The yogurt swoosh is probably my all time favorite plating technique, and these tom yum glazed carrots are absolutely stunning sitting atop dairy free coconut yogurt! Blend together lemongrass, lime leaves, fish sauce (or vegan fish sauce), chilies, galangal (or ginger), and some other goodies for delicious homemade tom yum paste that will last in your freezer for up to 6 months! The paste caramelizes on the outside of the carrots under the broiler, giving you a super umami-packed, plant-based dish worthy of a dinner party of casual weeknight meal. Feeling lazy or can’t find lemongrass/lime leaves where you live? Look for pre-made tom yum paste at your local asian market or online.
Tips:
- Coconut yogurt adds great coconut flavor while keeping this recipe primarily plant based and dairy free. I used a small container of Cocoyo, a GT’s product. If you can’t find coconut yogurt, you can certainly sub regular yogurt.
- You can keep leftover tom yum paste in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Don’t feel like making your own tom yum paste or can’t find any in the store? Mix together some curry paste and a bit of canola oil until it forms a smooth paste. This will add a different flavor profile, but it will be equally delicious.
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
For the carrots
- 5 large carrots
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp tom yum paste or more to taste, store bought or recipe below
- 1 tbsp butter or plant based butter
- ¾ cup coconut yogurt (yogurt made of coconuts, not coconut flavored yogurt. See tips)
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon chili crisp, or more to taste.
Tom Yum Paste (makes 1 small jar)
- 1 stalk of lemongrass, outer layers peeled and sliced.
- 1 inch piece of fresh galangal or ginger, peeled
- 3 makrut lime leaves (sub zest of 1 lime if you can’t find)
- 2 tsp Thai red chili paste (chili crisp or regular chili paste can be used as a substitute. Chili crisp will more easily mimic the roasted flavor of Thai red chili paste).
- 3-4 fresh Thai red chilies
- 1.5 tbsp fish sauce or vegan fish sauce
- Juice of 1.5 limes
- 1 shallot, rough chopped
- 1 tbsp sugar or honey
- ¼ cup cilantro stems
- 1 tbsp neutral oil, like canola
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Peel the carrots and cut them down the middle length wise. For large carrots, cut each piece down the middle once more, to form thinner wedges.
- Place carrots on a baking sheet and coat lightly in oil, salt, and pepper.
- Place the carrots in the oven and roast until fork tender, 15-20 minutes.
- While the carrots cook, place all the tom yum paste ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Remove the carrots from the oven and set the oven to broil.
- Add 1 tbsp of tom yum paste to the baking sheet and, using a spatula or tongs, toss the carrots in the paste until each carrot is lightly coated. Add more paste if desired.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes, until the carrots are lightly caramelized.
- Remove from the oven and add 1 tbsp of butter to the pan. Toss the carrots until they are coated. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Spread the coconut yogurt on the bottom of a serving plate and top with the carrots.
- Top with cilantro, chili crisp, a drizzle of olive oil, and crunchy sea salt.