Potato Juice

Raw potato is a low calorie root with many minerals and vitamins, but it contains a resistant starch that is indigestible by human small intestines and will cause stomach pain if digest in large quantities. Juicing it may make the contents of raw potatoes acceptable to the human body and provide the good benefits of consuming them raw.

Potato Juice is high in potassium and magnesium that is beneficial for arthritis and joint pains. Its alkaline nature may also neutralize the acid in the digestive tracts and in the blood system. Also, it is a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B-6 and calcium as an anti-oxidant agent to promote growth of tissues and bones

Risks

Potato grows in soils that inherently susceptible to all bacteria such as Listeria, E. coli and Salmonella. The skin and its body may carry some of these bacteria. Then, the potato produces some toxins itself to resist against pests and pathogens. There are two toxins (steroidal glycoalkaloids - solanine and chaconine) to the human body; a high-enough level will cause diarrhea, nausea, cramping, headache. The amount of the toxins is specially high in potatoes with green skins or sprouts. Normally, it is advisable not to consume raw potatoes.

Nutrition Information

The following is for one raw potato (flesh and skin) of 3" to 4-1/4" diameter (369g):

Calories - 284(1189 kJ) & 14%
Carbohydrate - 261(1093 kJ); Fat - 2.8 (11.7 kJ); Protein - 20.7 (86.7 kJ)

Preparation

Choose 4 medium fresh potatoes.

1. Remove any damaged parts, dark spots, and sprouts.
2. Peel the potatoes.
3. Otherwise, wash the potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt, bacteria and farm chemicals; if desired, scrub slightly the potato using a coarse steel wool or plastic wool.
4. Cut the potatoes in halves or dices to use a juicer or a blender.
5. Add a little fresh water to make to juicing easier.
6. Pour the juice to a jar.
7. Wait for a few minutes to settle the starch inside the juice.
8. Drink the clear liquid.
9. The juice will change from a light yellowish or pinkish colour to a much darker colour in minutes. The taste is basically the same. The unused juice can be put in the refrigerator to drink later, though the juice will turn to a dark brown colour in a few hours.


Note: Using a blender, the potato juice can be obtained by pressing the mixture through a metal strainer or by squeezing it in a fabric bag. See the video links at the bottom of this page.

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Potato Pancake

The pulp and the precipitated white starch can be reused for cooking, for examples - as a soup ingredient or as a chewy potato pancake.

Ingredients

Squeezed pulp from 3 to 4 medium potatoes for making juice
375 ml (1.5 cup) flour
1 small onions (shredded)
6 ml (1 tsp) baking powder
8 ml (1.5 tsp) salt

Preparation

1. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl.
2. Mix the ingredients into potato pulp, and then the onions.
3. Pour some water to beat the mix a smooth batter.
4. Wait a few minute and then grease a frying pan with some vegetable oil.
5. Pour in the batter (or like placing a meat patty)
6. Fry for several minutes at medium heat.
make about 3 pancakes

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Potato Dumplings

Using a fabric bag, the pulp is drier and can be easily rolled into balls for frying or boiling

Ingredients

Squeezed pulp (460 g) from 6 large potatoes for making juice
325 ml flour
2 tbps sugar
12 ml (12 tsp) baking powder

Preparation

1. Mix all ingredients well; the pulp is often moisture enough, but a little water may be added.
2. Roll the mixture to about 10 balls of 2 inch (5 cm) diameter.
3. Boil water in a medium pot.
4. Put the dumplings one to one into the boiling water; cook for 10 to 12 minutes; the dumplings will rise to the top of the water.
5. Pour out the water and let the dumplings cool for later use.

A sweet dumpling can be made by mixing the squeezed pulp with a little of pure cane sugar and raisins. Two sauces are shown here. One uses milk to make a sauce with coconut milk, sugar, green cardaman, and a teaspoon of ginger powder, The other one uses cream to make a sauce with beet juice and sugar. Shredded coconuts are sparkled at the top.

From the idea of Swedish potato dumplings (Kroppkakor) which uses bacon and spices as filling, a non-sweet dish is displayed here - the same dumplings of the sweet recipes with sliced beets and yogurt.

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Making Potato Juice without a Juicer

Slice the potatoes to 2mm (1/8 inch) thickness and then coarsely cut the slices to about 1 cm (3/8 inch) strips. Put the cut potatoes into a blender in parts several times. Use the chopping mode first and add a little fresh water into blender to make the chopping easier. Then move from blending to puree.

There are two methods to squeeze juice from the pulp. One uses a fine metal sieve and use a large tablespoon or round spatula to press the juice. Or, the other uses a mesh fabric bag (milk bag, cheese cloth, etc.) to hand squeeze the pulp.

Youtube Video Links:

[1] How to juice without a juicer (with bag)
[2] Make vegetable juice in a blender (with bag)
[3] Healthy beet juice recipe - quick & easy to make (with sieve)
[4] How to make green juice in a blender (with sieve)
[5] Swedish Potato Dumplings