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Slatit Batata Helwa

In this Moroccan salad, the curious mix of sweet and spicy is quite delicious. It is nice as it is but you may add, if you like, a handful of black olives, the chopped peel of a preserved lemon (see page 459), and a tablespoon of capers.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/2–3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon harissa (page 464) or a good pinch of chili pepper
Juice of 1/2–1 lemon
2 teaspoons honey
Salt
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley or cilantro

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Boil the sweet potatoes in just enough water to cover. Stir in the ginger, cinnamon, harissa or ground chili pepper, lemon juice, honey, and salt, and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender, turning them over once and being careful not to let them overcook and fall apart. The sauce should be reduced to a thick syrupy consistency. If it is not, lift out the potatoes with a slotted spoon into a serving dish and reduce the sauce further by boiling.

    Step 2

    Just before the end of cooking, stir in the oil and the parsley or cilantro.

    Step 3

    Serve cold.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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