Sweet and sour carrots

Serves 4

Ingredients

450 gm carrots thickly sliced

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 onion sliced

3 celery stalks, sliced

2 tsp corn flour

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tbs light brown soft sugar

1 tbs cider vinegar

2 tsp lemon juice

150 ml hot vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

25 gm blanched almonds, halved

Method

1.    1./   /Place the carrots in a 1.7 l bowl with 8 tbs cold water. Cover with pierced cling film and microwave at 100% (high)for 10-12 minutes .stir half way through the cooking time.

2.      2./  /place the oil, onion and celery in a 1.7 L casserole and microwave at 100% (high) for 4 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes.

3.    3./   /mix the corn flour, then add the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice and stock. Microwave at 100 %( high) for 2-3 minutes, until boiling, stirring 2-3 times.

4.       4.//add the carrots, cover with pierced cling film and microwave at 100% (high)for 5 minutes. Take care not to over cook the carrots or they will soggy. Season well. Scatter with almonds and serve immediately as an accompanying dish.

Note. The unusual sweet and sour flavor of these carrots makes them ideal for serving with plainly cooked chicken or pork.

Facts: vegetables benefits greatly from cooking in a microwave oven. They retain their texture and more of their nutrients and colour than when boiled conventionally.