Vegetable markets have always been a source of inspiration. As I saunter through the colourful alleys of greens, reds and yellows, hundreds of ideas flood my mind and I end up buying more than required! My domestic help prefers that I do not go to the vegetable market 🙂
Last morning was no different. But this time one peculiar thing caught my eye. In one of the stalls, along with the exotic regular veggies ( sounds such an oxymoron isn’t it?) like broccoli, bell peppers, salad greens etc, from the basket popped out vibrant orange baby carrots with bright green tops! Carrots are very easily available, but baby carrots are very rarely available in Pune, unless they grow on your farm. They looked irresistible and I had to pick them up! Here is a side dish I came up with.
Ingredients
- Baby Carrots – 10-12
- Balsamic Vinegar – 2 tbsp
- Honey – 1 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Pepper – 1/2 tsp
- Dried Mixed herbs 1 tsp
- Chilli flakes – 1/2 tsp
- Lemon Zest – a pinch
- Oil – 1 tbsp
- Lettuce leaves
- Garlic cloves chopped 2-3
Do it this way :
- Remove the tops and wash the baby carrots.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add the carrots to the oil. Add all the ingredients and toss the carrots to coat. Adjust the sweet and sour balance and salt to taste. Let the carrots cook for a few minutes till slightly tender yet al dente. Serve on bed of lettuce leaves of your choice.
The balsamic vinegar adds that fruitiness and sourness to the sweet carrots. Along with the honey, it creates a nice glaze for the carrots. I had some boiled broccoli florets which I tossed in the above glaze and they also tasted absolutely delicious. Garlic powder can also be used instead of fresh garlic. Fresh herbs like oregano and thyme can also be used in place of dried herbs. Due to the small size of the carrots, they cook up pretty fast. So just make this interesting side dish just few minutes before the serving time.
