• Eat Your Books

  2000 James Beard Award Winner

  See Lisa Is Cooking's take on Tuscan squash pie, Israeli couscous with asparagus and fresh mushrooms and Spanish potato, chard and bean soup from this book.

• MelMM on August 04, 2010

  This is a masterwork of vegetable cookery. It is organized by ingredient rather than by course, which makes it handy for figuring out what to do with something from the CSA box. This is not the kind of vegetarian cookbook that has vegetarian "versions" of dishes that would normally have meat. It's just packed full of authentic recipes for vegetables, grains, and beans from around the world, and everything I have made from this book has been fantastic. As you might expect given the author, there are a lot of Indian recipes, but there are also plenty from other parts of the world.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Stir-fried aubergines with tomato and Parmesan sauce

  • Jane on August 23, 2011

    I didn't love this and I think it may be that I don't really like the texture of fried eggplant. It soaks up so much oil and I didn't manage to get it to brown very well. For the temperature to be high enough to brown the eggplant slices, the garlic was going to be burning. Then adding the water and cooking it gently made the slices be very soggy. I liked the concept though so I will try it again with zucchini as I think that would be more my cup of tea.

• Sweet potatoes with sultanas and cinnamon

  • Jane on August 09, 2011

    I liked this a lot. It was pretty quick for a dish that had quite a lot going on. Caramelized onions, ginger, cinnamon, sultanas plus a bit of heat from cayenne made the potatoes really delicious. Madhur describes it as "This heavenly dish.." and I wouldn't argue with her.

• Quinoa with sweetcorn and potatoes

  • Jane on August 22, 2011

    I made this with fresh sweetcorn and it was OK, probably not worth repeating. I found the mix of cubed, fried potatoes a bit odd with the quinoa. I used tomatoes as I didn't have tomatillos. It was a little too wet at the end so 14 or 15 fl oz of water would be better than 16. I had it cold today for lunch with some crumbled feta cheese mixed in and it was a bit better, the potato pieces didn't bother me so much. But still, given how many better quinoa recipes I've tried, this one isn't joining my rotation.

• Penne with courgette and basil

  • Jane on August 06, 2011

    This was a good, fast pasta dish. I used summer squash rather than courgettes. The mint and basil added at the end gave it a fresh, summery flavor.

  • sarahcooks on August 02, 2011

    This is easy and good, I would definitely make it again. It calls for a "good sized onion" and also gave the weight - my good sized onion was twice the weight called for, so I'm very glad she gave the weight! You saute the onion 5 minutes, add the zucchini, and then toss it with the pasta, basil, mint, and parmesan. Good weeknight, summer meal.

  • L.Nightshade on August 01, 2012

    Made this for dinner tonight, smaller portions became a side dish for grilled pork chops. I used a bit of demi glace instead of vegetable, stock, as we were clearly not having a vegetarian dinner. I would call this an adequate side. The combination of the basil and mint was refreshing and summery, but I wouldn't call it great. I think it might be a nice side with grilled lamb, however. That's probably just the old lamb and mint combination calling me from my childhood.

• Swiss chard with tomatoes and chickpeas

  • Breadcrumbs on August 14, 2011

    p. 232 This was such a great meatless meal and a quick weeknight dish, especially when you substitute canned chickpeas for the dried as I did. Forgive my truncated review but my time is tight these days. I compensated for the lack of cooking liquid from the beans by substituting w some chicken broth which I added to the tomato mixture until I felt the flavours were balanced. The dish is made by sautéing lots of chopped garlic w some fresh sage before adding canned tomatoes. Next in is the chard which is stirred in until it wilts. The chickpeas then go in and everything cooks uncovered for approx 20 mins. EVOO is drizzled over top before serving. I served it over basmati rice and it was fabulous. mr bc liked this so much he took the remainder for lunches and ate it at room temp. I’d highly recommend this. I stirred some shredded basil into the final dish.

• Young Swiss chard with sesame seeds

  • Breadcrumbs on August 21, 2011

    p. 231 -This recipe far exceeded my expectations and the chard-hating mr bc LOVED it saying it was the best chard he’d ever eaten because it didn’t taste like chard. If you’re looking for a way to incorporate more greens/chard into your menus, I’d highly recommend this dish. If you already love chard, you must try this, it’s so delicious.The dressing is absolutely delicious and its sweet, nutty flavour works perfectly to balance the bitter flavour of the chard. I loved the texture too, this is a terrific dish to eat w chopsticks. The dressing yields enough for a double batch of chard so right after dinner I quickly boiled some more chard so we could have it for lunches. I served it over steamed brown basmati rice. Truly scrumptious, one of the best dishes I’ve made from this book thus far. When I make this again I'll add some sliced, cooked shitake mushrooms to the mix which I think will be delicious and, complimentary in texture.

• Green beans with mushrooms

  • Breadcrumbs on September 21, 2012

    p. 206 While this was a pretty tasty dish, I don't think of it as a simple way with green beans. The dish is time consuming & not suited for a weeknight in IMHO. Beans must be cleaned, top & tailed, then chopped. Ditto for the mushrooms except they’re sliced. Garlic is to be chopped and the ginger must be slivered. An onion is sliced. Cumin seeds are cooked til they sizzle in hot oil then the onion is added and fried until medium brown. Mine never did get medium brown at med-high heat. Garlic and ginger is added until the garlic is golden the mushrooms join the mix. Finally spices, beans and water are added and brought to a boil then covered and simmered for 15 mins. Then the pot is uncovered until the liquid evaporates - .another 5 mins. Finally it’s time to eat! Good Asian flavours, a bit hot for our tastes. If there’s a next time I’d make this on a weekend and reduce the cayenne to 1/2 tsp vs 1 tsp. Liked this but not sure its worth the effort.

  • wester on September 24, 2012

    I don't agree with either of the previous reviewers of this recipe, although I thank them both for directing my attention to this recipe. I don't really know how this could be less time consuming - ingredients always have to be cleaned and chopped, and green beans do need some time to cook. None of this should come as a surprise when you've taken a look at the ingredient list. There's nothing fussy in the preparation, and I would be very happy to make this on a weeknight. On the other hand, while the flavors were good, they were not stellar. Worth repeating, occasionally.

  • sarahcooks on August 07, 2011

    A new favorite recipe! This is really flavorful and just delicious, I can see myself making this again and again and works just as written.

• Cauliflower and long beans in a red chilli dressing

  • Breadcrumbs on September 05, 2011

    Cauliflower and Green Beans in a Red Chile Dressing – p. 164 With both these veggies in abundance at my farmer’s market, I simply had to try this recipe. While MJ calls for the veggies to be boiled, I decided to roast mine since we seem to enjoy them so much more this way. The sweetness of the roasted beans and cauliflower was a perfect match for the subtle heat of Thai-style dressing. I’ve never made a dressing with grated coconut before and I must say, it was such an imaginative, delicious surprise of tastes and textures. Given the chance, I could have eaten the dressing on its own!! We did have some of this salad leftover so the following night I tossed it w some soba noodles along with some shredded chicken for a satisfying pasta salad dinner. Delicious!

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

  • Breadcrumbs on September 05, 2011

    Spicy Eggplant Stew with Potatoes, Mushrooms and Chickpeas - p 186 I had such high hopes for this recipe. We absolutely love each of the individual components of this dish so I imagined that the combined result would be outstanding. Sadly, this dish was less than the sum of its parts and was just meh for us. In the spirit of full disclosure I must share that I used plenty of Basil in place of the cilantro but otherwise, I followed MJ’s ingredients and instructions to the letter. This was such a disappointment that we even chucked the leftovers. Something we just never do. The poor eggplant melted away during the 40 minute simmer and everything just melded together to form a dull, uninspired mush with the chickpeas providing the only textural variety. Pity. I definitely can’t recommend this one.

• Black beans with rice or 'Spotted rooster' (Gallo pinto)

  • Breadcrumbs on August 21, 2011

    p. 14 I’ve been looking for shortcuts to make weeknight cooking more efficient and since this recipe called for black beans that had been cooked and drained, I figured I could use canned black beans instead and, turn out a quick weeknight dinner. This recipe was very quick and delicious.Onion and bell peppers are cooked in oil over high heat. I also added some chopped garlic. If you are using cilantro, this goes in next. I was using basil instead so I held off adding this more delicate herb until we were almost ready to serve. I also added some chili flakes since the head note mentions that sometimes folks top this dish w hot sauce. This was quick and tasty and although it was perfectly filling and a meal unto itself, I did serve mr bc’s w a piece of grilled chicken on the side. The leftovers made great lunches and the dish was still very tasty when served at room temperature.

• Black-eyed beans with Trinidadian seasonings

  • Breadcrumbs on August 21, 2011

    p. 21 -Ideally you’d start w dried peas but I was making this for a weeknight meal and that just wasn’t possible. I used canned peas. Diced vegetables are sautéed over med-high heat until just starting to brown. I had some red bell pepper so I added it in as well. MJ has you add water and then seasonings at this point however I prefer to cook my dried herbs and spices a little so I added those first and then 2 cups of chicken stock (vs water), adjusting the quantity for the fact that my peas were canned. I brought this to a boil then simmered for about 20 mins so the flavours incorporated and, the stock reduced. This dish was delicious and I served it for two dinners. The flavour profile reminded me of Jamaica rice and peas and the dish was the perfect accompaniment to our grilled Bajan chicken.

• Spicy brown rice with green beans and fresh herbs

  • Breadcrumbs on August 14, 2011

    p. 39 This was totally delicious. My shallots were sweet and fresh from the market, first of the season. I went w the full 2 tsp of finely chopped green chili and I used the herbs that were suggested however I did up the ante w the chives as mr bc brought in a big handful so I likely added about 3 tbsp. I spritzed our plated dishes w some additional lemon juice. Just a delightful dish that worked beautifully w our grilled pork tenderloin that I’d marinated in a garlic/chili/pomegranate mixture. Yum!

• Lemon rice

  • Breadcrumbs on September 05, 2011

    p. 380 Just reading the recipe name made me crave this dish and when I saw MJ called for mustard seeds and basil leaves (as an alternate to curry leaves) as well, I just knew we’d love this dish. Instead of cooking the basmati rice stovetop as MJ directs, I elected to use my rice cooker for ease of weeknight prep. Assembly was simple. Oil is heated in a large pan before adding the mustard seeds until they pop and then your basil or curry leaves. MJ then directs you to pour this over the rice however I decided to add the rice to the pan and toss to coat (just seemed more efficient). Lemon juice and rind are then stirred through. This really was wonderful. All the flavours worked beautifully together to make a fresh, summery dish. The next night I stir fried some chopped red chilies in a wok and then added the leftover rice, which I tossed to coat. I then stirred in 2 eggs and we had another wonderful meal. This is a real winner, happy to highly recommend this dish.

• Penne or fusilli with fresh tomatoes

  • Breadcrumbs on August 21, 2011

    p. 481 -It is the cooking method, not the ingredients that make this dish unique. I did make some modifications to this recipe but the integrity of the original dish wasn’t compromised and like Madhur, we loved this.Whole garlic cloves are lightly crushed but left whole then cooked in hot oil for about 1 1/2 minutes at which time the pan is removed from the heat and allowed to cool before pouring the mixture over the tomatoes which have been tossed w torn basil leaves. The tomato mixture is then left to sit at room temperature for 4-6 hours, tossing every now and then. Pasta is cooked and tossed w grated parmesan before adding the tomato mixture and tossing again.I was serving this as a main course over veal stuffed ravioli so I gently warmed the tomato mixture before plating over the ravioli. This was a lovely way to profile the ultra-fresh flavours of your market fresh ingredients. I’d happily recommend this dish.

• Stir-fried kohlrabi

  • beetlebug on June 19, 2011

    excellent side dish. C and I both loved it.

• Tex-Mex vegetarian chilli

  • Gio on August 13, 2011

    This is absolutely delicious... especially if the herb and spice amounts are increased. I used jarred large roasted red bell peppers from Spain instead of tomatoes.

• Turnips braised with soy sauce and sugar

  • ajs on July 27, 2010

    Delicious and easy.

• Potatoes cooked with fennel seeds

  • MelMM on August 04, 2010

    This potato dish is absolutely fantastic! I made it for dinner last night and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. This is definitely a recipe I will be making again and again.

• Fried okra with fresh curry or basil leaves

  • MelMM on August 04, 2010

    Maybe not the healthiest okra I've had, but surely the tastiest. I can eat this stuff like popcorn! The technique is a little unusual, but the recipe works perfectly. I love that this fried okra is not battered. It crisps up nicely and eliminates any slimy texture that okra tends to have.

  • PennyG on August 28, 2011

    Mmmmm - I can finally say I truly LIKE okra! This is the dish I've been hunting for - easy too. This will definitely be a go-to recipe for okra.

  • lorloff on September 25, 2016

    Not our favorite Okra dish too much oil and I used less than 1/2 of what was called for. The seasoning tip however with the turmeric salt and water was great

• Red lentil soup with mustard seeds and curry leaves

  • PennyG on October 23, 2010

    This was okay. Better after adding plenty of additional salt.

  • happyeater on May 20, 2011

    This dish is all about the fresh curry leaves. Perfect winter dish.

• Okra with potatoes

  • ellabee on August 19, 2014

    Very pleasant summer curry. The okra still has a little bite to it, and the sauce coats everything nicely. Easy once components are prepped, would be even quicker with leftover boiled potatoes -- a good way to use up a couple. I served with flatbread toasted on the burner and a yogurt-scallion raita. A yellow dal would be nice, too; will make one to have with leftovers and rice tomorrow. Recommended by a Twitter friend, researched via EYB. Update: have used the fry-spice-paste-then-simmer-veg several more times for other veg -- outstanding way to enjoy & use up whatever assortment you have on hand.

• Village-style carrots with potatoes and peas (Gajar aloo matar)

  • lorloff on December 01, 2013

    really delicious. Used purple carrots from the farmers market. Blended the tomatoes in the food processor on pulse rather than grating them and it worked well. Would make again.

  • Krisage on April 26, 2019

    Used a can of diced tomatoes to good effect. Cooked in pressure cooker at high for 90 seconds and allowed to depressurize naturally for a couple minutes before finishing with rapid cool. Stirred in defrosted peas and topped with labne. Yum!

• Delhi-style fresh coriander and mint chutney

  • lorloff on January 09, 2023

    I totally agree with L. nightshade. This is very easy and delicious. This is a bright, flavorful and easy recipe the only caution is to taste the chile before adding so that you can gage the spice amount for your guests. It is great with an Indian meal and we have used the left overs with samosas, fish dishes and as a condiment with many other dishes.

  • L.Nightshade on August 01, 2012

    Super easy and tasty. Cilantro and mint are tossed into the blender (food processor in my case) with hot green chiles, asafetida, lime juice, water, and salt. I only added a tiny bit of water as I wanted to use this to spread on naan sandwiches. The fresh, bright flavors in this chutney worked very nicely with tandoori style chicken on naan bread.

• Millet with cumin, browned onions and green beans

  • stacey on September 14, 2010

    I like to double the quantities to maximize the leftovers.

• Hulled and split mung beans with browned onion

  • sarahcooks on August 07, 2011

    I would double or even triple the cumin and double the onion next time, it was just a bit too bland.

• Onion salad

  • L.Nightshade on August 01, 2012

    I decided at the last minute to whip this up to add to dinner. I had half a red onion, so I made half a recipe. Hardly even a recipe, just thinly sliced red onion, a little salt, ground sumac, cayenne pepper (or Korean chile powder), and chopped parsley. Mellows for 30 minutes and voila! Fortunately my onion was very sweet and bright, and this was a wonderful side dish (although Turkish) to my Uzbek/Indian dinner. No minding national borders here!

• Mango chutney

  • L.Nightshade on August 01, 2012

    Mango Chutney with Fennel and Fenugreek (Aam Ki Lonji), page 696. This recipe calls for green mangos, not the green-soon-to-be-ripe mangos found at the grocers, but hard, green, premature, sour mangos that are not sold around here. I used ordinary mangos, unripe, green and firm, just because I wanted a mango chutney and the ingredients in this one looked good. This recipe starts with the basic mango chutney on page 695, which contains mangos, salt, garlic, ginger, cider vinegar, sugar, golden raisins, turmeric, and cayenne. This version adds fennel seeds, brown mustard seeds, cumin seeds, nigella, and fenugreek, all briefly cooked in peanut oil before inclusion in the basic recipe. Considering I knowingly used the wrong kind of mango, this came out very well. I'm sure it is different than the authentic version, but it did its job well as an additional accompaniment to the sandwiches.

• Green beans with garlic and preserved lemon

  • L.Nightshade on August 01, 2012

    I didn't sense much flavor from the (small but potent) dried chile I used, so I also added some chile flakes. This was a nice side. The preserved lemon (like qianning, I used homemade Moroccan preserved lemon, almost the last of my big jar) added a little extra something to the garlic and chile flavor of the beans. Mr. NS was very impressed with the dish, probably more so than I was, but I enjoyed it also.

• Sweetcorn with ginger

  • L.Nightshade on August 06, 2011

    I used a green heirloom tomato along with the red tomato, and I used a combination of jalapeno, serano, and yellow chiles, small amounts of each. MJ states this recipe hails from India, but I think it would be a compatible side with many different entrees. Simple dish, bright and summery, lovely flavors. It could be made with frozen corn also, for a year around side dish.

• Carrots with fresh fenugreek or coriander (Gajar methi)

  • L.Nightshade on August 06, 2011

    The failings of this dish are most probably due to my adding kohlrabi. It was just a bit too bitter, tasting like a strong turnip. The sweetness of the carrots works much better with the spices in this dish. It was OK, but I'd try another carrot recipe before doing this one again. On the other hand, it was much better the second day, after the flavors had matured.

• Spinach with tomato (Saag)

  • L.Nightshade on August 01, 2012

    I had planned another vegetable dish and discovered my green beans weren't quite up to snuff, so made a version of this at the last minute. I only had a small amount of spinach, so I used more tomatoes than called for to extend the dish a bit. So, keep in mind that my proportions are way off. In addition, since this was a last minute menu change, I did not skin the tomatoes as is called for in the recipe. Chopped chiles, onion, and garlic are browned in peanut oil, then chopped tomato is added. Spinach leaves go in for wilting, with a little salt. The pot is covered and cooks for 25 minutes. I did not cook it that long, as dinner was ready to go. Garam masala is added near the end of the cooking. My disproportionate and abbreviated version of this dish was quite good! I made this to accompany sandwiches made of naan bread and tandoori chicken. It's a very nice side dish, I liked it with just a touch of yogurt on the side.

• Naan

  • L.Nightshade on August 01, 2012

    I made a small version of naan because I planned on using them for Indian-style sandwiches. I made the full recipe but divided it into twelve pieces instead of eight. I don't have a kitchen aid, so I used an electric hand beater for the dough. Somewhat rough going as it gets pretty thick as flour is added, had to finish with a spoon. Would be much easier with a KA. After the balls of dough rest, they are topped with sesame and nigella seeds, and slapped into a hot skillet for cooking on one side. The naan is flipped and the reverse side cooks under the broiler. For my taste, this made the bread too crispy. I like a soft naan. I made these last night, only cooked two of the dough balls. Today I experimented with one by cooking both sides in the skillet. Softer and more to my liking. I'll have to play around with this recipe, and some variations.

• South Indian pancakes with onion and tomato

  • L.Nightshade on August 06, 2011

    Being a spongy dough, it is a little hard to make it into a pancake. You plop it in a hot pan and spread out to the edges with a spoon. Cook on both sides with a little oil. I used very little oil in a nonstick pan, she calls for more oil than I used. These flew off the plate. With a texture somewhere between a pancake and naan, and little bits of onion, chiles, and tomatoes, they are just delicious!

• Grated beetroots with shallots

  • happyeater on May 20, 2011

    The recipe name doesn't do it justice. It should really be called grated beets with mustard seeds and lemon. I made this once at a cooking demo four years ago and I recently ran into someone who told me she remembered me and my mustard grated beets and she still makes them today. That's how good these beets are.

• Palestinian rice with lentils and browned onions

  • meowingmyrtle on October 18, 2011

    We made this with brown rice instead of basmati, because we didn't have any. It took a good 15 minutes longer to cook. I also did not soak the lentils for the recommended time, more like an hour, and it turned out just fine. It would probably be tastier with basmati, but overall it was a yummy side dish to go with Jaffrey's Squash Cooked Bengali Style and Sauteed Spinach with Dill.

• Chickpea stew with six vegetables

  • meowingmyrtle on October 13, 2011

    Wow, this is really delicious, especially the next day. I already had almost everything we needed for this. I didn't have zucchini, so I substituted a delicata squash. It really wasn't too much work, despite the list of ingredients. I wasn't too picky with the chopping, it was quite rustic. Next time, I'd like to try it with the harissa as well. I would definitely make this again, and recommend it to anyone else as well!

  • K_Simpz on September 25, 2022

    Simple but very nice! The harissa sauce suggested makes it.

• Broccoli with potatoes

  • jlmofo on May 26, 2011

    Didn't have the curry leaves, but still delicious! Added 8 ounces of crumbled tempeh, dry toasted in a nonstick pan, to add protein to the dish. Worked well texturally.

• Greek pumpkin risotto made in a pressure cooker

  • Krisage on March 12, 2021

    We didn't have dill. Instead, we stirred some pesto in at the end, which worked out nicely. Also, we had a small pumpkin with fairly thin skin - we left the skin on and chopped the squash into bite-sized chunks. At a 20 minute cook time (because we were using brown rice) the flesh readily came away from the skin. You could remove the skim from the risotto, but we just ate it. More fiber, right? ;-)

• Israeli couscous with asparagus and fresh mushrooms

  • Krisage on June 23, 2017

    We subbed 1 cup of buckwheat for the couscous to good effect.

  • 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.

• Green beans with browned shallots

  • cwaltrs on January 08, 2012

    A+ awesome.

• Persian rhubarb syrup

  • debnharold on September 16, 2012

    the syrup, in the end, didn't seem very rhubarb flavored at all - didn't really work out and not worth the trouble.

• Persian pilaf with lime and green beans

  • Vegan.mum on August 01, 2013

    This is the correct link to view the complete recipe --> http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/persian-pilaf-with-lime-and-green-beans

• Punjabi-style cauliflower and potatoes with ginger (Aloo gobi)

  • Beckiemas on September 15, 2015

    This was a fantastic meal - lots of flavour. The frying did take a while, but it was worth it. I wouldn't skip frying the potatoes and cauliflower as it added a lot to the texture and picked up the flavours from the spices well. We ate it on rice (a mix of white and brown rice and quinoa).

• Sweet and sour cabbage (Yang chu bow pai tsai)

  • Beckiemas on June 03, 2015

    This was tasty and very quick and easy to put together. As recommended in the cookbook, I prepared rice and scrambled eggs (with soy, scallions, chilli, and sesame oil) to go with the cabbage.

• Leeks with rice

  • MargaretM on September 21, 2016

    Add feta cheese to make a main course for two.

• Cabbage with garlic and shallots (Tumis kol)

  • JLDuck on March 03, 2015

    Celery leaves work extremely well

• Sugar snap peaswith dried mint

  • jdub1371 on July 14, 2017

    Lightning fast, easy, delicous. Have ingredients ready next to the stove, as the recipe moves along at a good clip. Perfect side dish for broiled lamb chops.

• Simple lemon pickle

  • SpatulaClark on March 14, 2020

    Easy way to use lemon surplus. Spice combination is inspired, and it's good to keep in the fridge as a condiment.

• Greek yellow split pea purée

  • anniecc on November 18, 2023

    This was so simple and comforting. I made the variation where you start with the onions, garlic and tomato, and added capers and spring onions to serve. Served with pitta bread it’s a complete meal.

• Tinned Tomatoes

  In this book, Madhur moves away from the Indian cookery that we associate her with and draws on four decades of travelling around the world to provide us with over 650 recipes.

  Full review