This Satay Sweet Potato Curry is really easy to make and tastes amazing! Made with roasted sweet potatoes, spinach and chickpeas in a deliciously rich peanut butter sauce this always goes down a treat. It's great for an easy weeknight family dinner.
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Based on classic Indonesian flavours this satay-style curry is thick and creamy and packed full of flavour. The sweet potatoes are roasted before being added to the sauce, this adds a little sweetness to this curry.
I also add chickpeas and baby spinach to make this a tasty and filling dinner. This curry is mild so it's suitable for the whole family. But you can easily make it spicier if you like! This sweet potato curry is also vegan and gluten-free.
❓What is Satay?
Traditionally satay is a Southeast Asian dish of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. Indonesian satay is usually served with peanut sauce – a sauce made from peanut butter. It is also popular in many other Southeast Asian countries including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
There are many variations of satay, this satay curry is not an authentic Asian satay recipe and is a variation of traditional satay.
📝 Ingredient Notes
The full ingredient list with detailed steps can be found in the recipe card below.
- Sweet Potatoes - you will need fresh whole sweet potatoes for this recipe, I peel them before roasting.
- Chickpeas - I use canned chickpeas for this recipe, drain them and rinse them under a cold tap.
- Curry Powder - mild curry powder will give you the best results. I would avoid anything too spicy as this will overpower the curry. This is a mild curry, you can increase the spiciness by adding more chopped chilli pepper if you wish.
- Peanut Butter - you can use smooth or crunchy peanut butter, I prefer smooth peanut butter but it is a personal preference and the outcome will be the same.
- Coconut Milk - full-fat coconut milk really is best in this curry, it brings a lovely rich creaminess to the curry so please don't substitute for low-fat coconut milk.
🥣 Step By Step Instructions
1. Roast the sweet potatoes - cut the potatoes into cubes toss them in oil and roast in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.
2. Cook the onion and aromatics - heat the oil in the pan then add the onions and cook for about 15 minutes. Then add the garlic, ginger and chilli. Next, add the turmeric and curry powder and cook for a minute or two, be careful not to burn the spices here as this will make your curry bitter.
3. Add the coconut milk and peanut butter - slowly add the coconut milk, stirring all the time. Once the coconut milk has been added and the sauce is simmering stir in the peanut butter, and stir until it has melted into the sauce. Then add the soy sauce.
4. Next, add the chickpeas and lime juice and stir well. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often.
5. Once the sweet potatoes are cooked add them to the curry.
6. Finally, add the spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in the corinader/cillantro. The curry is ready once the spinach has wilted. Serve with a wedge of lime, some coriander leaves, rice and chopped peanuts.
👩🍳 Top Tips
- Coconut Milk - make sure to add the coconut milk slowly, stirring it all the time. Try not to boil the coconut milk it should be just simmering. If you boil it or add it too quickly it runs the risk of splitting.
- Cut the sweet potato into evenly sized cubes. If the potatoes are all the same size they will all cook at the same time. The smaller they are the quicker they will cook, but you don't want them too small either or they will turn to mush!
- Use fresh baby spinach. Baby spinach is milder so it is perfect in this dish. I always use fresh spinach for this dish. You can use frozen if you want but you will have to defrost it before you add it to the curry.
📖 Substitutions/Variations
- Don't like sweet potatoes? Try using butternut squash instead. In fact, any kind of squash will work in this including pumpkin!
- Swap the chickpeas - while I love chickpeas in this other beans or pulses will work well too. You could also swap the chickpeas for tofu if you prefer.
- Add more veggies - thinly sliced red bell pepper of mangetout would work really well.
🍽 What to Serve with Satay Sweet Potato Curry
We usually have this with rice, chopped peanuts, some fresh coriander and lime wedges. It's such a filling and satisfying meal that you really don't need anything else with this dish.
🍠 More Sweet Potato Recipes
We love sweet potatoes and I use them one way or another every single week. Here are some of our all-time favourites. This Jackfruit Curry with Sweet Potatoes is a delicious creamy curry that's so easy to make and the whole family loves it. My Spiced Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup is one of my favourite soups, it's filling and warming and you need just a few simple ingredients to make this soup. And if you're in the mood for a salad then my Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes salad is just the ticket, this is great as a main dish or as a side dish.
Satay Sweet Potato Curry
Ingredients
For The Roast Sweet Potatoes
- 425 g /1 lb of sweet potato peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For The Curry
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 medium onion peeled, cut in half lengthways then finely sliced
- 2 large cloves of garlic finely minced or put through a garlic press
- 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped red chilli pepper
- 2 level tbsp mild curry powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 400g / 1 x 13.6 oz can of coconut milk full-fat
- 3 tablespoon peanut butter I used smooth peanut butter with no added sugar or salt
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 lime the juice of
- 1 400g / 1 x 15ox can of chickpeas (drained weight 240g) drained and rinsed
- 80 g / 2 ½ cups of baby spinach
- A handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
For Serving
- Rice you can also serve this with brown rice or quinoa
- Chopped peanuts
- Coriander/cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
Instructions
For The Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 200C/ 392F fan assistedPlace the sweet potato cubes in a baking dish and drizzle over 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with ¼ teaspoon of sea salt and ¼ teaspoon of cracked black pepper. Toss well then roast in the oven for 15 minutes, turn the tray halfway through cooking. The sweet potato is done when you can easily skewer it with a sharp knife or until the sweet potato is cooked through.
For The Satay Curry
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking make the curry.Heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a saute pan or wok. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 15 minutes.Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for a minute.Then add 2 level tablespoons of mild curry powder and 1 teaspoon of turmeric and cook for about a minute or until you start to smell the spices.
- Now pour in the coconut milk, do this slowly and stir it into the spice and onion mixture while it is being poured in.Next, add 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, and stir this until it has melted into the sauce. Now stir in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and the juice of one lime. Add the chickpeas and simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes. Season to taste, I usually add a small pinch of salt. Stir often to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan.Once the sauce has reduced and has thickened it is then ready to have the sweet potatoes added to it.If the sauce is still too watery leave it to simmer for another 10 minutes or so,
- Once the sweet potatoes are cooked add them to the curry and stir gently.Finally, add in the spinach, and stir until the spinach is wilted. Stir in the fresh coriander (cilantro).The curry is ready when the spinach has wilted.
- Serve with sticky rice, top with chopped peanuts, coriander leaves, slices of spring onions and lime wedges.
Notes
- Sweet Potato - make sure you cut the sweet potatoes all the same size, that way they will all cook at the same time. The smaller they are the quicker they will cook.
- Spinach - I use fresh baby spinach, it is milder than regular spinach and doesn't overpower the dish. I always use fresh spinach but you can use frozen if you want. You will need to thaw it and squeeze out any excess water before you add it to the sauce.
- Storage - Any leftovers can be stored in. the fridge and should be used within 3 days. You can reheat this on the hob or in the microwave.
- Freezing - This dish can be frozen once cooled. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating on the hob. You may need to add some water to this to loosen it up.
- Nutritional Information - all nutritional information shared is an estimate based on third-party calculations. If calorie count and/or nutritional values are important to you, we recommend putting the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary depending on which brands were used. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
- Weights and measurements - For US readers, I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible for best results.
Annie
I just loved this. It had enough chilli to give it some lift and the coconut and peanut butter made for a sublime combination. I had some home-made curry powder left over from another Malay recipe and used that. I substituted Swiss chard for the spinach and it was fine.
Michelle Alston
Thank you so much, Annie. I'm glad you enjoyed it 🙂
kim
Love this recipe! It was so easy and had so much flavor! I'll be making it again for sure!
Alisha Rodrigues
I think I'm gonna make this for dinner tonight. Love the fact that it is gluten-free and Vegan, perfect for a family like mine
Marie-Charlotte Chatelain
I am a sucker for satay and having those flavors incorporated into a curry sounds like a genius idea! Must be so good with the creamy sweet potatoes!
Bry
LOVED this recipe, the whole family was impressed! It was so easy to make too thanks to your notes.