An ode to the humble kamote
On a recent Philippine Airlines flight, I was leafing through its inflight magazine and was so beguiled by a story on the humble kamote that I read it twice.
Extolling its virtues, the article talked about how root crops like gabi and ube sustained the Filipinos even before the Galleon Trade brought the kamote, or sweet potato, over from Mexico. Our Luzon kamote was even introduced to Fujian in China after a major agricultural disaster.
The lowly yet highly nutritious kamote survives dry spells due to its deep roots and thrives in relatively poor soil, its foliage even protecting the soil from erosion.
Yet we swapped the low-calorie, high-fiber and diabetic-friendly kamote for rice as a dietary staple, never mind that rice is harder to grow. Not only does rice need a lot of water and attention, it offers less nutrition and we cannot even seem to grow enough of it to sustain our people.
Even before landing in Manila, I started planning kamote-laden meals. I already cook a yummy carrot and kamote soup regularly, and recorded my lola Marina Antonio’s candied sweet potato dish in my tribute to her, the book Love Marina (FEU Publishing). But I wanted to try out a recipe I’d been eyeing in one of my health magazines where roasted kamote is served on top of protein-rich quinoa, and I remembered that my favorite drink from Korean café Aegyo is a caffeine-free kamote latte.
The easiest veggie dish, which I immediately prepared, consisted of cutting kamote, carrots and leeks into batons, coating them in olive oil, salt and pepper and roasting them till they were tender. I was happy to see that my family enjoyed the kamote this way!
Here, then, are my recipes that make use of this cheap, delicious and powerhouse of a vegetable whose name is often used to label inept drivers or intelligence-challenged people. The kamote surely deserves a much better reputation than that!
Carrot and Kamote Soup
Combine in a large saucepan:
- 1 large carrot, peeled cut into cubes
- 2 kamote, peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 white onion, cut into cubes
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper
Simmer all this together until the vegetables are tender, then puree in a blender. Check for seasoning and stir in a handful of basil leaves
Roasted Kamote and Quinoa Salad
Peel and cut into cubes:
- 2 kamote, any color
- Place on a baking pan and drizzle with:
- 3 tbsps. olive oil
- ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper
- Roast at 350F until tender, stirring occasionally. This should take about 30 minutes.
Add to the roasted sweet potato:
- 2 tbsps. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper
- Cook according to package instructions:
- 1 cup quinoa
Combine the cooked quinoa with:
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 stalk leeks, finely sliced
Put the quinoa in a serving bowl and top with the roasted sweet potato.
My Lola’s Candied Sweet Potatoes
- 1 kilo sugar
- 2 cups water
- 1 kilo yellow sweet potato (preferably long and narrow), peeled and cut into 1½-inch slices
- coconut cream or coconut milk for serving
In a heavy saucepan, constantly stir sugar over medium heat until it melts and turns golden. Carefully add water (mixture will sizzle and splutter), then continue to stir until all pieces of caramel are melted. Add sweet potato slices to syrup and simmer until sweet potatoes are half done. To check, stick fork into any of the pieces. The middle part should still feel hard.
Remove sweet potatoes from syrup and arrange in baking dish. Boil syrup until it is reduced by half, pour over sweet potatoes and bake at 325° for about 45 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are barely tender.Let cool and serve with coconut cream or milk on the side.
Korean Sweet Potato Latte
Process in a blender:
- 1 boiled sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
- 2 cups milk of your choice
- 1 tbsp. honey or sweetener of your choice
Put the pureed mixture in a saucepan and heat until hot. Pour into mugs and top with cinnamon.
