Carrot Poriyal

Say hello to Carrot Poriyal – a simple, easy to make South Indian special preparation. While you might be consuming carrot in other stir-fries, salads and juices, this is one of those easy ways where you can cook this super nutritious root vegetable into a delicious dish. As obvious, this dry dish has a beautiful reddish hue to it because of the carrot added in it. The addition of urad dal, spices and coconut only enhance the earthiness of this famous side dish, typically from Tamil Nadu in South India.

More on Carrot Poriyal

Poriyal is a dry, stir-fried or sautéed preparation made with vegetables. The vegetables are finely chopped or grated and are seasoned with warm, earthy spices, herbs and finished with coconut.

I make this Carrot Poriyal as well as other poriyal variants pretty regularly at home, as it is super easy to prepare and does not take much time.

Moreover, I always have fresh coconut stored in the freezer. So, it is kind of easy that way too. This preparation is quite nutritious too and pairs perfectly with a sambar-rice combination.

This recipe of Carrot Poriyal also does not have onion or garlic in it. Other basic ingredients that go in this preparation are mustard seeds, green chilies, curry leaves, urad dal, asafoetida and coconut. You can skip the asafoetida or use a gluten-free asafoetida to make a gluten-free version.

In this recipe, initially the carrots are cooked with a few spices. Once the carrots are cooked, some coconut is added. The addition of coconut makes a lot of difference in this dish and tastes good too.

I usually cook this Carrot Poriyal in sesame oil. However, you can also cook it in coconut oil to get a more authentic flavor.

To make Carrot Poriyal, you can either finely chop or grate the vegetable. In this recipe, I have finely chopped the carrots, but you can even grate or shred them. If using grated carrots, then remember to add less water, and that the cooking time will also reduce.

How to make Carrot Poriyal

Sauté Ingredients

1. Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil (gingelly oil) in a kadai or pan. Keep the heat to low and add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds.

2. Once the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add 1 teaspoon husked and split black gram (urad dal).

3. Fry till the urad dal becomes golden on a low heat. Do stir. Also, make sure that the lentils do not get burnt.

4. Then, add 1 chopped green chili and 8 to 9 curry leaves. Stir and mix.

Make Carrot Poriyal

5. Add 2 cups finely chopped carrots. Make sure to chop the carrots finely in small cubes or pieces, so that they cook fast.

6. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.

7. Then, add 1 pinch asafoetida (hing). Stir and mix well.

8. Season with salt as required.

9. Add ½ cup water and give a stir.

10. Cover the pan with its lid and simmer on low heat till the carrot is tender. Check every 4 to 5 minutes. If the water dries up in the pan, then add some more water.

11. Once the carrot is tender and cooked, add ⅓ cup grated fresh coconut.

If there is some water in the pan, let it evaporate before adding the coconut. Remove the lid and cook till all the water is evaporated.

12. Mix very well and then switch off the heat.

13. Serve Carrot Poriyal hot or warm. You can garnish with some chopped coriander leaves while serving.

Expert Tips

1. You can either finely chop or grate the carrots. If using grated carrots, then add less water. The cooking time will also reduce.
2. Whole dried red chilies can also be used in this recipe, instead of green chilies.
3. While cooking the poriyal, check every 4 to 5 minutes. If the water dries up, then add some water, cover and continue to cook.
4. Before adding the coconut as well, check if there is some water or moisture in the pan. If there is, then cook without the lid till the water evaporates. After this only, add the coconut.
5. Use fresh, tender carrots to make the recipe. Additionally you can vary the recipe by adding veggies like capsicum, cabbage, beets and green beans. In this case use equal portions of the vegetables that you plant to make the poriyal with.
6. You can easily double this recipe of Carrot Poriyal.

This Carrot Poriyal recipe post from the archives, first published on April 2017 has been republished and updated on November 2022.