spiced carrot mash
Mashed carrots might be my new favorite side! Wow. This recipe from Ottolenghi’s book Flavor is well worth the time and effort. Don’t be put off by the long ingredient list.
Ingredients
1-2 red chiles, finely sliced into rounds (seeded for less heat)
4.5 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon superfine sugar
1lb 12 oz/800g (about 8 carrots), peeled and roughly chopped into 3/4 inch/2cm pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
1/4 oz/5g fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon medium curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1.5 teaspoon lime juice
1 green onion, trimmed and julienned
1/4 cup/5 g mint leaves, finely shredded
Creating the Magic!
Put the chiles, vinegar and sugar into a small bowl with 1/4 teaspoon salt, massage together and set aside to pickle for 30 minutes.
Steam carrots for around 25 minutes or until you can cut them easily with a knife.
While the carrots are steaming, put the butter, ginger, cumin and fennel seeds and a generous pinch of salt into a small saucepan on medium heat. Cook gently for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the butter begins to foam and turns light brown and the seeds become fragrant. Set aside until ready to serve (You may need to gently reheat before plating).
Put the carrots into the bowl of a food processor with the olive oil, curry power, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of salt and blitz for about 1 minute (longer if you want it completely smooth).
Spoon the mash onto a large plate, creating dips with the back of the spoon. Drizzle with the butter, ginger, and seeds, followed by the lime juice. Drain the pickled ginger chiles well and scatter them over the mash. Finish with the green onion and mint and serve warm. Enjoy!