Name: Simple One-Pot Indian Carrots
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp oil (vegetable/sunflower/canola etc); 1/2 tsp mustard seeds; 1/2 tsp cumin seeds; 1 green chilli (deseeded and finely chopped); 1 pinch asafoetida; 1/8 tsp mild chilli powder; 1/4 tsp turmeric powder; 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced; salt, to taste; 1/2 tsp coriander powder; 2 tsp lemon juice; 4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

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These easy one-pot Indian carrots are the perfect healthy side dish for with any curry! They’re flavourful and simple to make thanks to my one-pot method. Plus, you just need oil, carrots and spices to keep your grocery list nice and short!

bowl of carrot pieces (overhead) with some fresh herbs and small whole spices

This recipe originated from my attempt at a carrot sabji (a simple spiced Indian carrot side dish), much like my one-pot Indian potatoes. However, after fairly substantial modifications (mainly due to the fact that I couldn’t get hold of all of the spices such as fresh curry leaves), I decided to just call it ‘Indian carrots’. After all, I’m definitely not the best judge of how authentic it either is or isn’t!

So, whether you usually only get takeout or whether you make your own curries regularly, this dish is perfect for everyone! It’s simple enough for beginners, but tastes good enough that once you make it once it’s sure to become one of your Indian night staples!

fork holding diced carrot coated with spices

What ingredients do I need to make this recipe?

You don’t need anything that you shouldn’t be able to find in your local grocery store. The only things that you might not already have are a couple of the spices.

You just need:

cooking oil such as vegetable, canola, sunflower or another (ideally not olive oil)
mustard seeds
cumin seeds
1 green chilli pepper
asafoetida (hing) – this smells awful, but it actually tastes subtly of garlic/onion
mild red chilli powder
turmeric powder
coriander powder
2 decent-size (medium-large) carrots
salt (to taste)
lemon juice – bottled is fine here! I have to admit that I’m a bit too lazy to squeeze a lemon for just 2 teaspoons of juice!
fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

… and that’s all! Nothing too bizarre or expensive! This ingredients list is actually very similar to that of my one-pot Indian potatoes as the dishes themselves are very similar, but there are a couple of differences – like the mild chilli powder!

What equipment do I need to make these Indian carrots?

You don’t need a ton of equipment here, and what you do need is very similar to the list for my Indian potatoes.

a knife set and cutting board, for cutting the carrots and chilli
a set of measuring spoons for the spices
a juicer if you’re using fresh lemon juice
a decent-size saucepan with a lid for cooking the carrots
a wooden or silicone spoon for stirring and serving the carrots

bowl of diced carrots with some fresh herbs and spices

How do I make this simple side dish?

There are only a handful of steps that you’ll need to take to make these simple Indian carrots. Trust me, this recipe is super quick – it only takes a few minutes!

heat the oil in the saucepan, then add the mustard seeds and cook for a few seconds until they start to crackle. Then add the cumin seeds and allow them to brown slightly.
add the chopped green chilli, turmeric, red chilli powder and asafoetida and stir.
add the finely chopped carrots and the salt. Mix them in and cover the pan with the lid.
cook for 5 minutes to soften the carrots, stirring occasionally.
uncover and add the coriander powder. Stir it in well.
add the freshly chopped coriander and lemon juice and let the carrots absorb the lemon juice.
remove from heat and serve.

See? Super simple! Honestly, the hardest part is probably spelling asafoetida and chopping the carrots – if you can do both of those then you’re safe!