Carrot rice

Making items just to finish the contents of the fridge is somewhat difficult, especially when my mind is focused on other things like getting clothes sorted for the trip home, making sure I have lists of what to take (and more importantly, what to bring back with me!) and so on.

Anyway, with just over a kilo of carrots to finish in the next couple of days, carrot rice inevitably found itself on the menu. It's very simple if you have the masala powder made beforehand, and the good thing is you can make extra powder that will come in handy another time. All you need to make carrot rice (apart from the carrots, haha) are a couple of onions and a tomato - items that usually are at hand in most kitchens.



Carrot rice looks pretty and can be chilli-hot and carrot-sweet at the same time - the amount of heat, of course, depending on your tolerance for chillies.



Recipe for: Carrot rice



Ingredients:

Carrots, grated - 3 cups
Basmati rice, cooked - 2 cups
Two onions, chopped fine
One tomato, chopped fine
1 tsp mustard seeds
5 curry leaves
2 tbsp carrot rice masala powder
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
2 tbsp roasted peanuts - for garnish (optional)
3 tsp oil
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a wok, add the curry leaves and mustard seeds. Cover and let the seeds pop, then add the onions and cook till they begin to turn soft.

2. Add the chopped tomato and stir, cooking till it turns soft and mushy.

3. Now put in the grated carrot and salt to taste, stirring till the ingredients are well-mixed.

4. Sprinkle two tbsp of the carrot rice masala powder and mix it into the grated carrot mixture. Let this cook for 4-5 minutes, till the carrots change colour slightly.

5. Finally add the rice and carefully mix it into the carrot masala. Let it heat through, then sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and garnish with the peanuts if using. Serve hot with any raita and salted potato crisps, pappadams or vadams.