(Cheeni Kilangu, Sarkaraivalli Kilangu, Madhura Kizhangu, Shakarkand)
Sweet Potato is a tuber which is usually consumed as a vegetable. It is known as Chakkaravalli Kilangu in Tamil and Shakarkand in Hindi. As the name suggests, the flesh of the sweet potato has a natural sweet taste and is very starchy. Sweet potatoes are available in different colors around the world. The skin color can be red, purple, orange, white, brown or yellow. The flesh inside also comes in different colors ranging from white, orange, purple, yellow or pink. In my hometown, I have come across the red skinned one with white flesh and yellow flesh. In USA, the commonly available variety was the orange skin potato with orange flesh. I don't know why, but this variety was known as Yam sometimes, although yam is a totally different tuber. My cousin in Australia has shared pictures of white skin with purple flesh variety in her recipe for Boiled Potatoes.
Most of the different colored sweet potatoes taste quite similar, however I feel the orange variety is less sweeter. They are a rich source of dietary fiber and beta carotene. Sweet potatoes can be boiled and had as a snack. It can also be used to make mashed sweet potatoes, stuffed parathas, breads, pancakes, casseroles, fries, desserts etc. In India it is added along with other vegetables in curries which I have shared below.
Recipes with Sweet Potato as the STAR ingredient
Other Recipes using Sweet Potato