Carrot Rice

Carrot rice is a dish made all over the globe, oftentimes including warming spices, dried fruit, and some sort of nut. In my variation, I love adding fresh ginger and chili for heat, aromatic spices such as cumin, cinnamon, clove, and star anise for flavor, in addition to a big squeeze of fresh lime juice and a showering of cilantro for brightness. To provide some sweetness, I love using dried currants (but you could certainly use raisins) and for added texture and crunch, toasted cashews pair beautifully with the final dish. Lastly, an ample amount of shredded carrots offer a lovely pop of color and great flavor. The end result is a vibrant dish that presents beautifully and will pair nicely with your desired choice of protein.

PREPPING THE INGREDIENTS

This recipe calls for many fresh ingredients such as bay leaves, chilies, ginger, and garlic but you could absolutely use their dried counterparts: ground ginger, crushed red pepper flakes or chili powder, garlic powder, and dried bay leaves will still work nicely.

When it comes to the rice, I definitely recommend a long grain, white basmati as it has a fantastic texture and pairs perfectly with all of the flavors. A pinch of ground turmeric, in addition to the shredded carrots, provide that beautiful color. Lastly, if you are not a fan of cilantro, green onions or even fresh basil or mint would be a great garnish.

SAUTÉ THEN BAKE

The method for this carrot rice is to start by sautéing the aromatics on the stovetop and then cooking the rice by baking it in the oven. If you are a longtime reader of the blog, you know that I am obsessed with baking rice and it is the only way I cook it. There is something about baking the rice in a tightly sealed vessel that results in a delightful texture. For this recipe, because the foundation of the rice is sautéed onions, garlic, carrots, spices, along with chilies, bay leaves, and rice vinegar, all of that flavor is infused into each and every grain.

TOASTING THE CASHEWS

You can use already toasted cashews if that is all you have, but if you are starting with raw, I suggest pan-toasting them in a skillet, dry (with no oil). Cook them over medium-high heat, shaking the pan every so often, until you see some color. Then set them aside to cool and they will become super crunchy. If you don’t want to use cashews, I think blanched almonds or sunflower seeds would also work very well.

IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE, CHECK OUT THESE:

Easy Baked Rice

Curried Rice Salad

Red Beans & Rice

Carrot Rice

mississippivegan Carrot rice is a dish made all over the globe, oftentimes including warming spices, dried fruit, and some sort of nut. In my variation, I love adding fresh ginger and… Recipes rice dish, side European Print This

Serves: 4 to 6 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes 40 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

Carrot Rice 

¼ cup avocado or sunflower oil 
1 cup finely chopped onion
10 ounces shredded carrots (3 medium carrots)
2 tablespoons minced or finely grated ginger (1 thumb-sized piece)
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper 
1 teaspoon ground cumin 
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
Pinch ground clove (optional)
1 star anise pod 
2-4 fresh (or dried) bay leaves
1-2 hot chilies or big pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 
2 cups white basmati rice
2 ½ cups water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Add ins

1 cup raw cashews
1 cup dried currants or raisins
1 large, juicy lime, cut into wedges 
1 very large handful cilantro, chives, or basil, roughly chopped (optional)
Flaky salt, to taste (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the oven: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450°F.

Sauté the aromatics: Place a large, oven-safe dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the onions, carrots, and ginger. Mix well and cook for 8 minutes, until juicy stirring every so often. Then add the salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, clove (if using), star anise, bay leaves, chilies (or red pepper flakes) and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, mixing often, until fragrant.

Rinse and add the rice: Rinse the rice thoroughly using a fine-mesh strainer. (The water should run close to clear but not completely.) Transfer the rice to the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and mix well. Toast the rice with the aromatics for an additional 5 minutes, stirring every so often. Then add the water and rice vinegar. Stir well. Cover with lid (or foil) and transfer to the oven.

Bake the rice: Bake the rice for 30 minutes. Depending on your oven, you might need to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the rice is tender and fully cooked. (While the rice bakes, you can toast the cashews and gather the other garnishes.)

Toast the cashews: While the rice is baking, add the cashews to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dry toast for 5-6 minutes, tossing every so often, until fragrant and golden. Transfer the toasted cashews to a cutting board and let cool for 10 minutes, then roughly chop (or you can leave whole, if desired).

Fluff and transfer the rice: When the rice is done baking, remove from the oven and fluff with a fork. Remove the bay leaves and star anise pod. Add the currants and give it a good stir. Crack the lid over top and let sit for 10 minutes. Then, transfer the rice to a large serving platter or shallow bowl.

Garnish and serve: Shower the rice with the toasted cashews and cilantro. Then squeeze over the lime juice and serve. Sprinkle over some flaky salt if you got it!

notes

For the carrots, use the medium-sized holes on a box grater to achieve the texture you'll need for this dish.

If you have a cashew allergy, you can use toasted sunflower seeds or almonds.

This dish keeps well in the fridge. To re-heat, simply stir-fry it with a splash of water until thoroughly warmed.

Food styling, photography, recipe, and text by Timothy Pakron