INTERESTING CAMOTE RECIPES
By: Felix B. Daray, (published in the Agriculture Magazine, March 2011 issue of the Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp.)
CHEAPER AND MORE NUTRITIOUS than rice, sweet potato or camote can be prepared into interesting recipes.
The tops of the native purple for instance are good for salad and the wter used in cooking the tops can be made into juice. These are very easy to pepare. Here’s how.
CAMOTE SALAD
- Remove the boiled tops and set aside to cool.
- Mix it with sliced ginger, onion, and tomatoes with tuba venigar.
- Mix it with bagoong or ginamos to taste.
Camote tops are also an ingredient in tinulang isda or pork sinabaw. The tubers, on one hand, are a good substitute for rice. In fact to save rice, in rural areas the tubers are chopped and cooked with rice. Boholanos call this meal saksak.
CAMOTE JUICE WITH CALAMANSI
- Strain the water used in boiling the camote tops.
- Transfer the stock in a container and add calamansi juice and sugar to taste.
- Rrefrigerate and serve cool.
The juice turns purple-violet when the calamansi is added. Green camote tops can be used, too.
In terms of nutritional value, sweet potato is rich in calories and vitamins A and C. It also contains carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, sodium, folic acids, calcium, manganese, potassium, and vitamins B6 and E.
On production, camote is easier to grow than rice. It can be planted in backyards without applying fertilizers.J
