I came across this recipe roasted carrots with yaji spice relish by Yewande Komolafe from The New York Times. Yewande Komolafe is a food writer and recipe developer for them. She grew up in Lagos and Nigeri so she knows that Yuji is a common spice in Northern Nigeria and West Africa. A spice blend of chile, ginger, pulverized peanuts gets mixed with scallions and lemon and works well to liven up the carrots. I cut the recipe in half because 4 pounds of carrots for me is way more than four servings. Some ingredients I rounded up or down slightly. I also cut the Yaji spice blend in half and have a bit extra left. In the end it did come out great. At first I thought the recipe was too sour for me but the carrots got so sweet that it worked out delicious. I think most people would enjoy it. For me this made around 4 side servings with extra yaji spice left.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

2 Tablespoons toasted peanuts (yaji spice)

1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (yaji spice)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (yaji spice)

1 teaspoon onion powder (yaji spice)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (yaji spice)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (yaji spice)

2 lb carrots – cut in 3-4 inch pieces thicker pieces halved

2 Tablespoons canola oil

sea salt – to taste

1 Tablespoon grated ginger

1/2 cup scallions sliced thin

1 smaller lemon – juice and zest

1 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil

1 1/2 teaspoons yaji spice

pinch smoked paprika

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

2 Tablespoons toasted unsalted peanuts slightly crushed

Directions

Pulse the peanuts, ginger, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt to a fine powder. This is your yaji spice. Set it to the side.

Set oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss the carrots with canola oil and lightly season with salt. Spread the carrots out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast till the carrots are tender and sort of caramelized. (timing will vary….40 minutes till an hour) Rotate pans around halfway time.

Make relish. Grate the ginger into a large bowl and add the scallions. Add zest and juice of lemon. Stir and add peanut oil. Add yaji spice, paprika, and parsley. Taste and adjust.

When the carrots come out toss them in the relish and them place them on a platter. Scatter the crushed peanut and enjoy!

A special THANKS! To Yewande Komolafe and The New York Times for this amazing recipe.