Hot Core Roasted Carrots with Tahini
Hot Core carrots caramelize beautifully — their natural sugars brown while the capsaicin concentrates in the charred edges. Served with tahini and pomegranate, it's a Middle Eastern-inspired side that showcases what an engineered root vegetable can be.
Prep
10 min
Cook
30 min
Total
40 min
Servings
4
Peak SHU
5K
Featured Organisms
Ingredients
- 1 lb Hot Core carrots (SS-CAR-02), halved lengthwise
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Pomegranate seeds
- Dukkah or pistachios, crushed
- Fresh dill
Instructions
- 1
Toss carrots with olive oil, cumin, cinnamon, and salt.
- 2
Roast at 425°F for 25–30 min until caramelized and tender.
- 3
Thin tahini with lemon juice and water to a drizzle-able consistency.
- 4
Plate carrots. Drizzle with tahini.
- 5
Top with pomegranate seeds, dukkah, and dill.
Tips
- Mantle carrots (50K SHU) for a hot version.
- The pomegranate juice pops cool and sweet against the warm carrot.
Carrots have the highest sugar content of any common root vegetable (4.7g/100g). Roasting drives Maillard browning at the cut surface. Capsaicin migrates to the caramelized surface during dehydration, making the charred edges measurably hotter than the soft interior.