Misti Alu'r Bhortha - Mashed Sweet Potatoes

 

Misti Alu'r Bhortha

Sweet potatoes are so comforting and tasty when they're baked. It's a lot easier to wash them, pierce with a fork or sharp-tipped knife all over, wrap in wax paper and microwave for 10 minutes, turning over at half time. Once they soften and the skin peels away easily, the sweet potato can be mashed with a fork and combined with mustard oil, minced onions, minced green chilies and salt. Several vegetables are steamed and mashed in this way into a bhortha. 

We'd run out of green chilies, but there's always a bottle of Priya green chili pickle in the fridge. It's the closest thing to kasundi because the sliced chilies are pickled in mustard sauce. This is what I used in this bhortha, so the flavour of mustard was accentuated.

Served as a first course to an Indian meal, bhortha goes well alongside lentils or dal with hot, steamed rice.

Ingredients

1 sweet potato

1 small onion, minced

1 green chili or 1 tsp. green chili pickle, minced

2 Tbsp. mustard oil

1/4 tsp. salt or to taste

Directions

1. Wash sweet potato well, pierce all over with a fork or sharp-tipped knife, rub with vegetable oil, wrap in wax paper and steam in the microwave for 10 minutes, turning over after 5 minutes.
2. Peel and mash with a fork then mash again with onion, green chilies, mustard oil and salt to taste.

Best served with hot, steamed, long-grain rice like basmati.