Sweet carrots are a vegetable that often enjoys an unfairly bad reputation. Knowing about its undoubted benefits, many do not like carrots because, boiled or stewed, it turns out to be "cotton" and tasteless. But properly cooked carrots have great texture, taste and aroma.
Raw carrot
The easiest way to make a delicious dish of carrots is to serve them raw. Carrots should be washed and peeled. Then you can grate it and simply eat it with powdered sugar, or add it to a fresh vegetable salad. The "ribbons" from carrots, which can be obtained by cutting a vegetable with a peeling device, look original. These ribbons will decorate any side dish. Carrots, cut into sticks, are served as an appetizer with a variety of dip sauces.
All carrots were originally purple. The usual orange color was given to the vegetable by Dutch breeders in the 16th century. They bred such a variety in honor of William of Orange.
Carrot side dishes
Fans of a healthy lifestyle prefer to eat, if not fresh carrots, then boiled or steamed. Such carrots are well suited for various side dishes. It is better to steam a small carrot, also called baby or very young root vegetables, it is better to boil old carrots. You can make delicious mashed potatoes from boiled carrots, seasoning with various spices.
It is interesting to serve boiled carrots using the original hot sauce. You will need:
- 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into slices;
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch;
- ¼ tablespoon of grated fresh ginger root;
- 2 tablespoons of butter;
- 1 tablespoon of sugar;
- ¼ a tablespoon of salt;
- ¼ cup of orange juice.
Boil the carrots cut into pieces in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Drain off the boiling water. Combine sugar, starch, salt and ginger in a saucepan, pour in orange juice, cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens. Add oil and let it dissolve. Pour the hot sauce over the carrots and serve.
Carrots can be fried like potatoes, in slices, or you can make delicious vegetable pancakes from them. Caramelized carrots turn out to be beautiful and tasty. Take:
- 3-4 carrots, cut into slices;
- 25 grams of butter;
- ½ cup brown sugar;
- 2 tablespoons of orange juice.
Melt butter in a deep frying pan, mix with sugar, add two tablespoons of orange juice. In another deep skillet, simmer the carrots for 7-10 minutes. Add caramel syrup, stir and remove from heat. Serve sprinkled with chopped fresh herbs, sesame seeds, or chopped nuts.
Carrots are stewed as part of a stew, and also baked.
Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, an essential nutrient for eye health.
Carrots in soups
Soups with carrots are tasty and elegant. Especially bright will be soups mashed potatoes and cream soups. Try this spicy carrot and ginger soup. You will need:
- 4 peeled carrots;
- 1 head of onion;
- a piece of fresh ginger root 2 centimeters long;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 1 liter of broth;
- vegetable oil for frying.
Grate the carrots on a fine grater. Fry the onion, chopped garlic and grated ginger in a deep saucepan. Add the carrots, cook for another 3-5 minutes, then add the hot chicken or vegetable broth and cook for another 30 minutes over medium heat. Cool slightly and purée with a blender. Serve with fresh herbs, a spoonful of heavy cream, natural yogurt, or sour cream.
Sweet carrot dishes
The natural sweetness of carrots is great in desserts. Carrots are used to make cakes, muffins, and fragrant halva. For carrot muffins you will need:
- 3 tablespoons of butter;
- ¾ cups of wheat flour;
- ½ teaspoon of cinnamon;
- 1 teaspoon of ground ginger;
- ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg;
- 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- ½ glass of sugar;
- 1 chicken egg;
- 2 finely grated carrots;
- ¼ glasses of sour cream.
Combine all the liquid ingredients - butter, egg, sour cream - and sugar in one bowl. In another bowl, combine all the herbs and flour. Combine the ingredients, stirring gently with a spoon, and add the grated carrots. Divide the dough into muffin tins and bake in an oven preheated to 170 ° C for 20-30 minutes.
