This perennial winter crop of Bengal is known as kesaru or miskri kand in Bihar. It is commonly called “Shankalu” or “Sankesh alu” in West Bengal, Assam and Odisha. Shankh means conch and alu means potato, referring to its pearly white flesh, which is offered during Saraswati Puja in late January. Goddess Saraswati, symbolized by purity and white offerings, is often offered white sweets, bananas, and shankalu.
Those who do not know the taste or name of Shankhalu, Mexican turnip, jicama, or yam bean often guess it to be Asian pear because of its fresh sweetness and crunchiness, or water chestnut because of its white woody texture. It is a root vegetable like potato, though less starchy and juicier. This refreshing, crispy, ice-white root can be eaten raw or cooked in a variety of sweet and savory dishes worldwide. Yam bean is native to Mexico and Central America and is also grown in China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and the South Pacific islands.
Crunchy Yam Bean Shankhalu Snacks
- Yam bean is very easy to eat or cook. Its thin papery skin can be peeled off easily. It can be eaten fresh or simply dusted with salt and chili powder. A spicy diced snack seasoned with salt, lemon or lime juice, and chili powder makes a wonderful party food.
- Jícama pairs well with chili powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish, and soy sauce. It is also used in soups and stir-fried dishes.
- It can be cut into wedges and dipped in salsa as a healthier alternative to corn chips. In Mexico it is popular in salads, fruit combinations, soups, and cooked dishes.
- Jícama has also become popular in Vietnamese cuisine as an ingredient in pies.
- In the Philippines, jícama is known as singkamas and is eaten fresh with rice vinegar and salt or with shrimp paste. It also mixes well with fruits, vegetables, poultry, meat, and seafood.
- In Indonesia, it is served like a Malayan salad with rujak sauce made from palm sugar, tamarind, shrimp paste, chili peppers, and sautéed peanut paste.
Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 5 min | Total time: 10 min
Yield: Medium bowl | Serving size: 2 servings | Calories per serving: 50
Ingredients
- Shakalu (yam bean) 200 g
- Rock salt
- Red chili powder
- Chaat masala
- Green chutney (coriander leaves, lemon juice, green chili, rock salt, slight sugar) paste
- Red chutney (tamarind, jaggery, red chili powder) as required
Directions
Wash the yam bean in cool running water and peel off the skin. Discard other plant parts. Cut the flesh into cubes or slices as desired. Add rock salt, chaat masala, green chutney, and red chutney and serve.
Pachyrrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama, belongs to the legume family Fabaceae. It is crisp and mild in flavor and may resemble mung bean sprouts when sliced. Common names include Mexican water chestnut, Mexican turnip, sengkwang, and yacon.
Healthy Fruit Path
Jícama is high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber. It is composed of about 86–90% water and contains only trace amounts of protein and fat. Its mild sweetness comes from oligofructose inulin, a natural prebiotic fiber. Jícama is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, while being a good source of potassium and vitamin C.
It is one of the finest sources of dietary fiber, especially oligofructose inulin, a soluble fiber that acts as a zero-calorie carbohydrate. Since inulin does not metabolize inside the human body, the root becomes an ideal snack for diabetics and dieters.
Fresh yam bean tubers are also rich in vitamin C, providing about 20 mg per 100 g. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps the body fight harmful free radicals and supports immunity.
It also contains small amounts of valuable B-complex vitamins such as folates, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, and thiamin.
In contrast to the edible root, the rest of the jícama plant is toxic.
The cultivation of potatoes is now widespread in Bengal, but several native root crops were traditionally grown in homestead lands and harvested after a year. Sweet potatoes existed in two forms: red (ranga alu) and white (dhola alu), including shankalu. These species were regularly cultivated in fields.
