One of my oldest and most-loved recipes. I first made these shortly after I changed my diet and I’m still making them now, which says a lot about how great this recipe is! I love serving them on a big bed of arugula and avocado with a generous drizzling of tahini, olive oil and lots of lime juice; it’s a marvelous dinner. If you’re making these for a roomful of guests, try accompanying them with my Sesame Marinated Kale or Perfect Pesto Veggies.
Serves 4
4 sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons quinoa flour, buckwheat flour or brown rice flour, plus more to dust
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, crushed
handful of cilantro, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 heaping tablespoon tahini
juice of 1 lime, plus lime wedges to serve
salt and pepper
olive oil, for the baking sheet
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into bite-size chunks. Place these in a steamer and steam until they are very soft; this should take about 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (convection 400°F).
Place the steamed potatoes in a bowl and mash them with a fork until they are nearly smooth. Stir in the flour, tomato paste, garlic, cilantro, cumin, chili flakes, tahini, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix everything together. It’s a good idea to chill the mixture at this point to firm it up, but don’t worry if you haven’t got the time as it will still work fine.
Mold the mixture into 4 even cakes.
Dust the top of each cake with flour (this is what makes the outsides crispy) and place the cakes on an oiled baking sheet.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops start to turn a golden brown and the cakes are no longer sticky. Serve with lime wedges.
Kitchen Know-How
If you’re trying to eat less fish, but you’re a fish cake lover, this recipe is for you! I first made them as I was missing salmon fish cakes and they filled that void perfectly . . . in fact I actually thought they were way more delicious.