Roasted sweet potato, warm cumin and chili, bright lime and juicy pomegranate: this little Indian chaat gets plenty of contrast from just a handful of ingredients.
Shakarkandi chaat is an Indian snack with sweet potato at its heart. The cubes are roasted or boiled, then seasoned with spices, acidity and salt. In this version, the oven gives them soft centers and lightly browned edges. Roasting gives the sweet potato more depth than boiling, while keeping the cubes firm enough to toss with the toppings.
The seasonings are added only after roasting. Cumin seeds briefly toasted in a dry pan smell warm and nutty; grind them once they have cooled so their aroma doesn’t disappear in the oven. Black salt adds a bold, savory, slightly sulphurous note. Use it sparingly and taste before adding more salt. Chili powder brings heat, while lime juice cuts sharply through the sweetness of the potato.
Sweet potatoes are available all year round. Choose ones that feel firm and are about the same thickness, so the cubes cook evenly. Cut them into pieces about two centimeters across and spread them out on the baking sheet; a crowded sheet traps steam and gives you fewer browned edges. Pomegranate seeds add cool, juicy pops of crunch. If they’re not available, leave them out rather than replacing them with something sweet; the combination still tastes bright with just coriander and lime.
Serve the chaat as soon as the warm potato has been tossed with the spices and topped with the fresh ingredients. This keeps the coriander fresh and the pomegranate seeds pleasantly firm. Keep the portions small: this is meant as a starter or snack, not a big salad. You can roast the potato ahead and store it chilled; let leftovers cool within two hours, cover and refrigerate them, and use within three days. Reheat until piping hot, and add the lime, coriander and pomegranate just before serving.
Preheat the oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan). Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes about 2 cm across.
Toss the cubes with the oil and spread them out on a baking sheet. Roast for 25–30 minutes, turning them halfway through, until tender with browned edges here and there.
Meanwhile, toast the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant. Let them cool, then grind them finely in a mortar.
Put the warm sweet potato in a large bowl. Add the ground cumin, black salt, chili powder and the juice of half a lime. Toss gently and taste; add a little more black salt or lime juice if needed.
Divide among small bowls and finish with the coriander and pomegranate seeds. Serve straight away with the rest of the lime cut into wedges.
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