Carrot Spirals (Ethiopian Carrot Snack)

Crisp Carrot Spirals

It was in Ethiopia I learnt this delicious sweet and salty snack from Aleminish.whom I call my Ethiopian daughter  When she made them for the first time, I wondered how she manages to put carrot pieces in it. They tasted as wonderful as wonderful they look. These popular in Ethiopia  snack and for some good reason are call ed biscuits in Ethiopia. Learning from her to make these spirals has been a great experience. The colorful spirals are so enticing and mouthwatering that resisting them becomes very difficult.

Preparation Time: 15min.

Cooking Time: 60 min.min.

Servings: 80-90 spirals

Ingredients Required For Making Carrot-Spirals:

• 250 gm. Carrot

Carrots

• 250 gm. Maida (Refined flour)

maida

• 1/4Teaspoon Salt

• 100 gm. Sugar

• 1 Teaspoon Ajwain (Caraway seeds)

• 1/2 Teaspoon Yeast

Yeast powder

• 50 ml. Ghee/Oil (For making batter)

• Water

• Ghee / Oil for frying

Directions For Making Carrot Spirals:

• Mix salt and maida and sieve to ensure proper mixing of salt with maida

• Grind sugar to fine powder

• In a deep bowl take oil and powdered sugar.

• Beat the mixture with fingers or wooded ladle for 5 min.

powdered sugar

oil and sugar mixture

• Add 10ml. water and beat again.

• Add 10 ml water again and beat till the consistency of the beaten mixture becomes thick and creamy. (It will take approximately 10 min.)

Oil, sugar and water mixture being beaten with fingers

Oil, sugar and water mixture ready for yeast and ajwain

• Add ajwain and yeast and beat vigorously till the mixture becomes syrupy thick. (Approximately 5-7 min)

Yeast powder and Ajwain added to the oil,sugar water mixture

Beating with fingers

Syrupt mixture of sugar,oi,water,yeast and ajwain

Maida and salt mixture is to be added

• Add all the maida and mix and  knead the mixture to dough.

Flour and salt mixture added to the syrupy mixture of oil,sugar and water

• If the liquid is less then add little water so that the mixture can be kneaded to pliable dough.

• The dough should neither be too loose nor too hard.

• Knead for 3-4 min.

• Leave the dough for the time till carrots are cot to pieces.

• Wash and clean carrots.

• Cut them to 3-4 cm. long and 5 mm thick serrated pieces by the help of cutter.

Step 1

Stage 2

Carrot pieces for Spirals

• Once the dough is rested for 15-20 min. knead again before rolling.

Kneading the dough after allowing it to stand for 15 min.

• Make small balls from the dough and roll them with the help of palms and fingers to 2-3 mm diameter long strips.

Dough being rolled

Rolled strips and the strips wrapped around the carrot piece

• Wrap these rolled strips around the carrot pieces.

Carrot piece with dough strip wrapped around it

Carrot spirals before frying

• Press the two ends nicely to the carrot piece.

• Heat Ghee / oil in a wok till smoking hot.

• Put the some carrot spirals for frying.

Carrot spirals added to hot oil

• Bring the gas flame to medium heat and fry with constant turning the spirals till golden brown in color.

Carrot spirals being fried

Carrot spirals fried to golden brown color

• Drain excess oil from fried spirals.

Draining excess oil after frying

• Spread them on a paper for cooling. Paper will absorb extra oil from it making them less greasy.

Fried carrot spirals spread on paper for cooling

• Fry all spirals and after cooling store them in air tight container.

Carrot Spirals

Enjoy with hot cup of tea / coffee / Milk.

Tips:

• Carrots should be fresh and crisp.

• The dough should not be having excess water else the spirals will not be crisp.

• Do not bring the flame to low while frying.

• Store only when the spirals are cooled.

• Dough should be allowed to rest for 10-15 min. before rolling for spirals.

Suggested Variations:

• Beat root and beans can also be used instead of carrot.

• If you do not desire to use yeast then increase the amount of ghee / oil to 65 ml.

• Amount of caraway seeds can be increased to 2 teaspoon.

• After cutting carrot / beat root they can be dried under the sun for 1-2 hrs. to remove some moisture from them. Longer time under the sun will make them hard and useless.

• Instead of pure refined flour 200 gm. refined flour and 50 gm. suji mixture can be taken for making dough for spirals.