Once upon a time in Australia, carrots were like little more than a supporting double act with peas, on some dodgy vaudeville show that was headlined by chops. And the most interesting choices when it came to carrots were whether to have them steamed or boiled.

Recently, however, in the wake of the orange revolution that has seen the sweet potato and pumpkin championed, the carrot is also finally seeing some love. So, what are some of the key new ways with carrots, and which of them are worth trying so you, too, can surf this orange wave? 

Related recipe: Chermoula carrot, sweet potato, red onion, green olives and almonds on couscous

Credit: Alan Jensen

FORGET: Grated carrot salad. MAKE: Carrot ribbon salad. Toss loads of carrot ribbons with chilli or gochujang paste, garlic, soy, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. You can also throw in plump little raisins (soaked in warm orange juice) as a nod to the old retro carrot salad. Serve with chicken schnitzels or chicken yakitori skewers. 

FORGET: Boiled carrots. MAKE: Sweet & sour carrot balls. Steam carrot slices, then mash and mix with cornflour. Scoop into neat little balls and poach until springy. Cook in sweet & sour sauce. Serve with roasted pork belly. 

FORGET: Boring old potato gratin. MAKE: Carrot gratin. Carrots love the cream and cheese of a gratin almost as much as spuds or celeriac. Load your layers of sliced carrot with loads of parsley, too. Even more ‘out there’ would be this cheesy carrot rosti. 

Related recipe: Whole roasted carrots with pangrattato and chilli honey dressing

Credit: Chris Court

FORGET: Carbonara. MAKE: Carrotonara. Roast carrot chunks, onion and a garlic bulb in the oven. Blend together with some silken tofu and pour over pasta.

FORGET: Salt & vinegar chips. MAKE: Carrot parmesan chips. Spread grated parmesan on a lined baking tray. Toss slices of carrot in oil, honey, vinegar and chopped parsley. Lay on the parmesan and cook in a medium oven until the carrot slices are soft and the parmesan is a glassy, cheesy window holding them together. Cool and break into hefty chips. 

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FORGET: Corn fritters. MAKE: Carrot fritters. These can be as sparse and unimpressive as just oats, eggs and carrots. Yes, I’m not a fan. 

So FORGET: Carrot fritters. MAKE: Carrot pakoras in the air fryer, or a carrot okonomiyaki on the flat plate of your barbecue. Here, you replace half the cabbage in this classic Japanese pancake with finely chopped matchsticks of carrot. Hetty Lui McKinnon has a good recipe for a cabbage and kimchi okonomiyaki that you can add carrots to. 

When cooked, stripe the top with thin lines of Japanese mayo and barbecue sauce (or ideally, a brown okonomiyaki sauce like Bull Dog or Otafuku brand – ask for the latter very carefully) and thinly sliced pickled ginger. Add a hefty sprinkle of furikake (Japanese seasoning blend). You can find the sauce and the furikake from Japanese or Asian grocers. Pick up some white miso and some dashi powder (or stock) for the pancake batter while you’re there 

I’ll leave you with three other lesser-known carrot ideas to chase down: Billie McKay’s no-waste carrot gnudi, my delicious carrot jam to serve with cheese, and carrot bacon, which you’ll find in my recipes for impossible vegan caesar salad and loaded vegan roast potatoes.

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