In India, carrots are more often used raw in salads, as crisp pickle spears or in sweet halvas than as a cooked vegetable. They are brilliant orange-red roots, harvested both young and sweet or oversized as giants. Most Americans have three choices: baby carrots 2–3 inches (5–7.5 cm) long, medium-sized carrots and large tapered carrots with a fibrous core. You can use any of them with slightly different preparation.
- Baby Carrots: Finger-thick babies require little preparation: simply trim the ends and slice in half lengthwise.
- Medium Carrots: To prepare medium-sized carrots, peel and trim the ends and slice on the diagonal about 0.5 inch (1.5 cm) thick.
- Mature Carrots: When dealing with mature carrots, peel, trim the ends, slice in half lengthwise and remove the core (insert a small pointed knife beneath the core at the thick end of the carrot and pry the core free). Cut the hollow carrots on the diagonal into 0.5-inch (1.5 cm) lengths.
I first had this dish while traveling through the Punjab. It was prepared in an alkaline Himalayan sparkling water, and terrific, though still water or water with a lemon or apple juice yields an equally flavorful cardamom glaze. For a typically North Indian lunch, accompany with a second contrasting-textured vegetable, say Simple Potato and Green Pea Stew. To round out the menu, add a dal such as Fennel-Flavored Urad Dal Soup, steamed rice and Crackling-Crispy Dal Wafers.
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20–40 minutes Serves: 4 or 5
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (455 g) carrots (about 30 baby carrots, 6–8 medium-sized, or 4–5 large), cut as described above
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) ghee or unsalted butter, divided
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) brown sugar or maple syrup
- 0.25 tsp (1 ml) turmeric
- 0.5 tsp (2 ml) coarsely crushed cardamom seeds
- 0.5 tsp (2 ml) ground coriander
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) orange or apple juice
- 0.67 cup (160 ml) still or sparkling mineral water
- 0.5 tsp (2 ml) salt
- 0.125 tsp (0.5 ml) freshly ground pepper or cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) coarsely chopped fresh coriander or minced fresh parsley
- 1 tsp (5 ml) fresh lime or lemon juice
- 0.25 tsp (1 ml) freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Place the prepared carrots in a single layer in a roomy skillet or sauté pan. Add 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the ghee or butter, the sweetener, turmeric, cardamom seeds, ground coriander, orange or apple juice, water, and salt.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the carrots are tender. This can take as little as 20 minutes for young carrots or up to 40 minutes for older ones.
- When almost all of the water has evaporated, uncover the pan. Increase the heat and rapidly boil off the remaining liquid, shaking the pan frequently to keep the carrots from sticking.
- Once the carrots are coated with a shiny glaze, remove the pan from the heat. Add the remaining 1 tbsp (15 ml) of ghee or butter, the pepper or cayenne, and the fresh coriander or parsley. Shake the pan to mix the ingredients.
- Just before serving, toss the carrots with the fresh lime or lemon juice and the grated nutmeg.
