Carrot Rice with Cumin and Bay

For this easy, colorful side, we took inspiration from Indian carrot rice. We shred the carrots on a box grater before cooking to rupture cell walls and release the natural sugars, allowing the vegetable’s sweet flavors to permeate the grains. Whole cumin seeds balance the sweetness with their warm, earthy notes. Indian carrot rice traditionally is made with curry leaves, which impart toasted allium notes with hints of citrus. But they can be difficult to find, so we swapped in bay leaves. Though bay is different in flavor, their nuances of menthol and eucalyptus work nicely in this dish.