I think it was Memorial Day weekend a few years ago.  I had just returned from Birmingham on Monday evening, joined the boys at the bar, and I can’t remember much after that.  The next morning I found the kitchen in disarray with a big bowl of fried rice in the fridge, carrot peels in the sink and a used (and abused) pan on the stove. I guess was a good night. I came to and remembered bits and pieces of what had happened. A friend was crashing on my couch that night and before hitting the sack at around 1am, I decided I needed to eat. I had spam(!), carrots, frozen peas, onions and my arsenal of spices.

Making the spam fried rice was probably easy, as I’d done it a million times before, but what totally blew my mind was my friend’s suggestion of what to do with the carrots: saute them with toasted cumin seeds! Like, whoa.  Finely julienned and sauteed with peanut oil, red pepper flakes, some salt, brown sugar and cumin seeds.  Amazeballs.  I’ve done this a dozen times since as a tasty side/topping on all sorts of quick meals.

For the carrots, I prefer to julienne them by hand, but I have both the knife experience and the patience to do so. It’s not for everyone. There are a number of tools on the market that will make this process easier, such as this one.

• 4 carrots, finely julienned
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Heat up a pan over high heat. Drizzle peanut oil to coat the pan. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the cumin seeds and minced garlic. If using red pepper flakes, add them. When fragrant, add the carrots and saute, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until they begin to get pliant. Add the brown sugar and continue to stir until carrots are soft. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot or cooled over rice, in tacos, or out of the fridge for a midnight snack.