cutting carrots into strips

Awful Scut Mk2

This might seem an odd request, but is anyone aware of any implement or technique for cutting carrots into the thin strips that every Chinese takeaway I've ever come across seems to manage.

Doing it with an ordinary kitchen knife risks losing a finger and graters don't seem to work either. Not into ornamental food - they just cook better in a stir fry.

Faith

The technique is called Julienning. There's a tutorial video here.

Degag

You could get a mandolin perhaps?

Alun

Degag wrote: »

You could get a mandolin perhaps?

Yep, that's the way I do it. You can get ones with interchangeable cutters that do both thin strips in different thicknesses and julienne as well. Had mine for years.

(Watch your fingers though :eek:)

Dizzyblonde

I saw THIS on telly the other day - it looks great.

It was on one of the shopping channels, and it came with a gadget you could attach it to to turn it into a mini mandolin.

Alun

This is the one I have ... http://www.justaddfood.servup1.co.uk/products/gsd-universal-slicer-or-mandolin/26/ Easy to clean ... just bung it in the dishwasher.

Magic Monkey

There's two more here, the Kom Kom Miracle Knife, and Thai Peeler. The peeler is quite good, have seen it in eBay, but not in any shops.

Minder

Alun wrote: »

Yep, that's the way I do it. You can get ones with interchangeable cutters that do both thin strips in different thicknesses and julienne as well. Had mine for years.

(Watch your fingers though :eek:)

There is an infamous TV clip of Rick Stein using a mandolin - made worse by his own warnings about the dangers of using that piece of equipment shortly before attempting to remove his fingers.

As for cutting carrots for chinese meals and stir frying - use a sharp chefs knife and cut the carrot at an angle to the root so that the result looks like a horses ear - the greater surface area means it will cook quicker.

Rowley Birkin QC

Seeing as this thread is on the subject;

Anyone know the name and possibly recipe for an Eastern European/Asian dish with julienned carrots. Thats all that's in it, they have a vinegar flavour with mild spiciness and are spectacularly delicious.

Sorry for the vague description.

Magic Monkey

There's a Moroccan carrot salad, recipe here. I knew a Slovenian and Polish who remembered a common carrot salad dish to both countries, which was basically shredded carrots, sugar and a little salt. On that Food Safari site, there's a Pakistani "Carrot Halwa" recipe, but it's a sweet.

Rowley Birkin QC

Cheers but I don't think thats the one.

Think this is the one.

Alun

3 pounds of garlic, 1 pound of sugar and only 1 carrot ??? Don't fancy that much :eek: And what's "1 coriander"?

Rowley Birkin QC

Sorry, that was a quick copy and paste job as I was rushing out the door.:o:o


It ends up looking like this...



3 large carrots, craped, peeled
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons garlic, freshly minced
3 tablespoons ground red pepper
5 tablespoons ground coriander
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Slice carrots into long, thin strips. Use vegetable slicer, do not use grater.

Mix carrot, salt and sugar and set aside for 20-30 minutes. Press mixture firmly and drain the liquid.

Preheat your oil to 200°F (95°C) and carefully pour over the carrot, add vinegar, soy sauce, coriander, garlic and pepper, and mix gently but thoroughly.

Refrigerate for 3-5 hours before serving.


My gf is Estonian and her parents and their friends cook the most extraordinary food, always forget to ask recipes though.

Alun

That's more like it

In Germany and other German speaking countries you often get a grated / julienned carrot salad as part of the obligatory salad that gets served before your main course. There's no spices or anything like that in it as far as I can tell, but it has a very slight sweet / sour taste to it which I think is just some sugar and wine vinegar, but I can't be sure. It sounds a bit like your recipe, before you add the oil and spices actually.

bonkey

Awful Scut Mk2 wrote: »

Doing it with an ordinary kitchen knife risks losing a finger

Only with a bad cutting technique, tbh.

MJOR

jml nicer dicer is good too