Sweet Potato-Corn Cakes With Pistachio-Yogurt Sauce

By Nik Sharma

Published Sept. 29, 2020

Sweet Potato-Corn Cakes With Pistachio-Yogurt Sauce
Nik Sharma for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(89)
Comments
Read comments

Sweet potato and sweet corn are combined with curry leaves and spices in these savory cakes, meant to be served alongside a creamy pistachio-yogurt sauce. For best results, you’ll want to get as much liquid out of the ingredients: Salting the sweet potatoes helps, as does using fresh eggs. (If your eggs are a bit old, place them in a fine-mesh sieve over a small bowl to drain the watery part.) And don’t skip blanching pistachios to get rid of their skins, or they’ll retain their bitterness. These cakes are best eaten straight off the pan, paired with plain rice, or tucked into sandwiches drizzled with the pistachio-yogurt sauce, but leftovers can be reheated in the oven. 

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Ingredients

Yield:16 (3-inch) cakes

    For the Cakes

    • 2large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and grated
    • Kosher salt
    • 1cup fresh corn kernels (from 1 whole ear corn) or frozen kernels, thawed and drained
    • 1cup all-purpose flour
    • 1shallot, peeled and minced
    • 12 to 15curry leaves, chopped
    • 1½teaspoons garam masala
    • 1teaspoon red-pepper flakes, such as Urfa or Maras
    • ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 2large eggs, lightly whisked
    • Neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed, for frying

    For the Pistachio-yogurt Sauce

    • ½cup shelled, unsalted pistachios
    • 1cup plain Greek yogurt
    • 2scallions, ends trimmed and discarded
    • 2tablespoons lime juice
    • 1teaspoon honey or maple syrup
    • 1garlic clove, peeled
    • ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • Kosher salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)

274 calories; 20 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 295 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the cakes: In a large bowl, toss the grated sweet potatoes with 1 teaspoon salt. Let sit, covered, for 30 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    As the sweet potatoes sit, prepare the sauce: Set a pot of water to boil, and cover the pistachios with an inch of boiling water. Let sit for 30 minutes, until the skins turn soft and easily peel off by rubbing. Discard the skins and the water.

  3. Step 3

    Place the pistachios in a blender or the bowl of a food processor with the yogurt, scallions, lime juice, honey, garlic and black pepper. Pulse for a few seconds until combined. Season to taste with salt. Set aside. (Sauce can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container.)

  4. Step 4

    Squeeze the grated sweet potatoes and discard the liquid. To the same large bowl, add the corn, flour, shallot, curry leaves, garam masala, red-pepper flakes and black pepper. Season with salt. Add the whisked eggs, and mix to combine.

  5. Step 5

    Divide the mixture into 16 equal parts, and shape each one into a 3-inch disk.

  6. Step 6

    Lightly oil a cast-iron or nonstick skillet and heat over medium-low. When the oil shimmers, cook the cakes in batches, 3½ to 4 minutes per side, until golden brown and slightly caramelized. Serve warm with the pistachio-yogurt sauce.

Ratings

4 out of 5
89 user ratings
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Comments

Bernice K

What’s a substitute for curry leaves?

Julia

Lovely light fall dinner served over greens, although a fried egg on top might have been nice too. I zested two limes as a substitute for the curry leaves. Used sour cream instead of Greek yogurt for the sauce. I have a ton of leftover sauce, but it was delicious so will use it on salads or eggs this week.

Hannah

In her cookbook, Indianish, NYT Cooking contributor Priya Krishna suggests two substitutes for curry leaves: lime leaves, or, much easier to find, black mustard seeds, "which are often toasted in oil along with curry leaves." Both curry leaves and black mustard seeds, she writes, "add punch and a piquant bite."

Vika

This was tasty. Used white whole wheat flour. Curry leaves add a delicious flavor. Reheated the leftovers in the toaster oven and they still tasted great.

CF

A good replacement for curry leaves, in terms of flavour, is fenugreek (ground seeds or dried leaves).

Sheila

These are really delicious. I doubled the eggs and just made giant cakes the size of my nonstick pan instead of fussing around with shaping individual patties. I also successfully hid the remains of a rutabaga in them.

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