Carrot salad with cumin and preserved lemons

Ingredients

• 350g/12oz carrots, quartered lengthways
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp coriander seeds
• 40g/11/2oz/3 tbsp salted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 5cm/2in piece of root ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 wedge of preserved lemon, rind rinsed and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp finely chopped mint or coriander/cilantro leaves
• 1/4 tsp orange blossom water (optional)
• Sea salt

Method

Moroccans love their cooked salads, such as this quintessential carrot salad. Preserved lemons are so versatile and I tend to make really good use of them. You can too – adding them is a wonderful way to make your food shine. However, if you don’t want to preserve your own lemons, you can use the zest of a lemon instead for a citrus note.

1. Cook the carrots in a saucepan of salted water over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes or until they are tender but still have a slight bite to them. Drain and set aside.

2. Place a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat, add the cumin and coriander seeds and cook for 1–2 minutes until aromatic, stirring often. Remove from the heat, transfer the seeds to a spice grinder and grind roughly.

3. Return the pan to the hob, melt the butter and add the ground spices, followed by the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute until aromatic. Add the parboiled carrots and toss to cover, then cook for a further 2–3 minutes until a nice sheen has developed. Add the preserved lemon, mint leaves and orange blossom water, if using. Toss to combine and remove from the heat. Serve immediately or leave to cool and serve at room temperature.

Extracted from The Jewelled Kitchen by Bethany Kehdy© Bethany Kehdy 2013, 2016 published by Nourish Books, London. Paperback £14.99

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