Sweet potato attraction

The local name for sweet potato (ubi in Javanese) is often a source of misunderstanding among Indonesians. Years ago, my late mother in-law (who then lived in North Sumatra) asked me if I could prepare kolak ubi kayu — sweet potato roots in a coconut milk sauce.

I made a porridge using red sweet potatoes, but my mother-in-law asked why I did not use the ubi kayu she was asking for. I was surprised and replied that I used ubi for the kolak.

“But in Medan, this is ubi kayu,” she said, pointing at cassava roots.

We laughed at such misunderstanding. Later whenever one of my in-laws asked for ubi, I always asked, “What kind of ubi? Ubi kayu [cassava] or ubi jalar [sweet potato]?”

The sweet potato has acquired many names, even in Peru, which is said to be its place or origin. A friend from Lima called the sweet potato camote, but other Peruvians call it apichu.

A sweet potato dish: courtesy of Suryatini N. Ganie

The sweet potato, which has been grown since approximately 750 B.C., serves as a Peruvians staple. My Peruvian friend was pleasantly surprised on hearing that Indonesia’s eastern province of Papua also consumes sweet potatoes as a staple, which they call hepare.

After arriving in the Philippines several centuries ago, the ubi, or camote, must have thrilled the Filipino sweet tooth. One of the most popular varieties of sweet potato is the aubergine, which is made into a sweet ice cream called ube — the Tagalog term for sweet potato. The delicious ube ice cream is made by boiling 4 cups of water or 1 liter milk and adding 500 grams of sugar and 2 cups of steamed, finely mashed purple ube. Mix the combination thoroughly, then cool, and finally freeze.

The Spaniards call sweet potato batatas. “We call it batata too,” a friend from Minahasa (North Sulawesi) said, pointing out that batatas is one of the main ingredients in her special Bubur Manado, a local variety of porridge.

In Malingping, Banten, sweet potatoes have different shape from the ones found in Central Java, but it has an elongated form and is unusually sweet. The best way to enjoy them is to place them in hot ash until they turn soft and aromatic, said a friend in Malingping.

The sweet potatoes in Banten are different from those found in Papua. According to one researcher, the ethnic Dani of Papua has vast knowledge of sweet potato cultivation. They are knowledgeable about the different types of sweet potato and are able to sort out which variety is best for human consumption and which is better for livestock.  

Each region in Papua has its own name for sweet potatoes. The Dani people mostly prepare sweet potato in the bakar batu style, by putting the sweet potatoes in a 70 to 80-centimeter hole lined with leaves, filled with burning pine wood and hot stones and covered with grass to keep the heat from escaping.

Many locals include other staple ingredients, such as hom (taro). Some researchers believe that the sweet potato prepared by the Dani in the Baliem Valley has the best flavor.

But in southern Kalimantan, where the color of the sweet potato is mostly either purple or a light orange-yellow, people prefer it steamed or fried.

Popular sweet snacks enjoyed in the morning or at tea time include biji salak or cendil, which are made from orange colored sweet potatoes (called ubi merah), which are found in many regions throughout Indonesia. I was once told that biji salak is formed as a uniquely pointed elongated roll, while cendil resembles marble.

In Central Java, biji salak (snakeskin fruit) porridge is one among a variety of popular porridges that includes bubur sumsum (made from fine rice flour), bubur ketan hitam (black glutinous rice) and kolak pisang (banana kolak). These porridges are normally served at family gatherings or parties.

To prepare the delicious and aromatic biji salak, mix one liter of cold water with 150 grams of supermarket brand tapioca meal and finely mashed steamed red sweet potatoes. Knead the mixture for 4-5 minutes and shape the mash into 2-centimeter-long roles and place them in 1 liter of boiling water. Remove the rolls from the boiling water after they begin to float, and serve them in coconut milk sweetened by pandanus leaf and brown sugar.

Fried white sweet potatoes are a popular street-side traditional breakfast in the Greater Jakarta area. Most of Jakarta’s sweet potatoes come from Bantar Jaya village in Bogor, a vendor in Pasar Bata Putih said.

Popular ubi is also found in Depok and Bogor, where people consider sweet potato from the hilly Cilembu region the best.

Although there are many varieties of sweet potatoes, we can break them down into three types: ones that become glutinous after boiling, those that are watery and those with a fibrous texture.

You may have enjoyed delicious sweet potatoes in Peru, Mexico, France or Spain. But, please taste Indonesia’s sweet potatoes. When looking for a tasty snack, peel, slice and fry a sweet potato, and top it off with honey. It is comparable to the Peruvian ceviche.