Carrot Rice Recipe (Easy & Healthy)

Carrot is one root vegetable that is quite versatile. I mean, you can tell this by the way it is used, especially in Indian cuisine – stir-fries, curries, flatbreads, accompaniments, salads, soups, mains, sweets and desserts. It can be used to make a variety of amazing dishes. One such easy, flavorsome and nutritious dish is this lightly-spiced South Indian style Carrot Rice. Made with cooked rice, grated carrots, herbs and spices, this mild dish is very easy to prepare. This recipe is vegan too.

About Carrot Rice Recipe

Have some leftover rice and carrots (gajar)? Why not make this delicious, satisfying and hearty Carrot Rice, the recipe of which, can be easily customized as per the ingredients you have at home.

A few typical ingredients in this rice preparation does make it South Indian in nature. But you can actually make it the way you want to.

In Indian cuisine, there are many ways one particular recipe can be made. The same holds true for this simple, yet yummy Carrot Rice too.

Either you can dunk in all the ingredients in a pan or even an Instant Pot to make it or choose to prepare it the way I do at home.

Freshly cooked or leftover rice is mixed with a flavorful sautéed mixture of spices, nuts and carrots in this recipe of Carrot Rice.

This method is typically followed in South Indian cooking. This is also how I go about making this dish for my folks at home.

You can use any neutral flavored oil to cook this Carrot Rice and also skip the asafoetida (hing) in it.

If you are not using the asafoetida, then the dish also becomes gluten-free. In case you want to cook the dish in ghee (clarified butter), you can do that too.

Since this Carrot Rice is mildly spiced, it goes well with kids. There is a subtle sweetness coming from the carrots, which is enhanced by some more sweet notes from the sautéed onions, cashews and raisins.

This rice-based dish with carrots takes less time to get done and makes for a wholesome meal.

Love carrots? Try my popular recipes made with this healthy veggie – Carrot Halwa, Carrot Soup and Carrot Cake.

How to make Carrot Rice

Cook Rice

1. Soak ½ cup rice in a bowl in enough water for 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

Tip: You can use any Indian variety of non-sticky rice like sona masuri, surti kolam or parmal rice or even basmati rice. I have used hand-pounded sona masuri rice. If you live outside India, the Indian varieties of rice are easily available on Amazon.

2. Add the rice to a 2-liter pressure cooker with 0.75 to 1 cups water. Pressure cook for 2 whistles.

You can also cook the rice in a pot or pan adding some more water. Then, drain the water once the rice is cooked.

Since this rice was hand pounded rice that takes more time to cook, I pressure cooked for 3 whistles and added 1.25 cups water.

3. While the rice is cooking, peel and grate 2 medium carrots. Keep aside. Thinly slice 1 small onion and chop 1 green chili or half of a serrano pepper.

4. When the pressure settles down naturally, open the lid of the cooker. Gently fluff the rice and allow it to cool completely.

I cooled the rice grains in the cooker itself. But you can also take the rice grains on a large plate/tray and cool.

If the rice grains are still hot during sautéing, the dish may turn mushy or develop a pasty texture. So it is important to cool the rice grains completely.

Sauté Onions

5. In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add the thinly sliced onions.

Tip: Any neutral flavored oil works well in this recipe. Red, white and yellow onions, even scallions, pearl onions or shallots are fine to include.

6. Stir and sauté on low to medium heat till the onions start to turn light golden.

Tip: Adding a pinch of salt makes the onions cook faster.

7. When the onions begin to turn light golden, add 10 to 12 cashews (whole or halved) and 10 to 12 raisins.

Tip: Do not have cashews or raisins? Simply skip them or add the nuts that you have – almonds, pistachios, walnuts or pine nuts.

8. Mix very well.

9. Sauté till the raisins become plump. By the time the raisins become plump, the onions will also get golden.

If you want the cashews to be golden, then sauté everything separately.

10. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep this sautéed mixture of fried onions, cashews and raisins aside.

Sauté Carrots

11. In the same pan, some oil will be left. Lower the heat, and add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 small tej patta (Indian bay leaf), ½ inch cinnamon, 1 to 2 green cardamoms and 2 cloves.

Tip 1: Do not have all the Indian spices? Add the basic ones you have – cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves and green cardamoms. Mustard seeds can be skipped.

Tip 2: If you do not have whole spices like cinnamon, cardamom and cloves, include ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder or curry powder.

12. Stir and fry until the mustard seeds crackle.

13. Then, add chopped green chilies, 5 to 6 curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida (optional). Stir and fry for half a minute.

Tip: If you do not have curry leaves or asafoetida, skip these. Some heat is needed in the dish. So, you can swap green chili peppers with any hot pepper of your choice. Add about ½ teaspoon of it, or replace with ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or red chili powder.

14. Add the grated carrots.

15. Mix thoroughly.

16. Sauté the carrots on low to medium heat for about 3 minutes.

Make Carrot Rice

17. Add the cooked rice and mix.

The rice grains have to be cooled completely before you add.

18. Season with salt. Again mix very well and switch off the heat.

19. Lastly, add the fried onions, cashews, raisins and 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves.

Tip: Replace coriander leaves (cilantro) with fresh parsley.

20. Mix very well.

You can also garnish the Carrot Rice with the fried onions, cashews and raisins, instead of mixing them.

21. Serve Carrot Rice hot or warm.

Serving Suggestions

I really enjoy this Carrot Rice with a side of tangy Cucumber Raita, a fresh Vegetable Salad or even both sometimes. You can even pack it as a tiffin box lunch with a side of preferred chutney or a veggie stir fry.

The tangy sour flavors of an Onion Tomato Salad combine very nicely with the mild, sweet flavors of this Carrot Rice.

In fact, a bold and spiced Onion Salad or even a mayo salad pairs fantastically. If you do not have any veggies, simply serve this rice with plain curd (yogurt). All the more better, if its Homemade Curd.

Storage Suggestions

I’m sure that its quite difficult to have any leftovers in this case of the delectable Carrot Rice, but in case if you do have, then you can refrigerate and consume the rice dish within a day. Make sure to heat it through before serving.

Rice is best had freshly made. So, do not keep this Carrot Rice too, for a longer time in the refrigerator.

Expert Tips

1. Rice: You can use any Indian variety of non-sticky rice to make this recipe. I make Carrot Rice with Indian varieties of rice but any non-Indian varieties or strains of rice would also work well. You just have to adjust the water and cooking time. If you live outside India, you will find the Indian varieties of rice at your local Indian grocery stores or on Amazon.
2. Use leftover rice: Take 3 cups of leftover steamed or cooked rice and follow the rest of the steps to make this dish. This way, you can fasten the process of making this Carrot Rice even more.
3. Vegetables: You can even add more veggies like bell peppers, steamed green peas or corn kernels, cabbage in this recipe.
4. Onion: A variety of onions can be included. Shallots, pearl onions, scallions, red, white and yellow onions – all work great in this recipe.
5. Green chilies: A bit of heat balances the sweetness in this recipe. You can swap green chili peppers for any hot pepper of your choice. Simply add about ½ teaspoon of it, or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or red chili powder.
6. Spices: This recipe is a South Indian version of Carrot Rice. So, the spices included are the ones used frequently in South Indian Food. You can skip mustard seeds, but not cinnamon, cloves and green cardamom. Instead of mustard, you can add cumin seeds. Curry leaves and asafoetida can be omitted.
7. Dry fruits and nuts: If you do not have cashews or raisins, skip them or add the nuts that you have.
8. Oil: Neutral flavored oils are a better option for this recipe. That being said, even coconut oil works wonderfully.

FAQs

Carrot Rice recipe from the archives was first published on May 2015.