When Mark goes shopping, I never can guess what surprises will arrive home in his bags. It could be a jar of Nutella, which we both love. Or perhaps a bag of ruffled potato chips, because he was hungry when he started his errands.
But never do I expect him to show up with extra vegetables. And, taking that one step further, a vegetable that—when we met—was anathema to him. Sweet potatoes. He brought home three humongous sweet potatoes. He used to hate sweet potatoes.
It took me a couple of years to figure out that it was the sweetening of an already sweet vegetable that made him recoil. Thus, sweet potatoes combined with brown sugar, orange juice, pineapple, and marshmallows was something he found abhorrent. (Note: not my favorite either.)
The dish that won him over (and changed his life) was a two-potato gratin—layered white and sweet potatoes—with rosemary, cream, and cheese. He loved it. Really, really loved it. (I’ll have to post the recipe for that sometime…) The trick to make him happy is to make the sweet potatoes savory.
What was I to do with the monstrous sweet potatoes? I thumbed through my well-worn copy of Ottolenghi’s Plenty seeking inspiration and I came across a two-potato vindaloo that sounded amazing. Creamy white potatoes contrasted with the beautiful orange sweet potatoes… how gorgeous that duo would be! Except, Mark unwittingly bought white fleshed sweet potatoes. Thus, white is the new orange.
Even without the color contrast between the white and sweet potatoes, this is a beautiful and extremely flavorful dish, and one that will warm you on a chilly mid-winter evening. Enjoy!
~ David
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large shallots, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 25 curry leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 ripe tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Salt
- 2 1/2 cups peeled and cubed (1-inch) waxy potatoes
- 2 small red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch dice
- 2 1/2 cups peeled and cubed (1-inch) sweet potato (orange OR white!)
- plain yogurt, for serving
- slivered mint leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Dry-roast the cumin, coriander and cardamom in a small frying pan until they begin to pop and smell fragrant. Transfer them with the cumin and coriander seeds to a spice grinder, along with the cloves, and process to a fine powder. Add the turmeric, paprika and cinnamon, and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pot. Add the shallots, mustard seeds and fenugreek, and sauté on high heat for eight minutes, or until the shallots turn golden-brown. Stir in the curry leaves (I only had dried ones), ginger, red pepper flakes, and ground spices, and cook for another three minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, vinegar, water, sugar and some salt, bring to a boil and leave to simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add the potatoes and peppers, and simmer for another 20 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, make sure all the vegetables are just immersed in the sauce (add more water if needed) and continue cooking, covered, for about 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Remove the lid and leave to cook for about 10 minutes, to reduce and thicken the sauce.
- Serve hot with plain rice, yogurt, and garnished with the mint leaves.
- Serves 4.
© 2024 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi’s book Plenty.
Christina
January 30, 2021 at 7:55 amYou could switch Mark’s name put for mine! I do not like sweet potatoes, and only make that for others on Thanksgiving! I think I could totally enjoy this vindaloo, though! Sounds amazing 😍
Cocoa & Lavender
January 30, 2021 at 8:54 amAs I said to Mark, I can make you like sweet potatoes! 🙂 This dish is really good, and I definitely think you will like it!
John / Kitchen Riffs
January 30, 2021 at 9:04 amI used to hate sweet potatoes for the same reason that Mark did — just didn’t like sweet on sweet. Then I roasted them with cayenne. Wow, what a difference! Sweet potatoes go really well with spicy hot stuff, so this is such an ideal recipe for them. Have you ever tried them in chili? They make a great veggie chili, or with pork (either pork chunks or Mexican chorizo). Anyway, the spicing of this dish looks perfect. Really nice — thanks.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 5, 2021 at 6:11 amI will definitely have to try roasting them with cayenne pepper! What a great idea. I have used them in chili, and often mash them with chipotles as a side for pork. They are amazingly adaptable to many flavors. Well, as long as it’s not sugar.
Eha Carr
January 30, 2021 at 4:19 pmWould you please thank Mark for his sweet potato purchase as now I seem to have an absolutely fabulous new recipe I may not have come upon myself ! Two huge attractions: the potato and the word ‘vindaloo’ which makes me race into the kitchen every time ! As I have stated I rarely eat white potatoes but together with the sweet I can see a wondrous marriage! Oh the sweet kind I have eaten a couple of times a week for decades . . . ’tis never absent from my pantry ! Remember a dear Estonian-American friend sending me the ‘usual’ sweet recipe beloved in the US and my sending it back asking him not to be funny !!! But this one I’ll try next week. Love the spicing , , , but am surprised at the cumin and coriander amounts being equal and as large ? Also that it can be called a vindaloo with so small a chillies quantity . . . shall try . . . am looking at the daily maps of Ar relating to current tragedies and wishing you well . . .
Cocoa & Lavender
February 5, 2021 at 6:10 amHappily, the two of us are fine in Arizona! Our part of the state seems fairly stable. I love the story about you sending back the recipe… That made my day!
Susan Manfull
January 31, 2021 at 12:29 pmFunny …. Towny came home with white sweet potatoes the other day, too. We put one in a vegetable soup and I can’t remember what we did with the others. Nothing as interesting as this recipe would have been! Thanks for sharing!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 5, 2021 at 6:08 amNext time he does that, you’ll have to make this!
sherry
January 31, 2021 at 5:10 pmi have to admit that having a dish of sweet potatoes with all those sweet additions was a big surprise to us years ago when staying with friends in Philadelphia. Eeek! but i do love them as a savoury dish – roasted or mashed, for instance. but the white ones … it’s gotta be orange all the way. something about that colour. and they go so well with spices like cummin and coriander. Delish!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 5, 2021 at 6:06 amI can only imagine your surprise when you were served “dessert“ as a side dish. And even in my hometown!
Frank
February 1, 2021 at 6:33 amYou know, I think you and Mark are on to something. I wasn’t terribly keen on sweet potatoes as a kid and, as a result, almost never make them as an adult. But now that you mention it, I bet it *was* the sickening sweetness of the way they were typically prepared back in the day… I do like yams as a substitute for “zucca” in risottos. (And btw I’ve never been very clear on the difference, if there is one, between yams and sweet potatoes.) Anyway, you’ve convinced me to give sweet potatoes another go!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 5, 2021 at 6:04 amI really do think you need to try making sweet potatoes savory, Frank. It’s amazing! I don’t want to get all Markipedia on you, but I doubt you have ever seen a true yam in the United States. If you’ve been to Africa, you might have seen one in the markets there, but they’re usually bigger than footballs.
mimi rippee
February 1, 2021 at 8:35 amBeautiful. And those spices! I’ve probably written many times about my first experience seeing marshmallows on sweet potatoes. Awful. I don’t get it. Glad Mark finally realizes that it’s not the only way to serve them! Beautiful curry.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 5, 2021 at 6:03 amIn the mirror side of marshmallows on sweet potatoes set my teeth on the edge! Glad you like the curry.
Aarthi
February 1, 2021 at 11:06 amPotato curry looks addictive , love the combination of veggies and freshly roasted spices used. One of my most favorite vegetable to make curry is potatoes , they absorb the flavors so well and tastes delicious , and with rice it is definitely a comforting meal.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 5, 2021 at 6:02 amI think I need to experiment more with potato dishes from India. I’ll have to check out your site to see what I can find.
Fran @ G'day Souffle'
February 1, 2021 at 4:12 pmWow- that is certainly an amazing list of herbs and spices for this recipe- the flavors must be amazing. I’ve never heard of ‘white’ sweet potato before- I’ll have to make sure I get the orange variety when I go shopping!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 5, 2021 at 6:02 amI think the thing that amazes me most, Fran, is that we have all those spaces on hand!
Raymund
February 2, 2021 at 2:52 pmI love sweet potatoes, we grew up with them. If he is into sweet stuff then try the Filipino Kamote Cue , basically they are sweet potatoes deep fried with brown sugar, sugar melts and coats the sweet potatoes, its one of my childhood favourite and definitely a sweet tooth crowd pleaser. That vindaloo looks good too! the spices would blend well to that sweet root crop. Yum
Cocoa & Lavender
February 5, 2021 at 6:01 amActually, he is the opposite of the sweet tooth crowd! The vindaloo was perfect for him, and for me!
2pots2cook
February 3, 2021 at 3:12 amWe also don’t eat sweet dishes made of sweet potatoes but savoury works well ! Thank you for this beautiful curry David !
Cocoa & Lavender
February 5, 2021 at 6:01 amI guess I’m finding out that more of my friends are like us! Enjoy the sweetness of the vegetable, and don’t add sugar!
sippitysup
February 3, 2021 at 5:37 pmI find that the white-fleshed sweet potatoes cook up firmer and hold their shape better than red. It could be my imagination, but I bet that makes them perfect in this vindaloo. GREG
Cocoa & Lavender
February 5, 2021 at 6:00 amI hadn’t noticed that, Greg, but if it’s the truth, maybe it’s a good thing that Mark got the white-fleshed sweet potatoes.
Inger @ Art of Natural Living
February 4, 2021 at 1:07 pmThis has got to have incredible depth of flavor David! And I just happen to have potatoes and sweet potatoes left from harvest!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 5, 2021 at 5:59 amIt is really a wonderful combination, and we added some curry leaves last time we made it.
Valentina
February 5, 2021 at 12:04 pmSo much to say. 1), I think it sounds like it would fun to shop with Mark — I never know exactly what I’ll bring home either and often surprise myself. 😉 2), I love a “life changing” dish, such as your sweet potato gratin. 3), I really love the long ingredient list for this Vindaloo. Some people like a short list, but for me the more ingredients, the more fun. And 4), I can only hope someone brings home a bag with Nutella in it for me! Hope you and Mark have a great weekend, David. 🙂 ~Valentina