I tried purple sweet potato smoothie at Nom V Nom Cafe last year to celebrate a close friend’s birthday and I fell in love with it. When the same vegan friend and I visited the cafe again some time after, I ordered 2 bowls of creamy purple sweet potato smoothie on separate sittings after my main meal. It was heavenly!
The purple sweet potato smoothie is deliciously creamy without being too sweet. On hindsight, I could taste the natural subtle sweetness of the purple tuber as spoonful after spoonful of smoothie slipped down my throat. The sprinkle of rice puff that garnished the smoothie surface gave it some texture and was a befitting contrast to the smoothness of the purple smoothie.
How to Prepare Purple Sweet Potato Smoothie
Since I enjoyed the smoothie experience, I decided to give it a try at home. So I got a packet of Japanese sweet potato from the supermarket and placed them in a bowl of water, after scrubbing the skins. I popped the bowl into a microwave for 10 minutes. Once boiled, I drained the water and peeled each sweet potato on a chopping board.
Ingredients for sweet potato smoothie
a few purple sweet potatoes, boiled and peeled
1 cup soy milk
40g or 3 tbsp brown sugar
2 rice thin pieces, broken into bits
Method
Add purple sweet potatoes into a blender
Then, pour soy milk and add brown sugar.
Blend till smooth.
Pour the smoothie into bowls.
Break rice thins into small pieces and garnish on top.
Serve and enjoy!
Best served when chilled. You can even garnish the smoothie with blue berries or raspberries if you like. I have substituted the rice puffs with rice thins for texture. Cornflakes is another alternative for some crunch.
If the smoothie is too thick depending on the amount of sweet potato used, add a bit more soy milk until the smoothie has the desired consistency. You can also switch soy milk with almond milk for more body. If you like your smoothie a little sweeter, then add a bit more brown sugar. Play around with the amount of soy or almond milk and sugar to your liking.
Verdict
My version is darker purple in color with some course bits in it. I would recommend putting the blended mixture through a sieve for extra smoothness. Adding a bit more soy or almond milk will lighten the colour. Taste wise, the smoothie I prepared was naturally tasty with that wholesome purple sweet potato relish. The creaminess that wrapped my tongue after each spoonful was satisfying. Since I was stingy with sugar, I could have added another 20g for a little more sweetness.
Purple sweet potato is packed with nutrients and contains beta carotene which is known to improve eye health and reduce cancer risks. It is also laden with antioxidants which helps reduce inflammation.
With all that said, why not embrace the goodness of the humble purple sweet potato? Eaten on its own, added to salads, eaten in sandwiches or wraps or as smoothie, the under rated sweet potato is unquestionably tasty and filling.