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Who could’ve thought that the humble looking carrot would lend itself so perfectly to roasting and yet retain its inherent sweetness? This root vegetable is a good source of fibre, with one medium sized carrot providing about two-three grams. The carrot also ranks low on the glycemic (GI) index which means that it is great for diabetic patients. The GI is lowest for raw carrots and slightly higher for cooked ones.
Carrots comprise water and carbs and taste great in stews and soups. Adding shredded or grated carrots to salads and soups or baby carrots munched with a variety of dips like hummus are a big favourite for those trying to lose weight. They taste just as well in delicacies such as gajar ka halwa, a favourite of many in India, particularly in the winter months. One can also try carrot juice or make carrot juliennes mixed with shredded cabbage as a side dish. In this dish which roasts carrots in maple syrup and soy sauce, the carrots are kept whole while being cooked. The recipe is simple as its effective when it comes to retaining the goodness of this root vegetable.
Origin
The carrot comes in several colours including purple, white yellow, although the popular ones are available in either red, black or orange shades. These are all domesticated forms of Daucus Carota, which is native to Southwest Asia. All these colours are imbued with various levels and types of anti-oxidants. Red, which are the most popular, carrots contain lycopene, while the yellow ones have lutein. The Orange carrots are high in beta carotene while the purple ones are rich in anthocyanins. The Vitamin A in carrots protects the DNA from damage.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Servings: 3 - 4 servings
Ingredients:
• 500 gms – peeled baby carrots
• 1½ tbsp – dark soy sauce
• ½ tbsp Maple syrup
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tbsp – red chilly powder
• 6 garlic cloves – roughly crushed
• ½ lemon juice
• 1 tbsp - olive oil
Method:
• Wash and peel the baby carrots
• In a bowl take dark soy sauce
• Add maple syrup
• Add chilly powder
• Add salt to taste
• Add roughly crushed garlic cloves
• Add lemon juice
• Add olive oil
• Add the carrots
• Mix all the ingredients really well. Emulsification with oil takes a couple of minutes. And the carrots have to be well coated
• Heat a thick bottomed pan
• Pour the mixture into it
• Cook till the carrots are soft
• Continue to roast the carrots on stovetop or roast them in a preheated oven at 200 degrees centigrade
• Garnish with some fresh cilantro
• Serve hot
