Serves 4, recipe by Dr Sue Radd
This superb cold potato salad provides an abundance of antioxidants from the carotenoids and polyphenols that provide its striking colours. Polyphenols are also known to slow carb digestion in the gut, which is helpful to reduce blood glucose spikes. Sweet potato (rather than rice) was a staple food in the traditional Okinawan diet. Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan known for the longest, disability-free life expectancy in the world. During times of food scarcity, the people in Okinawa ate sweet potato for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
Ingredients
280 g (10 oz) (about 1 small) orange sweet potato
280 g (10 oz) (about 1 small) Okinawan sweet potato (cream skin and violet flesh)
250 g (9 oz) (about 2 medium) Congo potatoes (purple skin and violet flesh)
½ small onion, finely sliced
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
⅛ cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
½ teaspoon salt
Method
Prepare a large steamer. Scrub potatoes with a potato brush under running water, then chop into medium-sized chunks (approximately 5 centimetres/2 inches). Place into the steamer and cook for 25–30 minutes until tender, testing the different types with the point of a sharp knife and removing as cooked. Note: cooking time will vary depending on the type and size of the potato chunks. Place in fridge for rapid cooling (approximately 1 hour). This step can also be done a few days in advance.
Peel cooled cooked potatoes, then cut them into bite-sized pieces and place them in a serving bowl. Add onion and parsley.
Place olive oil, vinegar, mustard and salt in a small glass jar, and shake vigorously until emulsified. Pour over potato pieces and gently toss until all ingredients are well coated with dressing. Serve as a side dish. Leftovers can be refrigerated for several days.
Note: Recipe is unsuitable for freezing.
Extracted with permission from Food as Medicine−Diabetes written by Dr Sue Radd, published by Signs Publishing. Photography Dominique Cherry.
