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Shakarkandi chaat
شکر قندی چاٹ (shakarkandi chaat): Lahore's winter street snack of charred sweet potato with tangy spice and lemon
When the fog settles over Lahore in December, handcarts appear on Ferozepur Road and around Data Darbar with sweet potatoes roasting in a bed of hot sand and charcoal, the vendor slicing them onto a leaf plate and shaking over his own spice mix. The flesh is soft and honeyed, the skin smoky and slightly blistered, and the spice brings salt, sourness from dried mango and a little heat, finished with a hard squeeze of lemon. Families eat it standing at the cart on the way home from the market, and it is also a favourite school-gate snack across Punjab in winter. At home the closest result comes from par-boiling thick slices and then charring them in a dry, very hot tawa. A frequent slip is boiling the slices until they are soft through, which leaves them too wet to take any colour. Chef's tip: mix the spice yourself with black salt, toasted cumin and amchur so it tastes as bright as the street version and stays gluten free.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
For the sweet potatoes
- 1 ⅓ lb sweet potatoesscrubbed, skin on, cut into 2 cm thick rounds
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
For the spice mix
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 /2 tsp black salt (kala namak)
- 1 /2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 /4 tsp ground black pepper
To finish
- 1 lemonhalved
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)chopped
- 1 green chilli (optional)finely chopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Toast 1 tsp cumin seeds in a dry tawa or frying pan over a medium heat for 1–2 minutes, until it darkens a shade and smells nutty, then tip it out and crush it to a powder.
3 minStep 2: Mix the crushed cumin with 1 /2 tsp black salt (kala namak), 1 tsp dried mango powder (amchur), 1 /2 tsp red chilli powder and 1 /4 tsp ground black pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Bring 6 ¼ cups water to the boil in a large pan with 1 tsp salt.
2 minStep 4: Add 1 ⅓ lb sweet potatoes and cook at a gentle boil for 6–7 minutes, until a knife meets slight resistance in the middle; they should be just tender, not soft.
7 minStep 5: Drain the slices well and let them steam dry in the colander for 2 minutes.
Step 6: Heat the dry tawa over a high heat until very hot, lay in the slices in a single layer and cook for 4–5 minutes on each side, pressing lightly, until the skin blisters and both faces have dark brown patches.
10 minStep 7: Cut the hot slices into bite-sized cubes, pile them on a plate and shake over the spice mix.
Step 8: Squeeze over 1 lemon, scatter with 1 tbsp fresh coriander and 1 green chilli and eat straight away with toothpicks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 43 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shakarkandi chaat take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sweet potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
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