This is my new absolute favourite way to eat carrots.
I was over at my dear friend Pem’s place (yes, the Pem who inspired my Thai Red Curry Quinoa and Kale & Lentil Dal) to make Indian food for dinner this week. We decided to revisit the Kale & Lentil Dal, adding the wonderful deeper flavours of coconut and ghee, along with some grape tomatoes. Mmmm. We also learned a crucial lesson: don’t forget the cumin, or you’ll need to add lots of pickle. Good thing we had pickle on hand.
Served with basmati rice, we needed a side salad – and these carrots, one of Pem’s family recipes, are the way to go. Thinly sliced, dressed with lime juice, then topped with a tarka (spices fried in clarified butter or oil, poured over a dish just before serving) — at once refreshing and warmly satisfying.
Carrot Koshambri (Salad)
Salad
- 3 c. grated carrots (a food processor works really well for this)
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1-2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 Tbsp. onion, finely diced
- 1 handful fresh cilantro, diced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Tarka
- 1 Tbsp. clarified butter (“ghee”)
- 1 Tbsp. mustard seeds
- 1 tsp. asafoetida (“hing”)
- 1/2 tsp. hot green chili, diced
Grate the carrots, and toss with remaining Salad ingredients.
In a small pan, melt clarified butter and add mustard seeds, asafoetida, and chili. Heat over medium heat until the mustard seeds pop. Pour the Tarka over the carrots and serve.
As Pem says, “you’ll eat as much of this as you make”, so make sure to make extra!
Kitchen Operas 
Ha! You give me far too much credit for stealing all of my relatives recipes. But I appreciate feeling famous on your blog! The photos look great! Let’s repeat soon.
xox
Pem
But if it weren’t for you, I’d still be bored with carrots 😉
Am always looking for new ways with carrots – glad to have found what looks like a good one 🙂
I love Indian food: this looks great!
This is hands down the best carrot recipe I ever made… wow! I didn’t have cilantro, green chilis or limes and used dill, aleppo pepper and lemon instead, and it was really good. Next time I’ll make sure I have all three to taste the real recipe…
SO glad you loved it — knowing that it’s a recipe you like means it’s GOT TO BE a good one!
🙂
And yes, you MUST try the real thing. Maybe next dinner party we cook Indian for you… especially if M is away?
That whole meal looks amazing! YUM!