Introduction: Sweet Potato Curry

About: Hi! I'm a slightly feral mountain hermit that likes to be helpful. I do community management at Instructables & Tinkercad. 🙌 Want to hear me chat about making? Search "CLAMP Podcast" on YouTube or your favorit…

This sweet potato curry is one of my favorites - I make it all the time! Sweet potatoes and chickpeas make it nice and filling when served over rice. :)

And best of all, you can have this curry on the table in under 45 minutes, so it's a great weeknight dinner! I tend to make this whenever we're down to the last of our groceries to hold us over until we go shopping again.

Sweet potato curry is also a fantastic meatless option for Meatless Monday!

Step 1: Ingredients

  • 1 sweet potato cut into 1/2 inch chunks
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 inch ginger, grated
  • 2+ tablespoons curry powder/garam masala of choice
  • hot pepper of choice to taste - I'm using chipotle pepper powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon+ amchoor powder
  • 14.5 oz can chickpeas + their liquid
  • 14.5 oz can coconut milk
  • turmeric for color (optional)
  • brown sugar to taste
  • salt to taste
  • fresh limes for serving and seasoning
  • rice for serving
  • parsley and cilantro for serving
  • coconut oil or other oil for cooking

For this recipe, I suggest using a bright and spicy curry powder - nothing too sweet! The coconut milk and sweet potatoes are already quite sweet, so you want to balance it out. I used mostly curry powder and a bit of garam masala to round it out.

I'm using amchoor powder here for tartness, but you can also just add fresh lime juice near the end of cooking. I normally do that any way. :)

Step 2: Cook Down the Onion and Sweet Potato

Heat a pan over medium heat. Add a bit of coconut oil to your pan and let it melt. Add in the sweet potatoes and onions and a pinch of salt. Let this cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the onions have softened and are the sweet potatoes start to darken in color a bit.

Step 3: Add the Spices, Garlic and Ginger

Add in garlic, ginger and dry spices. You may need to add more coconut oil if it's very dry!

Mix this around and let it cook for a few minutes, just until everything smells awesome.

At this point I normally add about a 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle pepper powder, too! The smokiness works really well with the coconut milk and sweet potatoes. But go easy if you're not too into spicy food - do less and work your way up!

Step 4: Add in the Coconut Milk and Chickpeas

Pour in the coconut milk and chickpeas and give it a good stir. Sometimes I'll add a good pinch of turmeric at this point just to give it extra color. :)

This curry will darken slightly as it cooks, but turmeric gives it a nice boost!

Step 5: Simmer and Enjoy!

Once the liquids are in, bring the curry to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. I normally simmer it covered for 15 minutes, and then with the lid off for 15 minutes.

The first 15 minutes, it's all about getting the potatoes nice and soft. After that, you'll want to reduce the cooking liquid so it's nice and thick. :)

After it's been a half hour, turn the heat all the way down and start tasting. If it needs to be more sweet, add a little of the brown sugar! If it's too sweet, try adding more salt or some lime juice. Salt with also boost the flavors of the spices, so if it seems a little bland, add salt!

Keep adding and tasting until it's perfect for you. I like to serve it over rice with fresh cilantro and parsley over the top and a bit of lime on the side so you can season it just right! :D