• Eat Your Books

  2000 James Beard Award Winner

  See Lisa Is Cooking's take on one recipe and another one and yet another one from this book.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Anita Harrell's Nigerian red kidney bean stew with a peanut sauce (Itiakiet stew)

  • mirage on January 14, 2015

    Great as a side dish.

  • greenmyrtle on January 23, 2023

    Adapted - slow cooker Put all ingredients in: 2c dried pinto beans that have been soaked/cooked to tender or aldente 1 med chopped onion that has been sautéed sautéed onhigh to brown/caramelized in ~3T oil 1t salt 2t cumin ground 3T peanut butter any type (dissolved in bean water see below) If peanut butter not sweetened then 2t sugar 1” long piece of chipotle chili pepper (instead of cayenne) 3 celery stalks chopped or 1T celery seeds 1t turmeric 1t sage 1T mustard seeds 1 can tomato’s puréed (15 fl oz) Equal amount or more of bean cooking water (dissolve peanut butter in this first Chopped green pepper (optional but good if you eat peppers) Simmer ~2h or until flavors meld Optional; textured vegetable protein or soy swirls; if too much liquid, or add extra liquid to accomodate. Optional: mushrooms or dried mushrooms (tame or wild)

• Middle Eastern stew of chickpeas, potatoes and carrots

  • radishseed on February 05, 2014

    This dish is simple to put together, and both tasty and comforting.

  • Wlow on April 02, 2018

    I agree that this is “both tasty and comforting.” Very satisfying using leftover home-cooked chickpeas and canned fire-roasted tomatoes.

  • adelina on February 11, 2015

    Good to prepare the night before. I used one more can of chickpeas since we love it and added cilantro and dill at the end.

• Chris LaBrusciano's ginger-garlic bean curd

  • radishseed on March 22, 2020

    I wanted some veggies in this, so I added beet greens and bell peppers, and it was really good for dinner over brown rice.

  • mlbatt on February 27, 2020

    This is THE tofu recipe I use over and over. It's excellent. Even great leftover cold. So simple... I've shared this recipe with many friends. Love it! ----------------------------------------------------------------- [May, 2022] Edited to add: after a few years, I've now reduced the amount of oil to 1 tablespoon - using a nonstick pan. Really cuts down on the spattering. I use firm or extra firm tofu, pressed if I have time. Low sodium soy sauce or tamari with a little water added to distribute the flavoring - allowing it to evaporate makes a nice glaze. We continue to enjoy this recipe quite often.

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    2.5 stars. Very simple recipe with few ingredients—oil, tofu, garlic powder, ginger powder, tamari, nutritional yeast. That’s it. It should have been really quick, too and it would have been if I’d had a nonstick pan (which she recommends) and if I’d pressed the tofu or used super firm tofu, since that comes pre-pressed (she doesn’t mention this at all). I also wouldn’t use firm tofu in the future—go for extra firm or super firm if you can. My tofu crumbled a lot in the pan as I attempted to stir it. As it was, it took almost 20 minutes for enough water to evaporate so the tofu would start browning and another ten minutes for all the other stuff. Still a quick recipe this way, but it would have been five minutes to gather the ingredients + another ten to cook if I’d had the right equipment and had used the right technique. It’s pretty tasty but not wow. Points for simplicity and (under the right conditions) speed, though.

  • Lepa on May 09, 2017

    I have been making this for years and my kids always cheer when they see it. This recipe is a gem. It's fast and easy and delicious. We all fight over who gets to scrape the crust left on the skillet when cleaning up because it is sooo delicious.

• From the home of the Raja of Mahmudabad in Lucknow, beets with mint and yogurt (Chukandar dahi)

  • radishseed on May 17, 2014

    I would make this as is to serve as a raita or yogurt dip, or cut the yogurt in half to serve as a salad.

• Indonesian corn, rice, and vegetable stew (Bubur manado)

  • radishseed on January 03, 2022

    This is nice, albeit fairly plain, on its own. I didn't make the accompanying sambal, but it's good with a spicy condiment stirred in. Makes a massive batch of soup, like more than my 5-quart pot could handle.

• Sugar snap peas with dried mint

  • radishseed on June 10, 2014

    Mmmm. Minty, buttery, sweet peas. Super yum.

  • jdub1371 on July 14, 2017

    Lightning fast, easy and delicious. I always have dried spearmint around for tea and recipes so this was a no-brainer. Have ingredients ready by the stove, as recipe moves along at a good clip. Perfect side dish for broiled lamb chops.

  • Lepa on October 25, 2017

    This was almost no work and everybody in my family loved it. This is a great recipe when you have sugar snap peas and need a quick side that requires minimal work. I've had this book for seventeen years and I still discover new treasures in it!

• Persian-style carrots with dried apricots

  • radishseed on April 02, 2015

    A nice side dish. I added lemon juice at the end for a little zing.

• Scrambled eggs with cauliflower (Gobi-vala khichri unda)

  • radishseed on April 09, 2020

    When cooking the cauliflower, I think it's important to cook it until it starts to get brown and a little soft (this might take longer than 2 minutes, as the recipe says).

• Japanese/Korean-style scrambled eggs with bean curd

  • radishseed on July 30, 2024

    Simple, quick, and delish over rice or alongside a few other small dishes.

• Shamsi Davis' yogurt with eggplant and walnuts (Boorani bademjan)

  • radishseed on July 20, 2015

    This dip is good, although I like the similar, but more complicated, recipe from Saveur better (Eggplant and yogurt dip [Borani-e bademjan]).

• Vegetable mulligatawny soup

  • radishseed on March 08, 2022

    Really good, but I thought it was a tad too peppery. I would try it with half the amount of pepper next time.

  • katiesue28 on September 22, 2020

    Fall in a bowl! So delicious.

  • jenburkholder on October 11, 2021

    This was very tasty. I added a little tadka with ghee and mustard seeds at the end, like she suggests to do for eggs, and I think this added a lot. The turnip becomes mild and inoffensive with all of the spices and prolonged cooking.

• Shiu-Min Block's Chinese mixed vegetable salad (Hwang gwa su liang tsai)

  • radishseed on July 06, 2016

    This salad was very nice as written. Also tried it with sesame seeds, chopped tomatoes, and basil thrown in.

• Broccoli with potatoes

  • PennyG on July 03, 2023

    This was really delicious! Going into the rotation.

• Baked lima beans or large white beans (Fassoulia fourno)

  • mlbatt on May 11, 2020

    What appears to be a very simple recipe turns to magic after 2 hours in the oven, with wonderful aromas making us hungry. In this recipe I used canned chopped tomatoes which I very slightly broke up with my stick blender - other than that I followed the recipe exactly, having cooked the beans the day before. Rancho Gordo Royal Corona beans were the star. Definitely a "make again."

  • Hawley on January 08, 2014

    A family favorite. We make it on the weekend since it calls for a long cooking time, and if we don't eat it that night we save it for an easy weeknight meal.

  • thecharlah on November 08, 2015

    One of my all-time favorite bean recipes. Simple and delicious.

  • jenburkholder on October 09, 2022

    More than the sum of its parts, but I have recipes I like better for similar things that aren’t significantly more work. Still, quite good and very easy.

• Collard greens with browned onions (Karam ka saag)

  • mlbatt on July 08, 2020

    Used kale. Delicious!

  • Greydenn on May 17, 2020

    One of my favorite ways to cook greens.

• Delhi-style peach chutney

  • Avocet on December 02, 2015

    I made this last August when we had a surplus of peaches. We enjoyed the freshly made chutney, but since I'd made more than we could eat in a week, I water bath canned a couple of jars. We opened one of them today, and the chutney had not taken well to canning. The spices, particularly the fenugreek and turmeric were overwhelming. Also, their flavor was strangely changed. It was tasted like the many bad commercially bottled Indian chutneys I've tried over the years. I'd make this again, but only to eat fresh. p. 700.

• Curried red cabbage with cranberry juice

  • Kringler on September 12, 2022

    This is really good. It's spicy and warm. I used red wine instead of cranberry juice. Served with plain air-fried tilapia.

• Birdie's eggplant and tomato "choka"

  • TippyCanoe on April 23, 2013

    This is a delicious, simple hot appetizer dip that I have been making for years. Always turns out great and the hot oil and cumin seeds add a depth of flavor that is unusual.

• Pumpkin or Hubbard squash cooked with Bengali seasonings (Bangali kaddu)

  • TrishaCP on October 25, 2018

    I had high hopes for this dish, because I love all of the spices, but it was just bland. I got no heat from the chiles that I used (arbol, so maybe I should have chosen something spicier)- and the Hubbard squash I used was just stodgy.

• Mixed bean soup

  • Krisage on May 21, 2020

    Pressure cooked the beans in water first, and drained. Then used 2-3 cups of whey (left over from earlier ricotta-making) as broth to finish cooking veg and beans. Nice flavor! Don't skip the cashews.

• Fireman's soup

  • Ordinaryblogger on May 22, 2022

    I added some tomato purée and also a tempered oil, curry leaves and mustard and cumin seeds. Doubled the moong dal for a thicker soup.

• Hulled and split mung beans with spinach (Saag vali moong dal)

  • Ordinaryblogger on July 11, 2022

    A new favorite! I used frozen spinach and it worked fine. Replaced chili peppers with ginger because that’s what i had. It was perfect.

• Shiu-Min Block's stir-fried hot peppers with ginger and garlic (Chow ching la jiao)

  • JKDLady on August 26, 2015

    These were very good, but I think leaving out the sesame oil would make them more versatile. I will definitely make these again leaving out the sesame oil, so that I can use them in Mexican recipes.

• Gisella Orjeda's Peruvian potatoes in the Huancayo style

  • Yildiz100 on March 01, 2016

    I find that pureeing everything after the sauce is simmered and thickened thins it back out, so I always put it back in the pan with about a quarter teaspoon more flour and re-thicken it a bit. I made my most recent batch in cast-iron and it had a metallic taste. I'm not sure if it was the pan or something else, but I will definitely avoid cast iron for this recipe in the future.

• Cheryl Rathkopf's Sri Lankan sweet potatoes with cardamom and chiles (Bathala theldala)

  • Yildiz100 on June 22, 2020

    Nice, but you can't taste the cardamom and barely the cinnamon.

  • jenburkholder on August 31, 2020

    We didn't like these at all. They were woefully under-spiced and generally unsatisfying. Won't make again.

• Chickpeas and chana dal cooked together in a mint sauce

  • Yildiz100 on March 01, 2016

    Absolutely delicious! I always change the process just a bit and puree the sauce/chana dal with an immersion blender and then add the whole chickpeas at the very end.

  • jenburkholder on January 05, 2022

    This was good, if a bit basic for my tastes. The only notable flavor was the mint. Will happily eat the rest, but probably won’t bother making again. There’s lots of other chickpea dals I like better.

• Bean curd with asparagus and Chinese mushrooms

  • infotrop on May 15, 2018

    couldn't find dried black mushrooms, so I used paddy straw and porcini mushrooms in order to have the soaking liquid needed for the sauce, and added fresh shiitakes. yum

• Asparagus with romesco sauce

  • infotrop on April 16, 2014

    straight forward steamed asparagus with a really interesting sauce. Almost had a peanut-butter taste. I would endeavor to make it spicier next time.

• Royal mango chutney (Shahi aam ki chutney)

  • infotrop on July 09, 2018

    I couldn't find green mangoes, so used nearly ripe ones and regular raisins instead of golden. I added a bit more vinegar and cayenne. Delicious sauce, which I served over roasted chicken breasts stuffed with a mix of cream cheese and spices...this melted to add just a bit of creaminess. Over couscous.

• My curry powder

  • Wlow on July 18, 2020

    Very good even without cloves. Made better than usual kedgeree!

• From the home of Anand Sarabhat, rice with yogurt and fresh pomegranate seeds

  • Wlow on May 21, 2019

    Yum! Pomegranates in fridge since fall (!). Cashews would be good additional garnish (seen online in photos).

• Simple "risotto" of rice and split peas (Khichri II)

  • Wlow on March 28, 2018

    Truly comforting when sick. Canned tomato (fire roasted) fine. Water instead of broth also fine for this mild, plain version. Ghee for serving but if dairy free maybe chutney or extra salt.

• Masala omelet (Masala omlate)

  • Wlow on October 14, 2021

    Great with N. Watch the amount of tomato, especially if very ripe and juicy.

• Indian egg and potato cake (Aloo omlate)

  • Wlow on September 05, 2018

    Needed full 3/4 t salt. I undersalted because it sounded like so much! Dish not exciting freshly made but very good leftover, though dry—needed a chutney or sauce.

• Claire Seraphim's tabbouleh, a salad made with bulgur and arugula

  • Wlow on November 11, 2018

    End of tomato season, very refreshing though a bit salty. Maybe I goofed somewhere when I halved the recipe! Several steps to plan time for: soaking bulgur, washing and drying herbs, draining tomato. Added a little Aleppo Pepper instead of cayenne.

• Promila Kapoor's bulgur pilaf with peas and carrots (Daliya namkeen)

  • Wlow on September 08, 2018

    Really good but cooked too fast in 35 minutes... maybe too wide a saucepan? Scorched but not ruined. N loved it!

• From the Ormylia monastery in Macedonia, pureed beet salad (Pantzarosalata II)

  • Wlow on November 18, 2020

    “It is also quite wonderful on boiled or baked potatoes.”

• Chickpea flour pizza with rosemary, tomato and Parmesan cheese

  • stockholm28 on June 14, 2015

    I've made these pizzas at least half a dozen times. i always use a cast iron pan. I deviate slightly from the instructions. The instructions have you add the toppings before putting under the broiler. I now put the pan with just the chickpea flour crust under the broiler first for a couple of minutes. Once the crust has browned slightly, I take out of the oven, add the toppings, and return to the broiler for a couple minutes. This makes for a crust that is a little crispier.

• Black-eyed peas with watercress

  • stockholm28 on June 19, 2015

    This is simple and works as a healthy vegetarian main. I usually find myself increasing the ginger and cayenne. It works fine with canned black eyed peas if you forget to soak dried ones the night before.

• Israeli couscous with asparagus and fresh mushrooms

  • stockholm28 on May 13, 2016

    Good side dish, but not terribly exciting. This makes a lot of couscous, so the mushroom and parmesan flavor is quite diluted.

• Curried red lentil soup (Masoor dal soup)

  • sarac on March 08, 2021

    More curry and clove is good, don't skip the lemon at the end

• Rosario Guillermo's refried beans (Frijoles refritos)

  • sarac on January 10, 2021

    This has been my go to refried beans recipe for fifteen years.

  • Tiganna on September 05, 2021

    Extremely tasty, even without refrying, as a stew with rice. Simple, but flavoursome. Freezes well.

• Broccoli with spinach (Broccoli ka saag)

  • Hawley on October 17, 2015

    Really like the flavor of this dish. Easy to pull together - especially if get the components prepared ahead of time. I cut back on the salt by half and husband still found it a bit salty.

• Homemade Indian cheese with spinach (Saag Paneer)

  • mesanger on November 24, 2014

    Nice alternative to the cream- or yogurt-laden saags

• Shiu-Min Block's broccoli stir-fried with ginger and garlic (Chow chia lan)

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    4.5 stars. Very simple and fast recipe (broccoli, oil, ginger, garlic, salt, optional stock, sesame oil). I cooked a little longer than she says to (I think my broccoli florets were bigger). I really like the technique of stir-frying for a couple of minutes then adding water and steaming for another two. I like the way the broccoli comes out bright green and neither overcooked or undercooked, as well as that it’s faster than more typical stir-frying. All that said, this recipe was too salty. I think next time I’ll use a teaspoon or so of salt and not a teaspoon and a half.

  • Lepa on May 09, 2017

    This is a wonderful broccoli recipe. I've been making it for years. I usually pair it with ginger and garlic bean curd (also in this book) and brown rice. With a pat of chile paste on the side for adults, it is such a satisfying, easy meal.

• Shiu-Min Block's bean curd with hot sauce (La jiao chieng chow dofu)

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    And easy, quick and tasty tofu recipe. I really like this and have made it multiple times.

• Red lentils with zucchini (Vegetarian dalcha)

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    4.5 stars. We added a lot more zucchini (in all 2 big zucchinis probably 3-4 cups) because we had some we wanted to get rid of, so we doubled the spices. This was stupendously good but oily. We probably used too much oil (we recently got our first nonstick sauté pan in years and are just now getting the hang of how to reduce the oil when using it). We used sunflower oil instead of peanut or canola.

• Broccoli rabe with garlic

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    1.5 stars. It might have just been the rabe I used, or maybe I should have been more generous with the salt again, but this came out a little bitter.

• Cold eggplants with a soy sauce dressing

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    3 stats. Pretty good but not memorable.

• Cold eggplants with spicy Chinese peanut dressing

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    3 stars. I made this with low sodium soy sauce and I think it needed more sodium than I used because it came out a little on the bland side. Hard to judge how good it would have been otherwise so I'm giving it 3 stars.

• Hard-boiled eggs in a tomato-cream sauce

  • cedarmakesthings on March 27, 2016

    The sauce on this is delicious, and so filling. Will definitely make again in the future.

• Anatolian red lentil stew with wheat berries and chickpeas (Eksili çorba)

  • adelina on September 18, 2015

    Very much loved the puree of the eggplants with tomatoes as the base of this soup. I added dried mint and served with a garlic yogurt sauce.

  • gollmar on November 06, 2018

    This is also great without the wheat berries. Or use a few fresh tomatoes for a tangier, fresher flavor at the end of summer.

  • Shelmar on February 22, 2020

    Good flavor, but two to three hours of time to make.

• Potatoes cooked with fennel seeds (Aloo ki lonji)

  • thecharlah on February 01, 2016

    Really good over rice.

• Polenta with broccoli rabe (Polenta con broccoli rapini)

  • Lepa on January 03, 2017

    This is one of my favorite comfort dishes. Simple and utterly delicious!

• Cauliflower stir-fried with ginger and cilantro

  • Lepa on November 12, 2017

    This is simple and easy to prepare but very good. I credit it with convincing my kids to like cauliflower.

• Promila Kapoor's Punjabi-style cauliflower and potatoes with ginger (Aloo gobi)

  • Lepa on March 05, 2017

    This is my favorite version of aloo gobi. It's a bit greasy but delicious!

• Panna Thakrar's corn with cauliflower (Phulawar makai nu shaak)

  • Lepa on November 12, 2017

    This is a delicious, quick and easy side for an Indian dinner.

  • jenburkholder on February 01, 2021

    Very eh, I thought. Admittedly, I don't really like sweetcorn in savory dishes, so I was probably predisposed not to like it. Even the rest, though, felt bland and a bit uninspired. An unfortunate disappointment from one of my favorite books. Served with saag tofu and brown rice flavored with a black cardamom pod.

• Lentils in a sauce (Lentilles en sauce)

  • Lepa on November 26, 2017

    I love this recipe. We eat it, as recommended, with tomatoes in tomato sauce (from the same book) and a nice hunk of bread for dipping. It's magical how these simple ingredients create such a lovely meal.

  • jenburkholder on December 10, 2022

    This was okay, but maybe a bit too plain. Didn’t feel like it was really more than the sum of its parts, as it mostly just tasted of lentil.

• Tex-Mex vegetarian chili

  • Lepa on November 04, 2017

    I have been making this chili for many years and always come back to it after trying other chili recipes. I make it in a pressure cooker and put the lid on after sauteing the onions, pepper, garlic and spices. I reduce the water to 3 cups and add the tomatoes, lentils and beans. It takes about twenty minutes at pressure and then I release the pressure, mix in the corn meal and finish it with the lid off. This shaves about 30 minutes off the recipe and doesn't affect the taste at all. We eat it with cheese, sour cream and cornbread but it's also delicious with polenta, as MJ recommends.

  • meginyeg on September 29, 2021

    This was ok. Spice combination was good. But I think we prefer black bean versions of vegetarian chili.

  • jenburkholder on January 12, 2024

    Solid, basic chili. Cooked my kidney beans from scratch and that gave a real boost to the flavor.

  • Jeljh98 on June 20, 2024

    Added half a teaspoon of smoked paprika for some added smokiness - love it!

• Rosario Guillermo's black bean "charros" (Frijoles charros)

  • Lepa on July 22, 2016

    This is my go-to black bean soup. Like all of Madhur's recipes, it is simple and delicious.

• Marios Mourtezis' Cypriot chickpea stew with spinach (Revithia yakhni)

  • Lepa on July 22, 2016

    This is simple and delicious. I have been making it for years and it is always a treat.

• Meera Jaffrey's bean curd with tomatoes and cilantro

  • Lepa on November 12, 2017

    This is one of those dishes that I have been making for years and always come back to. It's an unusual dish but it's so satisfying and delicious (and healthy)! I serve it with brown rice and add chili paste at the table so it's not too spicy for the kids.

• Mango chutney (Aam ki chutney)

  • meginyeg on February 14, 2023

    We liked this. Was a good match for spicy vindaloo pulled pork.

• Shiu-Min Block's radish salad (Hong lowa baw liang tsai)

  • lauraprooks on November 15, 2016

    So good! I couldn't stop eating these.

• Panna Thakrar's spicy corn with sesame seeds and tomatoes (Tamatur varu makai nu shaak)

  • urmami on August 22, 2016

    What a treat this was. Spicy, fragrant, complex, and filling. As you probably know, it's critical to cover the pan when frying the mustard seeds because those little f***ers can really jump. We like to stir in some lightly fried paneer cubes, kidney beans, or lentils at the end for protein and richness. The addition of cheese or beans makes it a splendid one-bowl meal. We've gotten heaps of corn every week in our CSA and, um, most of it has ended up in here.

• Zucchini and feta cheese salad (Kolokithi me feta salata)

  • snokite on October 20, 2019

    I added tomatoes and a clove of minced garlic. Fabulous!

• Tomato soup with lemongrass

  • snokite on July 04, 2020

    I added a half cup of rinsed red lentils for protein. Just before serving, I added a handful of chopped fresh mint, and a half teaspoon of garam masala. Served with roti.

• Quinoa with green beans and carrot

  • Handcraftedlife on July 08, 2017

    Really good! The recipe is surprising.

• Bitter melons stuffed with onions and pomegranate seeds (Bhara hua karela)

  • mjes on September 08, 2021

    If you like bitter melon, this is a recipe you must try - a simple stuffing of highly seasoned onions make this a very enjoyable side dish.

• Millet flatbreads (Bajray ki roti)

  • mjes on April 28, 2018

    My grandfather (born 1870) was fascinated by millet as a staple grain of Northern China so I'd cooked millet before I was ten. I was a young adult before I saw it again. I became a millet recipe junkie because of the association with Grandfather. So naturally when I saw a roti recipe using millet flour . . . In your Indian grocery, finger millet flour is labeled "ragi", pearl millet is "bajra", chapati flour is "atta". I've made these using finger millet flour rather than pearl millet flour. This is a great recipe to do with children as even the smallest can put butter and sugar on top and eat them as they come off the tava. And you don't have to be very big to flatten the dough in your hands to put on the tava - they taste the same whether or not the kid made a circle. The recipe can easily be increased. Millet is a mild enough flavor that one has to search for the flavor; however, the decreased gluten content is noticeable as you shape the roti.

• Miso soup with shiitake mushrooms and egg strands (Miso shiru III)

  • sdeathe on January 18, 2022

    Lovely soup, easy to prepare, and comforting and satisfying. I used an envelope of dashi powder in water to replace the vegetable stock, which I felt would be too salty. Worked well. A repeat.

• Kohlrabi, carrot and daikon salad

  • deboChicago on August 17, 2019

    Flexible recipe. Made this with scallions, without kohlrabi, added peanuts and sesame seeds. Delicious.

• Spicy eggplant stew with potatoes, mushrooms and chickpeas (Shorvedar baigan aur aloo)

  • dc151 on January 20, 2021

    Fairly simple to make, but kind of meh. Spicy, hot, not really spicy, flavor. I expect more from Jaffrey's recipes.

• Polenta with a mushroom and potato stew

  • dc151 on May 12, 2020

    Fairly simple recipe that used several of my CSA produce items. The potatoes took a bit longer than recipe called for. Nice, simple flavor. Think I'll add some more herbs/spices next time. Definitely recommend serving it over the polenta.

• Shiu-Min Block's long beans with fermented black beans (Don sher chaw gan do)

  • jenburkholder on November 30, 2021

    Very easy, nice side dish of long beans. I cooked a couple minutes longer than she noted as I like the beans a little more tender and at two minutes they were definitely not done. Paired with dubu-jorim (spicy Korean braised tofu) this made a nice veg dinner!

• Sri Lankan eggplant curry (Vambotu curry)

  • jenburkholder on August 31, 2020

    Tolerated even by an eggplant hater. I liked this quite a bit. I added some chickpeas to make it a whole meal, and it was reasonably easy to toss together. Will make again, if I end up with eggplants somehow.

• Green beans with cumin and fennel

  • jenburkholder on August 31, 2020

    Very flavorful, excellent for out-of-season beans that need a little help. Will make again.

• Spicy Punjabi red kidney bean stew (Rajma)

  • jenburkholder on August 31, 2020

    This isn't my favorite recipe for rajma, but as with most of Madhur Jaffrey's recipes, it is one of the easiest, so I have made it several times. Goes well with nearly everything and works just as well with a can of tomatoes as fresh-chopped.

• Basic recipe for plain chickpea flour pizza (Socca/Farinata)

  • jenburkholder on August 31, 2020

    Perfectly functional socca recipe. I'm not sure why she adds so much more oil on top - that's not something I've ever seen anyone do in France, so I just don't bother. Other than that, works well. Particularly nice with some summer vegetables for a light supper.

• Marios Mourtezis' black-eyed peas with Swiss chard (Louvi)

  • jenburkholder on August 31, 2020

    These are about the simplest black-eyed peas out there, but lovely, as long as you like the flavor of the peas. The suggested yogurt cheese is necessary to add dimension, and I would recommend serving with pickles of some sort as well. We used pickled onion. An impossibly cheap and very soulful dinner.

• Black-eyed peas with Trinidadian seasonings

  • jenburkholder on August 31, 2020

    These are delicious and very simple. I served with sauteed greens and pickles, as well as brown rice for an inexpensive and cozy supper. Don't forget to dump on the hot sauce!

• From the home of Pia Alisjahbana sweet-and-sour tempeh with peanuts (Sambal goreng tempeh kering)

  • jenburkholder on August 31, 2020

    Probably my single favorite way to eat tempeh, if not the healthiest. Deep-fried until crisp, hot, sweet, and tart, this is absolutely delicious. It is a bit of a chore, with the frying the peanuts and the frying the tempeh, but utterly worth it at least every once in a while. It's quite hot as written, so we frequently cut it down by a chile.

• Grated beets with shallots

  • jenburkholder on August 31, 2020

    Good beet side dish for Indian meals. Comes together quickly and method is easy to scale up or down depending on the amount of beets one has.

• Cabbage with garlic and shallots (Tumis kol)

  • jenburkholder on August 31, 2020

    Simple but tasty treatment of cabbage. Nice for days when one doesn't feel like cooking much.

• Egg curry, Goan style (Unday ki kari)

  • jenburkholder on August 31, 2020

    Yum yum yum. A pantry-friendly favorite. We have made this several times, and loved it all of them. Creamy, warm, spicy, and well-seasoned. Wonderful.

• Cabbage salad with mustard seeds (Bund gobi ka salaad)

  • jenburkholder on February 01, 2021

    Very tasty slaw. Ate alongside a lentil soup for a lovely lunch.

• Fennel and orange salad

  • jenburkholder on August 31, 2020

    Refreshing and pleasant. Exactly what one would expect.

• Onion salad (Pyaz)

  • jenburkholder on November 01, 2022

    Made this to go with a lamb stew. My red onion was SHARP! So I added juice of half a lemon to counter a bit. Tasty and provided the desired crunch and tangy sharpness.

• Trinidadian split pea soup (Sans coche)

  • jenburkholder on December 12, 2021

    This was quite good; it had a surprisingly interesting flavor for being so simple. I added a chopped green plantain to make it more of a meal in a bowl, and that was nice. It did need more water than called for - I think I ended up adding about two more cups, and it would have needed it even without the plantain.

• Salted lemons, Moroccan style

  • jenburkholder on August 31, 2020

    I used Meyer lemons. She doesn't overcomplicate this recipe like many do, and this made excellent preserved lemons. I'll follow this recipe again.