Ajlouke de Carottes (Carrot Starter)

Ajlouke de Carottes (Carrot Starter) is a traditional Tunisian recipe for a classic salad of cooked carrots and potatoes that are mashed and mixed with garlic, cumin, olive oil, white wine vinegar and cayenne pepper. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Tunisian version of: Carrot Starter (Ajlouke de Carottes).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

25 minutes

Total Time:

45 minutes

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Vegetarian Recipes Spice Recipes Vegetable Recipes Tunisia Recipes

To Western eyes this disk looks more like a carrot purée that you would serve as an accompaniment to a main course. But in Tunisia it's treated as a starter and this is how you should use it as well.

Ingredients:

750g carrots, peeled
500g potatoes, peeled
2 garlic cloves, chopped
sea salt, to taste
4 tsp cumin seeds, roasted in a dry frying pan and ground
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
generous pinch of cayenne pepper
parsley, chopped, to garnish
hard-boiled egg, chopped, to garnish
black olives, to garnish

Method:

Chop the carrots and potatoes into equal-sized pieces then add to a large pot along with the garlic and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the vegetables are tender (about 20 minutes).

Drain and mash well then add the remaining ingredients and beat until creamy. Tip into a bowl, garnish with chopped parsley, black olives and hard-boiled egg and serve at room temperature.