Carrot Poriyal Recipe {Tamil Style Carrot Stir Fry Sabzi}

carrot poriyal tamil, carrot poriyal recipe

Carrot Poriyal Recipe {Tamil Style Carrot Stir Fry Sabzi}

This healthy and easy carrot poriyal lets the natural flavor of the carrots shine. With a simple yet delicious combination of the carrot's sweetness, a little spice, and salt, it's a perfectly balanced side dish. This is the perfect side dish for a South Indian lunch, alongside curd rice or with this Murungakka Sambar!

Course Lunch

Cuisine South Indian, Tamil Cuisine

Keyword vegetables

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Steaming Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings people

Calories 294kcal

Author Niveditha

Equipment

Steamer
Saute Pan

Ingredients

3 medium-sized Carrots , 250g
1-2 tablespoon Coconut Oil
½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1 teaspoon Broken Urad Dal
1-2 sprigs Curry Leaves
1 medium Red Onion , 100g, chopped½
4 medium Green Chillies , slit in half
½ teaspoon Salt , adjust to taste
⅛ cup Shredded coconut , 50g

Instructions

Peel and wash the carrots. Snip the ends. Dice the carrots into ¼-inch cubes.
Pour a cup of water into the steamer base, place the basket, and cover with its lid. Steam the carrots for 20 minutes.
Heat the sauté pan with the coconut oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and wait until they splutter.
Then add the Urad Dal and curry leaves. Let the dal turn golden brown.
Next, add the chopped onions and sauté until it is completely translucent.
Next, add the green chillies and sauté for a few seconds. Add the salt and stir.
Lastly, add the steamed carrots to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes until all the flavours seep into the carrots. Keep stirring to avoid scorching.
Finally, add the grated coconut and remove the pan from the heat. Stir thoroughly. Serve it hot!

Notes

Steaming for 20 minutes makes the carrots soft enough for this poriyal.
Coconuts add the finishing touch and the typical taste of South India; use them for the best results. Fresh Coconut acts as a garnish and adds volume and dimension to this dish. You can also make this carrot poriyal without coconut if you're packing this poriyal for lunch.
This carrot poriyal gets done in a few minutes, so stay close to the stove
Oil - I like to use coconut oil for this carrot poriyal. I find that coconut oil brings out the best taste in this dish. You don't need too much of it; a little oil goes a long way. You can also use any vegetable oil that you prefer.

Substitutions:

Instead of chopped carrots, you can use grated carrots. Use the broadest setting in your shredder or food processor.

Variations:

Make Carrot beans poriyal by using chopped beans and carrots. You can steam it together and stir-fry using the same method. I prefer to use French beans, which are dark green. You can also use light green beans.
Make cabbage carrot poriyal by using a mixture of cabbage and carrots. Steam them both separately because carrots take a bit longer to cook, and cabbage cooks faster. Once both the vegetables are cooked, stir-fry them together using the same recipe. Cut the cabbage into dice.
Make carrot peas poriyal by just adding a few uncooked fresh peas to the carrot when you steam them. This is one of the simplest variations.

Equipment:

I use a food processor and a chopping board alternatively to cut the carrots; the food processor when I make a big batch of carrot poriyal.
Also, for the shredded coconuts, I use a coconut shredder/ grater. If you don't have a grater, use a mixer grinder to shred coconut bits.
I steam the vegetables in a regular idli steamer or an Instant Pot with a steamer basket.
To stir-fry, I use a tri-ply stainless steel sauté pan.

Serving Suggestions:

This poriyal can be paired with any south Indian meal. I often pair it with Murungakka Sambar with White Rice, Pavakkai Puli Kulambu or Kondakadalai Kathirikai Kulambu.

Storage:

This carrot poriyal is best made in the morning and served for lunch. If you're planning to pack this for lunch, skip the coconut as fresh coconut tends to go stale.
If there are leftovers, ensure that you put them in the fridge immediately. Since this has coconut, it tends to spoil if left on the counter for more than 2 hours. So, store it in the refrigerator and reheat it later in the evening. Don't store it for the next day, especially if using coconut.

Nutrition