Sweet and sour braised carrots from Samarkand: Recipes & Stories from Central Asia & The Caucasus (page 137) by Caroline Eden and Eleanor Ford

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Accompaniments: Sesame and nut bulgur pilaf

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • MissKoo on February 12, 2026

    Made this as part of Samarkand cookbook dinner to accompany the Chicken and Almond Pilaf Pie (p. 128). The flavors of the two dishes blended beautifully and the carrots in their braising sauce added a needed pop of color to the plate. I used half the suggested amount of chile flakes, concerned about heat, but could have used the full amount. Everyone loved this and no one thought it too sweet. I added extra raisins as others have suggested. The amount of water called for worked perfectly. I love carrots and am happy to have this new way to prepare them.

  • Anea25 on September 03, 2023

    It's good but I think switching the tomato to something else would be better. I also had to add a lot more water in order to get the carrots to braise. The spicing is quite nice, especially the next day.

  • jenburkholder on August 17, 2020

    I didn’t love this one; it felt a bit monotonely sweet. Wouldn’t repeat, probably.

  • rumon on October 07, 2017

    I make this all the time, an extremely useful veg side dish to have up your sleeve as it has a relatively long braise time and is quite happy sitting around once cooked. I can assure you that the recipe works perfectly with the stated amount of water and raisins. There is enough moisture in the pan with the lid on to slowly braise the carrots and the flavours intensify this way.

  • Aggie92 on April 24, 2017

    Wow! I loved this. Lightly sweet, sour and spicy. The sugar and cinnamon gave the carrots an initial dessert-like quality on the palate and then the red pepper flakes kick in and promptly return this dish right back to savory. The only thing I did different was to double the amount of water. The initial amount was way too skimpy and left the carrots in a thick goo that would not have allow them to braise. I removed the pan cover a few minutes before the end of the cooking time which allowed the glaze to thicken. Also doubled the amount of raisins too, as 1 tablespoon just didn't seem like enough.

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