Coconut caramelized carrots
I’m not a fan of carrots. I tried them every stage of my life in many different forms - raw, steamed, roasted, even the little carrot pieces in Campbell’s Chicken & Rice. Didn’t like it.
Then I saw a recipe for carrots glazed in butter and sugar and I fell in love. The tender carrot, the glossy sauce.
We make this version with some flavors inspired by some Thai flavors: canned coconut milk, brown sugar, garlic and fish sauce (The fish sauce is optional and a kosher salt substitute will work perfectly fine here). We’re also caramelizing the carrots here so that there’s a beautiful crunchy brown coating that almost tastes like candy.
A few important notes:
It’s important to shake the can of coconut milk before using it since the fat and water tend to separate.
See notes about substituting fish sauce
It’s really important to use a nonstick pan for this recipe because you want all the browned bits to stick to your carrots and not the pan.
Coconut Caramelized Carrots
Serves 4 sides
Ingredients
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into equal-sized sticks
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup canned coconut milk, shaken
3 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp fish sauce or kosher salt (1/8 tsp table salt)
Directions
Combine all ingredients on a nonstick pan, making sure carrots are in a single layer.
Turn on the heat to medium and cover the pan with a lid. When it starts boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, making sure that it continues to simmer.
When most of the coconut milk is evaporated is evaporated, about 15-20 minutes after turning on the heat, the carrots should be about ready (soft, fork-tender). Remove the lid and continue cooking until you see a brown crust forming. Be careful here because there’s a fine line between caramelizing and burning, so make sure you’re on pretty low heat for this.
Stir, scraping up any caramelized bits off the pan, and serve.
Contains: fish (for fish-free, substitute kosher salt for fish sauce)
