Sweet potato stir fry made in Indian style with spices and curry leaves. This mildly sweet, spicy and aromatic side dish goes well as a side in any meal. I make sweet potato curry and pulusu very often at home. Sometimes add them to sambar as well. This sweet potato stir fry is another favorite with my kids and they just love it.
We normally serve this with plain rice and rasam or sambar. However you can also eat it as a side with any meal or can even have it as a snack.
Sweet potato stir fry is simple to make and uses only pantry staples. A few whole spices like mustard, cumin and fresh ginger or garlic is used for tempering. Ground spices like red chilli powder, turmeric and garam masala is used for heat and aroma.
A spring of curry leaves will enhance the flavors. Alternately you can use some mint leaves.
Preparation
1. Peel the sweet potatoes. If you have large ones cut them to half lengthwise. Then slice them thin like potato chips. Add them to slightly salted water immediately. This step avoids them from discoloring and burning. Chop onions and ginger.
How to make sweet potato stir fry
2. Heat a nonstick pan with oil. Then add mustard & cumin. When they splutter add grated ginger and curry leaves. Fry till the ginger smells good.
3. Add onions, sprinkle salt. Fry till they turn lightly golden. Don’t need to brown them.
4. Drain off the water completely from sweet potatoes and add them to the pan. Sprinkle turmeric.
5. Fry for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring evenly. Cover and cook on a low flame till they are cooked fully and turn tender. Keep stirring in between.
6. Ensure the sweet potatoes are cooked fully before sprinkling red chili powder, garam masala and little more salt. Adjust spices and salt now.
9. Stir and fry till the masala is blended well. If the sweet potatoes look too dry then you may add little oil at this stage. Do not over fry otherwise the masala gets burnt.
Garnish sweet potato stir fry with coriander leaves. This time we served it with plain rice and tamarind rasam.
Tips
I have sliced the sweet potatoes like we do for chips. This way they cook quickly and evenly. If you have a processor that can slice then do us it. You may also dice to equal sizes and use.
Keeping the chopped sweet potatoes in water is important. They absorb some moisture and don’t burn while stir frying.
Ensure you use a large wide pan to prevent them from clumping up.
I use onions here. You may skip if you don’t prefer. But caramelized onions taste good and add flavor.
Similar recipes,
baby corn stir fry
yam fry
ridge gourd stir fry
Tindora fry
ladies finger fry
Recipe card
Sweet potato stir fry
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 2 cups sweet potato sliced (250 to 300 grams)
- 1 onion chopped (refer notes)
- 1 sprig curry leaves or mint leaves/pudina
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons oil (½ tbsp more if needed to use later)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon mustard (optional)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala (adjust to taste)
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
Instructions
- Wash sweet potatoes, peel the skin and slice them and add to salted water. To make salt water add ¼ tsp salt to 3 cups water. Keep them in water for at least 15 mins.
- Add oil to a non stick and heat. Add mustard and cumin.
- When they begin to splutter, add grated ginger & curry leaves. Fry until the ginger smells good.
- Add the onions and fry until lightly golden. Drain the sweet potato slices and add them to the pan. Sprinkle turmeric.
- Fry for about 3 to 4 minutes on a medium heat, stirring often.
- Cover and cook on low flame till the sweet potatoes turn soft. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
- When the sweet potatoes are cooked fully, sprinkle salt, red chili powder and garam masala.
- Fry till the masala smells good and is blended well. You may add little more oil at this stage if the spice powders don't blend well. Do not over fry the sweet potatoes.
- Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve sweet potato stir fry with rice and rasam.
Notes
- You may skip the onions but caramelized onions in the dish taste good with amazing flavors.
- Use a wide large pan.
- Dice the sweet potatoes if you are unable to slice them.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Great, tasty recipe. I’ll definitely make this again!
Thank you so much!
Made this tonight. Didn’t have curry leaves but still turned out delicious! Thank you!
You are welcome Bincy
Thank you
Very nice and easy to cook, thank you for such nice receipe
Welcome Madhu
Short and simple method of cooking potato try , I like it
Thank you???
Hi Shamanth
You are welcome! Thank you so much!
This is an excellent recipe.
Can I add both the curry leaves and mint leaves instead of just one of them?
Hi Ivan,
Thank you! Yes you can add both.
One of the best things I’ve ever tasted! I added a ton of garlic, though, and two small regular potatoes.
Glad to know it turned out good. Thanks a lot
Very tasty sweet potato stir fry
Thank you
Dry fried sweet potato recipe – onions When do you add them. Listed ingredients, not mentioned in guidance.
Onions to be added after the ginger is sauteed. Thanks for the mention will update
thanks for a good recipe. just that the powders should be added first to the onion mixtures, as they did not mix in well if putting after the potatoes.
Welcome Connie,
I suppose if the sweet potatoes turn dry after cooking, spices powder don’t get coated well to them.I did not use a lot of oil either to cook them. But they had some moisture left due to covering while cooking. Hence it was evenly coated for me. By adding powders before frying the potatoes will burn the powder and may taste bitter.I will any how try your suggestion next time and update here.Thank you
Quick and yummy fry,nice clicks
Thanks Suja
Fry looks so good,just pass me some
Thanks JayanthiSindhiya
🙂
yummy stir fry.
Thanks Indu
🙂
Wow!! Nice and yummy recipe…
Thanks Rumana
🙂