this carrot salad is on virtually every moroccan table, especially on friday nights for the sabbath dinner. it is only one of many different kinds you will find in a moroccan home. while it is not really a salad in north american terms, it forms a group of cooked vegetables, called "les salades", which are flavoured with all kinds of spices and herbs and usually include olive oil and lemon juice [though not always].
it is a very nice, piquant salad which i can assure you will disappear as fast as you have made it. i often make it using baby carrots as i like the size of them and i don't have to peel and chop larger carrots. when i don't have baby ones, i use the regular sized and cut them into two inch lengths about a 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. they can also be cut into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. i like doing that on the diagonal. when cut these ways, they cook faster so keep watch!
spicy moroccan carrot salad
ingredients:
1 bag baby carrots [approx 3/4 lb]
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 -3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of a small lemon
2 tbsp chopped coriander or parsely
method:
in a bowl, add the spices and the oil and lemon juice and mix together. chop the parsely or coriander and set aside.
put a few cups of water to boil with a 1/2 tsp salt. boil the carrots over medium heat only for several minutes until they are al dente. do not over cook them. test them every few minutes with a fork. you should still meet some resistance when they are done. bite into one to test. drain them and rinse with cold water for a minute. they should still be warm when you add them to the salad ingredients so they absorb the dressing properly.
add the carrots to the salad dressing and mix well together. add the chopped herbs and remix.
now the hard part: refrigerate overnight for the flavours to mix properly. eating it before this will only give you insipid results — it really does need to rest overnight. it can be eaten cold but like most moroccan "salades", it's best when at room temperature.
it is a very nice, piquant salad which i can assure you will disappear as fast as you have made it. i often make it using baby carrots as i like the size of them and i don't have to peel and chop larger carrots. when i don't have baby ones, i use the regular sized and cut them into two inch lengths about a 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. they can also be cut into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. i like doing that on the diagonal. when cut these ways, they cook faster so keep watch!
spicy moroccan carrot salad
ingredients:
1 bag baby carrots [approx 3/4 lb]
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 -3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of a small lemon
2 tbsp chopped coriander or parsely
method:
in a bowl, add the spices and the oil and lemon juice and mix together. chop the parsely or coriander and set aside.
put a few cups of water to boil with a 1/2 tsp salt. boil the carrots over medium heat only for several minutes until they are al dente. do not over cook them. test them every few minutes with a fork. you should still meet some resistance when they are done. bite into one to test. drain them and rinse with cold water for a minute. they should still be warm when you add them to the salad ingredients so they absorb the dressing properly.
add the carrots to the salad dressing and mix well together. add the chopped herbs and remix.
now the hard part: refrigerate overnight for the flavours to mix properly. eating it before this will only give you insipid results — it really does need to rest overnight. it can be eaten cold but like most moroccan "salades", it's best when at room temperature.enjoy!
i make that a lot :)
ReplyDeletei slice it into thin rounds tho... :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a yummy looking side dish! I want to try this. My daughter is a huge carrot fan!!
ReplyDeletesarina - same things in it? hehe, i'm lazy, baby carrots are easier. i added the part about slicing them in rounds. thanx.
ReplyDeletebeenzzz - hope you like it if you do make it. it's one of my favourites. there are, however, as many recipes for this as there are cooks. ;P
Oh lovely! Everything in that salad is my favorite! Thanks for posting. I shall be making this very soon!
ReplyDeleteJust delicious!
ReplyDeleteTrupti
Great recipe....one learns something new everyday...~smile~...thanks for sharing...
ReplyDeleteThis is super!!!!! Can you pass on some of your energy over to me as well..... I am just too lazy to cook anyhting these days :)
ReplyDeleteml - sounds like you can share with your sis and neice! :)) let me know how it turns out.
ReplyDeletetrs - :^) thanks. did u guys get the deep freeze yet?!
dilip - you're very welcome. thanks for the comment.
coffee - R u need to drink more coffee :-] extra caffeinated helps! lol. move closer and i'll feed u.
Oh no!!!!! My hubby is bent on cutting down my intake of coffee..... cannot go more than what I take for sure!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBTW..... I made this and its nicely soaking inside the fridge!!!! Will have it tomorrow for lunch and then let you knwo how it was. As a variation I also added baby corn to it. And instead of boiling it, I steamed both of them.
I make a similar dish with cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, peas, green beans, sometimes together, sometimes just one veggie. The spices I use are mustard seeds, cayenne pepper and curry leaves instead of garlic, red pepper flakes and parsley. I'm give your version a try one of these days and let you know.
ReplyDelete"it is not really a salad in north american terms, it forms a group of cooked vegetables, called "les salades" - or just Kari in Tamil, which is the root word for Curry in English. The term Curry as used in Indian restaurants for any side-dish with sauce is very different from the usage of the word Kari in Tamil for any sauted vegetable, with no sauce.
coffee - hope it went well. let me know how you liked it :)
ReplyDeletevidya - yours sounds extremely good. love [brown] mustard seeds and curry leaves.
thanks for the information ...
btw, karhi as i know it, uses besan & yogurt often to make a sauce. i imagine that the northern variation (of my friend's family).