Carrot and Cumin Salad

Only have carrots in the fridge? Need a salad to go with your meal? **cough** I mean, looking for a tangy and flavourful side salad to accompany that meal? (thinking baked potatoes, Indian food, BBQ, Picnic, tacos, wraps, that new household staple Tangy Kidney Bean Curry etc) Then you have stumbled upon a goodie.

You sort of have to know in advance that you're going to make this so that the flavours have a bit of time in the fridge to bond. 30 mins will suffice, so if you make it first and then cook your dinner it'll be just fine but a few hours will do it its real justice.

I use a tool that looks like a peeler but has little jagged edges which produce perfect strings of crunchy carrot and doesn't take up any room in the kitchen drawer. A spiraliser or a proper julienne would be great too. If all you have is a peeler and a knife then just chop up your carrots any which way you like. I would say that keeping the carrots crunchy is a good idea but if you're not fussed then just grate them for a softer alternative.

I think in an ideal world you would use cumin seeds, toast them and then grind them down in a mortar and pestle BUT grab the powdered cumin you already have and enjoy the beautiful work that someone else has already done for us ;)

This is the magic little julienne peeler. You can find them really easily online. I picked this one up in the supermarket but it's cheap and will break soon enough. I know that OXO stock them but have no idea if they're better quality.

Recipe

CARROT AND CUMIN SALAD

Either be organised enough to make this salad earlier on in the day, letting it marinade for a good two hours OR make it first and stick it in the fridge while you cook your meal so it has as much time as possible to marinade. If you have cumin seeds (instead of powder) then toast them and grind them in a mortar and pestle and continue with the recipe as if it were (a more delicious) regular cumin powder.

SERVES 4+

PREP TIME 15 MINS | COOK TIME 10 MINS | TOTAL 25 MINS (+ chill time)

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp oil

1/2 kilo or 5 med-large carrots (julienned)

1/2 onion (finely chopped)

1 clove garlic (crushed)

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

METHOD

Add the carrots to a large bowl, mix in the vinegar and set aside in the fridge until later.
Fry the onions in the oil with the sugar until starting to brown.
Add in the garlic and stir for two mins.
Add in the cumin and the pepper and stir until all the cumin aromas are nicely released (2-3 mins). remove from heat.
Stir onion mix in to the carrots and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for two hours or until ready to serve. Give another quick toss before serving.