Written By: Upneet Pansare | Updated : September 17, 2018 11:18 AM IST
Ever tried cooking with sweet potato leaves? © Shutterstock
Sweet potato or shakarkandi is popular across India. Sweet potato curry, sweet potato halwa, sweet potato chaat and roast sweet potato are some of the most popular dishes made in the country. But what most of us don't know is that the leaves of sweet potato are highly nutritious too. Sweet potato leaves are used in cooking in some parts of India, Asia and Africa.
According to a study conducted by the School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, the ascorbic acid content was high in young leaves of sweet potato (108 to 139 mg/100 g fresh weight).
Besides this, the mature leaves of sweet potatoes contained high riboflavin and vitamin B6 content (0.22 to 0.43 mg and 0.52 to 0.58 mg, respectively). The study notes that water-soluble vitamins, including ascorbic acid and B vitamins, are essential compounds for adequate functioning of the human body as they play important roles as coenzymes in a wide variety of metabolic reactions that sustain life. Ascorbic acid also has antioxidant properties that may protect the human body against free radical damage. The mature leaves contain higher amounts of riboflavin than young leaves and other plant tissues, including roots. A portion of 85 g of cooked sweet potato leaves can provide 15% of the daily intake requirements for an adult and nearly 30% for a child.
Sweet potato leaves are widely consumed in some countries because they are a source of protein, essential amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibre, notes the study. Sweet potato foliar tissues or leaves have shown significantly higher contents of certain water-soluble vitamins as compared with the roots.
You can cook sweet potato leaves like any other green leafy vegetables like spinach. Make sure you pick leaves off the stem. You can even include some tender parts of the stem for cooking. One of the best ways to cook sweet potatoes is in the form of a stir fry or dry sabzi. All you need to do is heat oil in a pan and saut some chopped ginger, garlic and onion in it. Then add the washed leaves and let them cook. Add seasoning. Once the leaves are cooked, take them away from the flame. Serve with roti.
