This traditional Saraswat recipe is popular in many houses because it’s not only delicious but also easy to make, especially if you have grated coconut ready in your fridge or freezer.
Recipe credit: Darshana Muzumdar
Serves 4 people as a part of an Indian meal.
Ingredients
- 1/2 kg carrots
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1/4 (1/2 cup) coconut, grated
- 6 mild green chillies (use more or less spicy as per your preference)
- a small lime-sized ball of tamarind or juice of 1 lemon
- 2 dried red chillies (optional)
- 1 tbsp groundnut or coconut oil
Method
- Wash, peel, and cut the carrots into tiny pieces or grate them.
- Steam cook them until tender. Allow to cool.
- Grate the coconut and grind it with the green chillies (and tamarind if using it) and a little water to make a relatively fine semi-solid masala. Add this to the cooled carrots.
- Add salt and lime juice (if you haven’t used tamarind) and mix well.
- Heat oil in an iron tempering ladle and add the mustard seeds.
- Once they splutter add the curry leaves (and red chillies if using). Sauté till they are a little crisp and brown. Add this to the carrot and coconut mixture and mix gently.
Serve as an accompaniment in an Indian meal.
For the Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB) version:
- Do not peel the carrots.
- Do not use oil. Heat the iron tempering ladle and add the mustard seeds. Transfer them to the carrot and coconut mixture.
- Add the curry leaves (and red chillies if using) to the ladle and sauté till slightly brown. Add to the carrot and coconut mixture. Mix gently.