When it gets cold, the happiest thing is to hold a hot roasted sweet potato in your hands!
Sweet potatoes are also known as "longevity food"~ Besides roasted sweet potatoes, these sweet potatoes are also delicious!
Three Nutritional Highlights of Sweet Potatoes
High Potassium, Low Sodium
Sweet potatoes are a typical high potassium, low sodium food. They have a high dietary fiber content, much higher than that of tough Chinese cabbage.
High Vitamin C Content
The vitamin C content of fresh sweet potatoes is higher than that of tomatoes and apples. They are heat resistant and not easily lost during processing.
Different "Hearts", Different Nutritional Specialties
The carotene content in red and yellow heart sweet potatoes is higher, which is more beneficial for protecting vision; white heart sweet potatoes have a higher fiber content and a sugar content 4%~5% higher than that of red and yellow heart sweet potatoes, making them sweeter in taste; purple heart sweet potatoes have higher selenium and anthocyanin content, making them a true antioxidant master.
Three Things to Keep in Mind When Eating Sweet Potatoes
1. Don't forget to reduce staple foods when eating sweet potatoes.
The carbohydrate and energy content in sweet potatoes is almost equivalent to that of the same amount of rice. If you eat two ounces of sweet potatoes, you should eat less two ounces of rice. Moreover, eating too many sweet potatoes can cause a large amount of carbon dioxide gas to be produced in the gastrointestinal tract, causing bloating and belching. When eating staple foods, it is recommended to eat 100-200 grams of sweet potatoes.
2. Be cautious when eating sweet potatoes on an empty stomach.
People with weak gastrointestinal function may experience discomfort in the abdomen when eating sweet potatoes on an empty stomach, as it can stimulate the excessive secretion of gastric acid. However, for people with normal gastrointestinal function, the impact is not significant. It is best to eat them while they are still hot after being heated at high temperature. People with gastric ulcers and chronic gastritis with excessive acidity should eat them in moderation to avoid exacerbating their condition.
3. Pay attention to proper pairing when eating sweet potatoes.
Eating sweet potatoes alone may lack protein and lipids, so it is best to eat them with vegetables, fruits, and protein-rich foods to avoid nutritional imbalance. For example, when eating sweet potatoes, eating a little pork can promote the absorption of fat-soluble beta-carotene and vitamin E. You can also pair them with some savory dishes to adjust the taste and reduce gastric acid, eliminating discomfort in the stomach and intestines.
Various Delicious Ways to Enjoy Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potato and Sausage Braised Rice
Ingredients: 120g sweet potatoes, appropriate amount of sausage, 80g rice
Instructions:
Prepare the rice, sweet potatoes, and sausage.
Wash the sweet potatoes and sausages, and cut them into small pieces.
Wash the rice and put it in a rice cooker. Add the sweet potatoes and sausages.
Add salt and mix well.
Add an appropriate amount of cold water.
Set the rice cooker to the cooking mode. After the rice cooker automatically switches off, continue to let it simmer for 10 minutes before opening.
Drizzle with sesame oil and mix well before serving.
Egg-fried Sweet Potato Shreds
Ingredients: 1 sweet potato, 2 eggs
Instructions:
Peel and wash the sweet potato, and cut it into shreds.
Crack two eggs into a bowl.
Add the sweet potato shreds to the egg mixture. Add a pinch of salt and cooking wine, and stir well.
Heat a little oil in a pan, then add the sweet potato and egg mixture.
Fry over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
You can cover the pan and let it simmer for a while. The sweet potato shreds will become soft. This process takes about 5-6 minutes.
Serve on a plate and enjoy while hot! It will taste different when it cools down.
Cheese Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients: Sweet potatoes (as needed), shredded cheese (as needed), butter (as needed), white sugar (as needed), condensed milk (as needed)
Instructions:
Cook the sweet potatoes first. Cook as many as you want. It takes about 12 minutes in the microwave.
Cut them in half and scoop out the insides, leaving the skins as shells (don't scoop them completely, leave some flesh inside).
Mash the scooped-out sweet potato with butter, sugar, shredded cheese, and condensed milk (you can also use regular milk) until it becomes a paste.
Fill the sweet potato shells with the mashed sweet potato mixture and smooth the top.
Sprinkle some shredded cheese on top.
Finally, brush with egg yolk and bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
Chestnut Sweet Potato Pork Rib Soup
Ingredients: 400g chestnuts (peeled), 2 sweet potatoes, 400g pork ribs, 4 red dates, 2 slices of ginger, 8 cups of water
Instructions:
1. Wash the pork ribs and cut them into pieces. Blanch them in boiling water and set aside.
2. Peel and cut the chestnuts, peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into large pieces.
3. Wash the red dates and lightly crush them to remove the pits.
4. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add the pork ribs, chestnuts, red dates, and ginger slices. Boil for 20 minutes over high heat, then simmer for 1 hour over low heat. Add the sweet potato pieces and simmer for another 20 minutes. Season with salt and serve.
Honey Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients: 200g sweet potatoes, a little white sesame seeds, 50g rock sugar
Instructions:
Wash and peel the sweet potatoes, then cut them into small cubes about 1cm in size. Coat them with a little starch.
Heat a little oil in a pan and slowly fry the sweet potatoes until the surface turns golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
In the same pan, add rock sugar and a little water. Cook until the rock sugar melts and caramelizes. Then, add the fried sweet potatoes and shake the pan to evenly coat the sweet potatoes with the caramel. Turn off the heat, transfer to a plate, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Fried Sweet Potato Pancake
Ingredients: 400g glutinous rice flour, 270g cooked sweet potato puree, oil as needed, 40g powdered sugar, white sesame seeds as needed
Instructions:
Wash the sweet potatoes and steam them until fully cooked.
Remove the skin and mash the sweet potatoes.
Add 400g glutinous rice flour.
Add 40g powdered sugar.
Add an appropriate amount of water and mix to form a dough with a moderate dryness and wetness.
Divide the dough into small portions and roll them into round discs using a rolling pin.
Sprinkle white sesame seeds on top and press them down with your hand.
Do this for all the dough.
Heat the electric pancake griddle and brush it with oil.
Put the sweet potato pancakes on the griddle and fry over low heat until both sides are golden brown.
Sweet Potato Rice Dumpling with Condensed Milk
Ingredients: 90g glutinous rice flour, 2 spoons of condensed milk, 15g white sugar, sweet potatoes as needed, 160g water, 10g corn oil, shredded coconut as needed, 15g cornstarch
Instructions:
Pour condensed milk into a bowl and add white sugar.
Then add water and mix well.
Add sifted glutinous rice flour and cornstarch.
Mix well and put it in a pot to steam for 15 minutes until cooked through.
The sweet potato is steamed in a pot and then crushed into a round shape (it can also be cut into small pieces).
Take some steamed glutinous rice flour with your hand wrapped in plastic wrap and press it into a round shape.
Put the sweet potato filling on top and press it with your hand to form a round shape.
Then roll it in shredded coconut until evenly coated and put it on a plate.
Sweet Potato and Lotus Seed Congee
Ingredients: Sweet potatoes, lotus seeds, red dates, glutinous rice, red beans, white sugar, adzuki beans
Instructions:
Soak the red beans in water for a few hours. Rinse the red dates, adzuki beans, lotus seeds, and glutinous rice.
Put all the ingredients in a pressure cooker, add water, and close the lid. Cook on high heat for 10 minutes and then turn off the heat.
After the pressure is released, add honey before eating.
