Ginger Carrot Braise
Carrots and onion browned in a hot pan, then simmered in ginger-scented vegetable stock until tender and glossy. A gentle, savory braise that lets the vegetables carry the dish.
- Total
- 30 min
- Prep 8 · Cook 22
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Simmering
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Peel the carrots and cut them into 2 cm chunks. Peel the onion and cut it into 1.5 cm wedges. Peel the ginger and slice it into thin coins. Measure 250 ml vegetable stock and 60 ml water.
~8 min
-
Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and onion in a single layer and cook without stirring for 3 minutes, then stir and cook 4 minutes more, until the edges are golden brown in spots.
~7 min
Cooking without stirring lets the vegetables' surfaces hit high heat and brown via Maillard reactions, building savory flavor.
Searing Use medium-high heat and leave vegetables undisturbed to develop a golden crust; avoid overcrowding so they brown instead of steam.
-
Push the vegetables to one side, add the ginger coins to the hot pan and stir them for 45 seconds, just until fragrant. Do not let the ginger brown or it turns bitter.
~1 min
Ginger's aromatic compounds are volatile; brief cooking releases them, but browning makes them bitter.
Keep the ginger in large coins rather than grating it: they perfume the stock gently and are easy to fish out if you want a milder bite.
-
Pour in the 250 ml vegetable stock and 60 ml water, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 12 minutes, until the carrots are tender when pierced with a knife.
~12 min
Simmering gently softens carrots and lets the stock absorb flavor from the browned bits and ginger.
Simmering Keep the liquid at a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil, so the vegetables cook evenly and the sauce reduces without scorching.
-
Uncover the pan and simmer 2 minutes more, until the liquid has reduced to a glossy sauce that coats the back of a spoon and the carrots look glazed.
~2 min
Uncovered simmering evaporates water, concentrating the stock into a glossy sauce that clings to the vegetables.