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Bento filler: Easy sugarfree carrot kinpira
This is probably my favorite way to eat carrots - cut into matchstick size, stir fried in sesame oil until crisp-tender with some red pepper flakes, and finished with a scatter of sesame seeds. It’s crunchy, salty and spicy. It’s really tasty at room temperature, which makes it a great bento filler.
Recipe: Carrot kinpira
Note that I don’t add any sugar or mirin here, unlike most traditional kinpira recipes. I just let the natural sweetness of the carrots speak for itself.
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 Tbs. dark sesame oil
- a pinch of red pepper flakes (about 1/8 tsp, or more if you want it spicier)
- 1 Tbs. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. sesame seeds
Cut the carrots into matchstick size. (Cheat alert - you can use pre-shredded carrots meant for salad if you like, but then lessen the cooking time.)
Heat up a frying pan or wok with the sesame oil. Add the carrots and toss around until crisp-tender, about 4 to 5 minutes depending on how skinny the matchsticks are. Add the red pepper flakes and toss some more. Add soy sauce, toss toss. Add the sesame seeds near the end.
This does theoretically keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days, though around here it never does.
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21 comments
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red pepper flakes?
Could you use Japanese 7-spice powder instead of red pepper flakes? I bought some for the carrot furikake recipe and am trying to find other uses for it. Thanks.
sure - it would be even
sure - it would be even nicer with 7 spice powder. (I put red pepper flakes here so that people wouldn’t necessarily have to go out and get any special ingredients…hopefully most people have soy sauce and sesame oil around :))
Fantastic suggestion for
Fantastic suggestion for carrots. I’ll give it a try tonight for dinner!
This looks like a recipe I
This looks like a recipe I will want to try. It sounds (and looks) so tasty! :0)
success
I made this tonight for dinner (and have leftovers in tomorrow’s bento) and it was a big hit — thanks! I used red pepper flakes but next time will use the seven spice powder.
I’ve been meaning to try
I’ve been meaning to try some carrot kinpira! I shall have to give this recipe a try.
mmm… I just made this
mmm… I just made this today, and it was so delicious. thanks!
Yum
Isn’t that a great way to eat carrots? Soooo tasty. Thanks for reminding me to make it! I haven’t in a while.
How much shichimi togarashi
How much shichimi togarashi (7 spice powder) would you suggest using in place of the red pepper flakes?
Try starting out with the
Try starting out with the same amount, then adding a bit more if it doesn’t taste spicy enough for you.
Gobo
Hi Maki,
If you add gobo, do you add it the same time as the carrots? Sugarfree kinpira-what a great idea!!! I haven`t been eating it lately because of the sugar/sweetness. Brought my lunch everyday last week! Okagesame de! I used so many recipes from this site, so thanks so much and looking forward to more.
Jill
If i’m using gobo, I first
If i’m using gobo, I first peel and cut it up and then put it in a bowl of cold water for about 10-15 minutes. This gets rid of any bitterness, and also seems to help it cook better. Then I’d start with the well drained gobo in the frying pan or wok, and add the carrots a couple of minutes later. (If the proportion of gobo is high I might add a bit of sugar actually, since gobo is not sweet. About a teaspoonful should do it for 1 cup gobo and 1 cup carrots.)
(Gobo is burdock, by the way, for anyone reading along.)
I’m glad you find the site useful! :)
miam
This sounds simple and marvelous. I will give a try. I have a question about red pepper flakes. I think I never saw these. Is it hot pepper like in chinese food?
Yes that would be the hot
Yes that would be the hot (spicy) red chili peppers, which are ground or crumbled up finely. (flocons de piments rouges en français)
We tried this recipe tonight
We tried this recipe tonight and it was great! Plenty of leftovers for bento. Thanks for posting the recipe.
I just cooked this up last
I just cooked this up last night (and had it today with lunch). Yummy!
great recipe
I needed a quick vegetable to go with dinner and had a bunch of those mini carrot sticks - this recipe was perfect! Great flavor, quick to cook, and a pleaser with everyone. I will totally make this again.
Unfortunately, I did not make enough to include in my bento… this time!
Not so good with a knife ...
Is there a faster way to matchstick the carrots? I finally got a chance to make the recipe, LOVE IT, but it took me FOREVER to cut up the carrots.
I’m going to try it with carrot coins today, to see if that works. The matchsticks would still be cooler, but it took me like 20 minutes to cut them up. What am I doing wrong?
You do need a sturdy and
You do need a sturdy and very sharp knife. The more you do it, the fast you get!
Alternatively you can shred it with in food processor or a on a mandoline (or a cheap plastic verson of a mandoline) or grate it coarsely.
Thanks!
Thanks, maki! I guess I just need MORE PRACTICE, then. (Part of my problem is I’m so short I get bad leverage on the counter; perhaps I should go cut on the table for matchsticks.)
It worked quite well with carrot “coins.” They weren’t as pretty or as fun to eat as the matchsticks, but it only took me a couple minutes to cut up four carrots for a double recipe. And since this is my husband’s new favorite dish, time is of the essence!
Thanks so much for this! I
Thanks so much for this! I tried this last night and it was wonderful! I omitted the hot spicy stuff because I have no tolerance for it, but sprinkled a little black pepper on for flavor. it was really nice. I even left some to cool down so I could try it at room temperature and it was just as good. Definitely going in my cookbook binder.
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