The beauty of this appetizer is that the vinegar in combo with the fiber from the carrots creates a super barrier for blood sugar spikes! Pretty sure prescribed pickled veggies pre meal should be a thing.
This carrot chutney is sublime! The annatto seed color and flavor paired with the Szechuan peppercorn is nothing like we have ever had. The sinister red color really changes the flavor expectation in a beautiful way. Its not spicy yet heavily spiced.
We have been picking whole carrots and chunks of ginger (amongst other veggies) in the left over vinegarized whole fruit when we finish bottling. Kind of reminds us of the Japanese nuka bed pickles (essentially fermenting rice bran). For this recipe, we suggest slicing your carrots and ginger first then steeping in vinegar for about a day or at least a few hours before assembling the chutney. Make sure to keep the vinegar you steeped them in so you use it for sauces!
Chutney Ingredients:
5 carrots (not the huge kind, normal organic size)
3 inch chunk of ginger
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs achiote paste (can pound fresh seeds or buy paste at the store)
5 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1/2 cumin powder
1 tbs Szechuan peppercorns
3 tbs dill (mint, or really any herb of choice)