Indian-Style Stir-Fried Spiced Carrots Recipe

Updated April 06, 2021

If you're bored of just steamed carrots or crunchy carrot sticks, this is a deliciously different way take advantage of the bright sweet carrots in the market right now. This simple stir-fried carrot dish can be eaten warm as a side dish or cool as a salad. Its use of spices—curry leaves, mustard seeds, turmeric, red chili powder, and green chilies—is minimal, and they don't overwhelm the carrots' earthy flavor.

In Indian cuisine, carrots get transformed into a variety of dishes, so this is just the beginning. Keep an eye out for a future recipe on the carrot-based Indian dessert Gajar Ka Halwa.

Serious Entertaining: An Indian Buffet

Recipe Details

Indian-Style Stir-Fried Spiced Carrots Recipe

Active 10 mins

Total 20 mins

Serves 2 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil (preferably coconut oil but any vegetable oil is okay)
1 teaspoon whole yellow mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
1 small red onion sliced (about 1/2 cup)
2 small green chiles silt lengthwise
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon red chile powder
2 cups carrots, peeled, split lengthwise, and cut on a bias into 1/4-inch slices
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons grated coconut

Directions

Heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering in a heavy bottomed lidded saucepan. Reduce heat to medium, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Stand back and stir as they splutter and release their fragrance, about 1 minute. Add the onions and chilies and stir fry until onions are softened but not brown, about 2 minutes.
In quick succession add turmeric and chili powder and let them color the oil, stirring vigorously so as not to burn the spices, about 30 seconds. Add the carrots and salt and stir until combined into the oil and onion paste. Add water and close with lid. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until carrots are tender and water has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Garnish with coconut and serve warm as a side dish or cool as a salad.

Special equipment

heavy bottomed lidded saucepan

This Recipe Appears In

Serious Entertaining: An Indian Buffet

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
189	Calories
9g	Fat
26g	Carbs
3g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories	189
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g	12%
Saturated Fat 7g	36%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 268mg	12%
Total Carbohydrate 26g	10%
Dietary Fiber 7g	26%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 64mg	320%
Calcium 84mg	6%
Iron 2mg	10%
Potassium 628mg	13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.