingredients, I have mentioned a short cut method as well which will give you almost all the key flavours!! Try and find as many of the optional ingredients as possible for enhanced taste.



Ingredients (serves 3 as a meal)

Sweet Potato 3
Ginger 1 inch piece finely chopped
Green Chillies 1 finely chopped
Lemon Juice 2 tbsp

Oil and salt to taste

Optional Ingredients
Mustard 1/2 tsp
Channa Dal 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves few
Coconut 1/2 cup

Method of Preparation

1. Heat a pot of water. Peal and chop sweet potatoes. Boil till it is mostly cooked. Make sure you do not mash it. Drain and keep aside. Alternately you can even bake the sweet potatoes for enhanced flavour.

2. Heat a little oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When it sputters, add channa dal. When the dal starts to brown, add ginger, green chilli, curry leaf and turmeric. Just add whatever ingredients you are using.

3. When the chillies and ginger sizzles, add the cooked sweet potato and toss well along with some salt.

4. Add the coconut and mix well. Cook for a minute or 2. Switch off.

5. Add the lemon juice and toss everything together.

Palooza in a Pan picked Salads for the month of July. Stay tuned for 4 awesome Salads from me and my friends Anu and Radhika