Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Oumek Houria (Cumin Carrot Salad) So You Gladly Eat Your Carrots


I thought I was ready to get back to seriously cooking and writing this blog. I guess I was wrong. What happens when you’ve got a newborn in your hands and your toddler gets sick? You lose your mind! That’s what’s been happening to me lately. Luckily, no harm was done (and I haven’t totally lost my mind), and things are back to normal. Good thing because this means I can now get back to business, doing what I do best, cook!

Again, I’ve been starting slow. I don’t want to overdo things just in case they get out of hand and I decide to stop cooking altogether. How do I do it? I use simple ingredients from my fridge and make them special by adding a touch of spices. By doing so, my baby friendly kitchen gets exotic. The following recipe really caught my attention because it’s the perfect example of what you typically eat in Northern Africa. A couple of years back, I fell in love with Morocco and its great food. When I saw this recipe, I just couldn’t resist trying to make it, as it’s a typical Tunisian recipe. Eating it brought back all sorts of amazing memories from my trip to Morocco, which is not too far from Tunisia. I’m hoping that if you try to make this recipe, your going to taste a little bit of that great North African food.

OUMEK HOURIA (CUMIN CARROT SALAD)
Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 cups carrots, peeled and cut in big pieces
2 tsp Harissa
1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 tsp cumin (powder)
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt
2 tbsp olive oil

PREPARATION
In a medium saucepan, bring salted water to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until they are soft and tender (this can take at least half an hour). Drain the water and mash the carrot with a potato masher.



Add the Harissa, minced garlic, and cumin. Mix well and add the olive oil and the lemon juice. Add salt to taste.


Note: For serving, you can add pickled black olives or some fresh minced coriander. 

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