Spicy Sweet Carrot Relish
Great Side, Topper Or Salad Add On
This Spicy Sweet Carrot Relish is a wonderful combination of carrots, ginger, jalapeño, brown sugar, lime, apple sauce, apple cider vinegar and spices. All boiled down to make this delicious meal complement. It goes so well with many dishes and toppers to grilled or marinated foods. This is a perfect add on to summer dishes, salads and winter soups and stews. Great for Holiday dinners and with appetizers.
How To Make Spicy Sweet Carrot Relish
Making this Spicy Sweet Carrot Relish is super easy and fast if you have a food processor. Hence, I love my food processor. Grating a pound of carrots by hand can take awhile but thanks to modern technology prepping food can be a wiz.
Honestly the work to this recipe is in pealing the garlic and chopping them. I use 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons of minced garlic and I know it sounds like a lot, but it’s not. After the garlic cooks down in the boiling process it isn’t so strong in taste. So this is a perfect amount for the recipe.
I use jalapeños and red chili peppers for the hot in the heat of this relish. I like the combination and the color of the relish. It is much more appealing with the little hints of green and red color. I have made this with regular red bell peppers and jalapeños and that worked really nice as well. All depends on how much heat you want for your relish.
I try to be mindful on how much heat I am adding because I often forget that ginger can be a little spicy as well. I use about 1 1/2 tablespoons of ginger in this recipe. Ginger has so many medicinal properties you can’t go wrong using it or adding more if you like.
Apple sauce works really well in this relish but you can use apple juice if you have that instead. It helps round up more sweetness and adds a thicker consistency in the relish when it’s apple sauce.
There are not many spices in this relish. I use ground coriander instead of whole. You can use whole coriander if you have it and substitute it for the ground. Just crush them a little before adding them. I also use whole mustard seeds and sea salt.
Cooking and Jarring Spicy Sweet Carrot Relish
Cooking this relish is very easy. Just get a large stewing pot and add all the ingredients. Turn it on medium heat until it boils and then turn it down to medium low. Cook the relish for 20 minutes. If you leave the lid on the relish it will be juicier and if you leave it off, the relish will be thicker. So it is all a preference of how you want your relish to be and what you are using it to go with.
After the relish is done cooking have about 2 to 3 small jars ready. I use canning jars with canning lids. The relish is so hot that it creates a suction and can seal the jar. Sometimes, not all the time. I store mine in the refrigerator for up to 14 days. It’s a great present for friends and family. Just remember to tell them to store it in the refrigerator and to use it up in according to how many days that you made it.
Food That Goes With Spicy Sweet Carrot Relish
Being that this Spicy Sweet Carrot Relish has ginger in it it goes well with Asian dishes. I particularly like it with Korean BBQ foods, Asian marinades or curry dishes. Surprisingly I have had it with vegetarian chili with sweet potato and it was great. Top it on anything BBQ or on a mixed green salad with an orange dressing, asian dressing or my Sweet Onion Dressing. Throw some toasted sesame seeds on top and sliced green onions. Perfect!
As for adding it with soups! I like mine with pumpkin soup, sweet potato or Thai soups. I have had it with a red curry based soup and that was really nice. Anything with coconut ginger base would work as well. It is so versatile try it out. You may come up with a lot more ways to like it.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do. Enjoy!
Spicy Sweet Carrot Relish
Equipment
- 1 Stewing pot
- 1 Stirring spoon
- 1 Food processor or food grater
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Sharp knife
- 2 to 3 Small Mason jars with lids
Ingredients
Spicy Sweet Carrot Relish
- 1 Lb Fresh Organic Carrots, grated
- 1 med Jalapeño, minced (no seeds)
- 1 sm Red Chili Pepper, minced (optional)
- 2½ to 3 Tbsp Garlic, minced
- 1½ Tbsp Ginger, grated or minced
- 1 Tbsp Ground Coriander
- 2 tsp Whole Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- ⅔ cup Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¾ cup Organic Apple Sauce or ½ cup of Organic Apple Juice
- ¼ cup Organic Lime Juice
- ¼ cup Packed Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar
Instructions
Spicy Sweet Carrot Relish
- In a large sauce pan combine all the ingredients and let come to a boil on medium heat. Then lower the heat to simmer making sure to stir it occasionally. Cook the relish for 20 minutes
- When done, spoon the relish into mason jars, lid them and screw on tight. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Relish is good for up to 2 weeks.
- Enjoy!