Carrot Stir-Fry Recipe

It’s a Sri Lankan style carrot stir-fry recipe with a touch of spice and an excellent Vegan dish. Easy to prep, will be ready in 10 minutes and kid-friendly too!

We all have our favorite stir- fry recipes, and this recipe will be one more bonus to your recipe collection. You might ask, how is it different from any other stir- fry recipe? Well, the stir-frying method is the same, but when you add spices, flavor-wise it makes this dish distinctive.

Carrot stir-fry is one of many vegetable dishes that appear regularly on a Sri Lankan lunch table. I love carrots made this way, which brings back childhood memories, especially when my grandma made them for us. I still remember how it tastes. Do you still remember some of your grandma’s cooking?

So let’s talk about the ingredients and the steps to make this flavourful dish.

What are the ingredients used in a Sri Lankan Vegetable stir-fry recipe?

Sri Lankan vegetable stir-fry recipe consists of oil, mustard, fenugreek seeds, onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, green chili, turmeric, pandan leaves, freshly grated coconut, red chili powder or red chili flakes. However, the basic stir- fry can be done with oil, mustard seeds, onion, curry leaves, turmeric, and red chili powder and pandan leaves. I am using basic stir-fry ingredients for this carrot recipe.

Ingredients for this recipe

Carrots – Use fresh carrots. Carrots should be firm to the touch, and the skin should be smooth but not wrinkly. Choose medium-size bright-colored carrots for better flavor. Avoid using frozen carrots, which doesn’t give the crunchy texture that the fresh carrots have. 

Onions –  The recipe calls for red onions. Alternatively, you can use white, yellow, or shallots. 

Spices & Herbs – Using black mustard seeds, fresh curry leaves, pandan leaves, turmeric, and red chili powder is necessary. However, adding red chili powder and pandan leaves can be optional. This dish is very mild in spiciness. If you cannot handle the heat, you can leave the red chili powder out. 

Oil –  Coconut oil is the best option, but you can use sunflower oil, olive oil, or vegetable oil. 

How to cut the carrots? 

Peel and wash the carrots. Slice the carrots thinly as possible into circles ( little less than 1/8th of an inch). However, you could cut them into strips too ( Julienned into 1/8th of an inch).

Adjusting the spice level

This dish is very mild in spiciness. If you cannot handle the heat, you can leave the red chili powder out. On the other hand, if you like it spicier add more chili powder according to your spice level.

Make it Kid-friendly 

 If you have children who cannot handle the heat, I suggest leaving the red chili powder out altogether, especially for the little ones. 

How to stir-fry carrots? 

• Peel and wash the carrots. Slice the carrots thinly as possible into circles ( little less than 1/8th of an inch) and leave aside. 
• Place a large frying pan on medium-high heat and add 1 1/2 Tablespoons of coconut oil. 
• Next, add 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds and let it splutter(pop).
• Now add in chopped red onions, curry leaves, pandan leaves and fry it for few seconds or until the onions turn pink and translucent.
• Follow by adding the thinly sliced carrots and  1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder. Stir fry until some of the carrot slices are slightly golden on the edges. It takes about 10 minutes. 
• Lastly, add the  1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder and stir well for a few seconds and take off the heat.
• Serve warm with a bowl of rice and curry or bread.