Fried sweet potatoes make a very simple Singaporean snack food, delicious hot or cold, on their own or dipped in a chilli sauce. Use a potato about 5cm/2” in diameter, or cut the slices in half if bigger.

Ingredients

• 350 g sweet potato, skin on, cut into 1/2 cm slices ( a bit thinner possibly, but no thicker)

• For the batter: 220ml water mixed with 170g gram flour, 1 tbsp each of garam masala, garlic powder (optional) and salt, 1 tsp cayenne

• vegetable oil for frying

Recipe

1. Heat oil in a wok or pan to a depth of about 5cm.

2. Coat the slices in the batter - it should be thick enough to coat them so you can’t see their colour, but not really solid. Add a little extra water if necessary.

3. Drop a tiny amount of batter in the oil - if it cooks in a few seconds it should be hot enough.

4. Cook a few slices at a time until golden brown, turning over occasionally.

5. Drain on kitchen paper before serving.

Cook’s notes

• The oil can be reused for frying onions if it is not too dark. Make sure you drain off any bits of batter floating around.