Carrots, though nutritionally dense, can often be a bore when served on their own. This Okinawan preparation, featuring seasonings and influences from Japanese, Chinese, and Southeast Asian cuisine, is simple but transformative (though you can easily Americanize it by using vegetable broth for the dashi). Filled with subtle, delicious flavors, it’s well worth adding to your repertoire!
It should be noted that Okinawan carrots, long and light yellow in color, are a staple of the island (carrot soup is another popular delicacy). Residents have even devised a special carrot mandoline to help create delicious variations with this multi-faceted vegetable!
2 carrots, peeled and grated into long strips
1 small sweet onion, julienned
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons dashi or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon mirin
1 teaspoon cooking sake (optional)
1 to 2 teaspoons chili paste (or red pepper flakes)
In a sauté pan over medium heat, lightly sauté the carrots and onion in oil.
Add dashi or broth and cook until absorbed, tossing gently to combine, about 2 minutes.
Add the mirin, sake (if using), and chili paste or red pepper flakes to taste and mix to combine, cooking for another minute.
The Blue Zones Kitchen fuses scientific reporting, National Geographic photography and 100 recipes that may help you live to 100. The Blue Zones’ food tradition is going the way of the dodo bird, thanks to the encroachment of the American Food Culture.
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