Glazed Carrots with Caramelized Honey and Korean Chili Flakes: A Recipe
Cooking site Serious Eats offers a glazed carrot recipe in which honey is heated until it caramelizes to balance the dish's sweetness. The sauce uses ginger, garlic, soy and fish sauce, and Korean chili flakes.
The cooking site Serious Eats has published a recipe for glazed carrots, a vegetable side dish whose sauce is built on honey heated until it caramelizes. The approach aims to avoid a common problem: glazed root vegetables often turn too sweet and resemble a dessert rather than a savory side. Carrots already contain plenty of natural sugar, so the added sweetness needs balancing.
Technique and flavor
The dish relies on the French technique known as "glaçage". Vegetables are cooked over high heat in stock with butter and a sweetener until tender, while the liquid reduces to a glossy, emulsified sauce. This version is inspired by Korean-style banchan potatoes in a sweet soy glaze. The honey is heated until dark brown, almost the colour of molasses, which gives it a mild bitterness. Soy sauce and fish sauce add saltiness, while gochugaru, Korean chili flakes, brings heat.
Ingredients
The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of honey, 340 g of carrots (about six small ones), a piece of ginger, one garlic clove, a tablespoon of gochugaru, 240 ml of reduced-sodium chicken stock, 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, a teaspoon each of fish sauce, rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil. Chopped chives or scallions are suggested for serving.
Method
The honey is heated in a pot over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens. The carrots, ginger, garlic and gochugaru are then added and cooked for about 30 seconds. Next come the stock, butter, soy sauce and fish sauce, and the mixture is brought to a boil. The carrots simmer covered for 8–10 minutes until tender. The lid is then removed and the sauce is cooked for another 1–2 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened. If the emulsion breaks and the sauce turns greasy, water or stock is added a tablespoon at a time until it stabilizes. Off the heat, rice vinegar and sesame oil are stirred in.
Storage
The glazed carrots are best served immediately, but they keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, add 2 tablespoons of water or stock and heat until the carrots are warmed through and the glaze comes back together.
