Filling the shakarkandi chat gap

In indian winters shakarkandi/ratala make it to the market at their peak. In delhi these are roasted on charcoal and then peeled and cut into pieces. The flesh is white/yellow and fibrous and sweet and hence generous squeeze of lime helps. In the US, we don’t have something exactly same available in local markets. But the japanese sweet potato comes close and flourishes with the same treatment.

We wash the Japanese sweet potatoes and then wipe them dry with a cloth and roast them in a 450F oven for 50 minutes. We then cut them in pieces. We actually like the flavor and texture of the akin but some people dont and in the case you can peel the skin off.

We then dress with generous squeeze of lime, mixing and letting them sit for half a minute and then freshening with little more lime juice.

We then top with our home made chat masala (white pepper, anardana powder, amchur powder) and some flaky sea salt and serve while still warm.