Looking down on this colourful bunch of carrots I picked up during my last market stroll, while munching on a big bag of French fries drowned in mayonnaise and peanut sauce, I still had no idea where this recipe would take me.

I had a vague plan. Oh yes, I did: I was going to turn them into something with a slight Indonesian twist: sweet, fragrant and flavourful, yet still fresh enough to pass for a light summer side dish. One that matches the gigantic slabs of meat that will undoubtedly end up on many BBQ’s all over the world.

It only took me two tries to get it right. Not bad. These are scrumptious!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound carrots (mine were mixed colour)
1 small white onion
1 large garlic clove
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp sambal oelek
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground ginger
sprinkling kosher salt
big piece of aluminium foil
2 tbsp peanut or sunflower oil

Directions:

The happy lot.

Mince the onion and garlic. White onions are mellower than regular onions yet not as sweet as sweet onions. Still with me?

Peel the carrots.

Slice the bigger ones in half. The small ones can go in whole.

Heat the oil and sauté the onion for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and cook for another minute.

Add the sambal (or replace with some Sriracha or finely minced chilipepper), brown sugar and soy sauce.

Squeeze in the lime juice.

Let it simmer, over low heat, for 2 to 3 minutes.

In with your carrots, toss them around a bit.

Transfer them to a casserole, make sure you get all the sauce in there and sprinkle a little kosher salt on top.

Cover the casserole with foil and put it in a preheated oven and bake at 200C° (400F°) for 35 to 40 minutes.

Gives you time to do other stuff, like getting rid of b’day decorations. Can’t believe he turned 7 already!

Check the carrots for readiness after 35 minutes, they should be fork tender but still have a bite.

 
They still need a little colour and roasting, so put them back in the oven, uncovered, for another 10/15 minutes.
 

You can add so many delicious flavours to roasted carrots, but this took them to a whole new level!