Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian

More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World: A Cookbook

In this James Beard Award-winning cookbook, Madhur Jaffrey draws on more than four decades of culinary adventures, travels, and experimentation to create a diverse collection of more than 650 vegetarian recipes featuring dishes from five continents.

Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian exemplifies Madhur's unsurpassed ability to create simple, flavorful homecooking that is well within the reach of every cook. Extensive sections on beans, vegetables, grains, and dairy explore the myriad ways these staples are enjoyed worldwide. Madhur balances appealing, uncomplicated dishes such as sumptuous omelets and rich polentas with less familiar ingredients such as green mangoes, pigeon peas, and spelt. She demystifies the latter with clear-cut explanations so that incorporating new combinations and interesting flavors into everyday cooking becomes second nature. She also offers substantial sections on soups, salads, and drinks, as well as sauces and other flavorings, to help round out a meatless meal and add exciting new flavors to even the most easily prepared dishes.

Each section opens with a detailed introduction, where Madhur describes methods for preparation and storage, as well as different cooking techniques and their cultural origins. And a complete glossary of ingredients and techniques clarifies some of the little-known elements of the world's cuisines so that even the uninitiated can bring the flavors of Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and more to their tables.
        
Throughout this extensive collection, Madhur includes personal anecdotes and historical contexts that bring her recipes to life, whether she's remembering field of leeks she saw in the mountains of northern Greece or describing how corn-based dishes arrived in Indonesia through colonial trade.

Committed vegetarians will rejoice at the wide variety of meatless fare Madhur offers, and nonvegetarians will enjoy experimenting with her global flavorings. This highly readable resource promises to be a valuable addition to any cook's library, helping everyone make healthful ethnic foods a part of everyday cooking.
Spanish Potato, Chard, and Bean Soup
Spain
Caldo Gallego

Use any medium-small white beans here. This is a pale soup with flecks of dark green. It is served with a little dribble of fruity olive oil. A good crusty bread on the side makes it into a perfect lunch or first course.
This soup may be made in advance and reheated.

1 cup (6 ounces) dried white beans, such as cannellini or navy
5 cups vegetable stock
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 smallish onions (7 ounces), peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
1 medium baking potato (8 ounces), peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
4 lightly packed cups (8 ounces) chopped chard (both stems and leaves)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt as needed
Extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 teaspoon per serving

Soak the beans overnight as suggested on page 6, or use the Quick-Soak Method on page 6. Drain, discarding any soaking liquid.

In a medium pot, bring the beans and stock to a boil, skimming off the froth that rises to the top. Add the garlic and oregano. Stir and turn the heat down to low. Cover partially and simmer gently for 40 to 60 minutes, or until the beans are tender. (Older beans will take longer to cook.) Crush the garlic clove against the side of the pot and mix well.

Put the oil in a large pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and potato. Stir and cook for 4 to 5 minutes so there is a little bit of browning. Add the chard and parsley. Stir for about 1 1/2 minutes, or until the chard has wilted. Now add the cooked beans and their liquid and bring to a boil. Cover partially, turn the heat down to low, and simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring now and then. Mash some of the beans and the potato pieces against the sides of the pan. Taste for salt; you will probably need to add some even if your stock was salted. Mix well.

Ladle into soup plates and dribble a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil over each serving.
serves 6
----------------------------------------------------------------
Eggplant with Minty Tomato Sauce and Yogurt
Afghanistan
Badenjan Boorani

This is a superb party dish from Afghanistan -- rounds of eggplant freshly fried, and topped first with a tomato sauce and then with a dollop of creamy yogurt. Serve rice on the side. You may also serve a single round of eggplant as a first course.

If you wish to use fresh tomatoes, you will need 1½cups of peeled and chopped tomatoes.

The frying of the eggplant slices should be done at the last minute. It takes 6 to 7 minutes for one batch. You might need to do two batches. Allow yourself another couple of minutes to let the oil heat.

1¼ pounds eggplant (the large variety)
1¼ teaspoons salt
For the tomato sauce
¼ cup peanut or canola oil
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and very finely chopped
8 plum tomatoes from a can, finely chopped, plus ¼ cup of the can liquid
1¼ teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Freshly ground black pepper
You also need
½cup plain yogurt
Peanut or canola oil for deep-frying
Extra mint sprigs or leaves for garnishing


Trim the very ends of the eggplant and cut it crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices. Put the slices in a single layer in a large platter or lasagna-type dish. Sprinkle the salt over both sides, rubbing it in well. Set aside for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Put the oil in a large, nonstick frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the onion. Stir and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion pieces begin to brown at the edges. Put in the garlic. Stir for a few seconds. Now put in the tomatoes and their liquid as well as all the remaining ingredients for the tomato sauce. Stir to mix. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook gently for 10 minutes. Set aside in a warm place.

Make the yogurt sauce. Put the yogurt in a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork.

Just before you sit down to eat, put oil to a depth of 2 to 3 inches for deep-frying in a wok or deep-fryer and set over medium heat. Take the eggplant slices from the platter and dry them off well with paper towels.

When the oil is hot, drop in as many slices as the utensil will hold easily and fry, turning now and then, for 6 to 7 minutes, or until both sides are a medium brown color. Drain well on paper towels. Do a second batch, if needed.

To serve, arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on a large platter. Top each slice with a dollop of the tomato sauce and then with a tablespoon of the yogurt. Garnish with the mint sprigs or leaves. Serve immediately.

serves 3 to 4
  • WINNER | 2000
    James Beard Award
"This book is a priceless treasury of eclectic, fascinating, and beautifully written recipes that are unified by Madhur Jaffrey's own seductive esthetic, which is born out of her immersion in the traditions of Indian cooking and her respect and passion for the garden and the farmer's market."
-- Alice Waters

"Colors, flavors, and textures are so artfully combined in these enticing vegetable dishes, one would never have a sense of deprivation for having forsaken meat. With such a seductive diversity, it is a blessing that the recipes are explicit, and most are simple to do."
-- Mimi Sheraton

"In World Vegetarian, Madhur Jaffrey proves as exciting a travel guide as she is a cook! Her gastronomic tour around the globe is accented with useful cooking tips and lively anecdotes, while the varied and well-written recipes are a mouthwatering tour-de-force. From Azuki beans to Zahtar spice, from the Old World to the New, the scope and depth of this book are breathtaking."
-- Michael Romano

"Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian is Exhibit A in showing us just how large that world is today and simultaneously how small the globe, as we connect to cultures and cuisines on a worldwide web of flavors and ingredients. While East Indians are eating Spicy Corn with Sesame Seeds and Tomatoes, Americans are eating Green Peas with Coconut and Cilantro. Jaffrey's clarity is as perfected in small details as in large and everywhere her taste unifies dishes from lands far and near. Buy one for your kitchen shelf and one for your carry-on luggage."
-- Betty Fussell
© Adrianna Newell
MADHUR JAFFREY is the author of many cookbooks—seven of which have won James Beard Awards—and she was named to the Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America by the James Beard Foundation. She is the recipient of an honorary CBE and is also an award-winning actress, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival, with numerous major motion pictures to her credit. She lives in New York.

MADHUR JAFFREY is available for select readings and lectures. To inquire about a possible appearance, please contact Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau at speakers@penguinrandomhouse.com or visit prhspeakers.com. View titles by Madhur Jaffrey

About

In this James Beard Award-winning cookbook, Madhur Jaffrey draws on more than four decades of culinary adventures, travels, and experimentation to create a diverse collection of more than 650 vegetarian recipes featuring dishes from five continents.

Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian exemplifies Madhur's unsurpassed ability to create simple, flavorful homecooking that is well within the reach of every cook. Extensive sections on beans, vegetables, grains, and dairy explore the myriad ways these staples are enjoyed worldwide. Madhur balances appealing, uncomplicated dishes such as sumptuous omelets and rich polentas with less familiar ingredients such as green mangoes, pigeon peas, and spelt. She demystifies the latter with clear-cut explanations so that incorporating new combinations and interesting flavors into everyday cooking becomes second nature. She also offers substantial sections on soups, salads, and drinks, as well as sauces and other flavorings, to help round out a meatless meal and add exciting new flavors to even the most easily prepared dishes.

Each section opens with a detailed introduction, where Madhur describes methods for preparation and storage, as well as different cooking techniques and their cultural origins. And a complete glossary of ingredients and techniques clarifies some of the little-known elements of the world's cuisines so that even the uninitiated can bring the flavors of Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and more to their tables.
        
Throughout this extensive collection, Madhur includes personal anecdotes and historical contexts that bring her recipes to life, whether she's remembering field of leeks she saw in the mountains of northern Greece or describing how corn-based dishes arrived in Indonesia through colonial trade.

Committed vegetarians will rejoice at the wide variety of meatless fare Madhur offers, and nonvegetarians will enjoy experimenting with her global flavorings. This highly readable resource promises to be a valuable addition to any cook's library, helping everyone make healthful ethnic foods a part of everyday cooking.

Excerpt

Spanish Potato, Chard, and Bean Soup
Spain
Caldo Gallego

Use any medium-small white beans here. This is a pale soup with flecks of dark green. It is served with a little dribble of fruity olive oil. A good crusty bread on the side makes it into a perfect lunch or first course.
This soup may be made in advance and reheated.

1 cup (6 ounces) dried white beans, such as cannellini or navy
5 cups vegetable stock
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 smallish onions (7 ounces), peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
1 medium baking potato (8 ounces), peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
4 lightly packed cups (8 ounces) chopped chard (both stems and leaves)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt as needed
Extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 teaspoon per serving

Soak the beans overnight as suggested on page 6, or use the Quick-Soak Method on page 6. Drain, discarding any soaking liquid.

In a medium pot, bring the beans and stock to a boil, skimming off the froth that rises to the top. Add the garlic and oregano. Stir and turn the heat down to low. Cover partially and simmer gently for 40 to 60 minutes, or until the beans are tender. (Older beans will take longer to cook.) Crush the garlic clove against the side of the pot and mix well.

Put the oil in a large pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and potato. Stir and cook for 4 to 5 minutes so there is a little bit of browning. Add the chard and parsley. Stir for about 1 1/2 minutes, or until the chard has wilted. Now add the cooked beans and their liquid and bring to a boil. Cover partially, turn the heat down to low, and simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring now and then. Mash some of the beans and the potato pieces against the sides of the pan. Taste for salt; you will probably need to add some even if your stock was salted. Mix well.

Ladle into soup plates and dribble a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil over each serving.
serves 6
----------------------------------------------------------------
Eggplant with Minty Tomato Sauce and Yogurt
Afghanistan
Badenjan Boorani

This is a superb party dish from Afghanistan -- rounds of eggplant freshly fried, and topped first with a tomato sauce and then with a dollop of creamy yogurt. Serve rice on the side. You may also serve a single round of eggplant as a first course.

If you wish to use fresh tomatoes, you will need 1½cups of peeled and chopped tomatoes.

The frying of the eggplant slices should be done at the last minute. It takes 6 to 7 minutes for one batch. You might need to do two batches. Allow yourself another couple of minutes to let the oil heat.

1¼ pounds eggplant (the large variety)
1¼ teaspoons salt
For the tomato sauce
¼ cup peanut or canola oil
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and very finely chopped
8 plum tomatoes from a can, finely chopped, plus ¼ cup of the can liquid
1¼ teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Freshly ground black pepper
You also need
½cup plain yogurt
Peanut or canola oil for deep-frying
Extra mint sprigs or leaves for garnishing


Trim the very ends of the eggplant and cut it crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices. Put the slices in a single layer in a large platter or lasagna-type dish. Sprinkle the salt over both sides, rubbing it in well. Set aside for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Put the oil in a large, nonstick frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the onion. Stir and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion pieces begin to brown at the edges. Put in the garlic. Stir for a few seconds. Now put in the tomatoes and their liquid as well as all the remaining ingredients for the tomato sauce. Stir to mix. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook gently for 10 minutes. Set aside in a warm place.

Make the yogurt sauce. Put the yogurt in a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork.

Just before you sit down to eat, put oil to a depth of 2 to 3 inches for deep-frying in a wok or deep-fryer and set over medium heat. Take the eggplant slices from the platter and dry them off well with paper towels.

When the oil is hot, drop in as many slices as the utensil will hold easily and fry, turning now and then, for 6 to 7 minutes, or until both sides are a medium brown color. Drain well on paper towels. Do a second batch, if needed.

To serve, arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on a large platter. Top each slice with a dollop of the tomato sauce and then with a tablespoon of the yogurt. Garnish with the mint sprigs or leaves. Serve immediately.

serves 3 to 4

Awards

  • WINNER | 2000
    James Beard Award

Reviews

"This book is a priceless treasury of eclectic, fascinating, and beautifully written recipes that are unified by Madhur Jaffrey's own seductive esthetic, which is born out of her immersion in the traditions of Indian cooking and her respect and passion for the garden and the farmer's market."
-- Alice Waters

"Colors, flavors, and textures are so artfully combined in these enticing vegetable dishes, one would never have a sense of deprivation for having forsaken meat. With such a seductive diversity, it is a blessing that the recipes are explicit, and most are simple to do."
-- Mimi Sheraton

"In World Vegetarian, Madhur Jaffrey proves as exciting a travel guide as she is a cook! Her gastronomic tour around the globe is accented with useful cooking tips and lively anecdotes, while the varied and well-written recipes are a mouthwatering tour-de-force. From Azuki beans to Zahtar spice, from the Old World to the New, the scope and depth of this book are breathtaking."
-- Michael Romano

"Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian is Exhibit A in showing us just how large that world is today and simultaneously how small the globe, as we connect to cultures and cuisines on a worldwide web of flavors and ingredients. While East Indians are eating Spicy Corn with Sesame Seeds and Tomatoes, Americans are eating Green Peas with Coconut and Cilantro. Jaffrey's clarity is as perfected in small details as in large and everywhere her taste unifies dishes from lands far and near. Buy one for your kitchen shelf and one for your carry-on luggage."
-- Betty Fussell

Author

© Adrianna Newell
MADHUR JAFFREY is the author of many cookbooks—seven of which have won James Beard Awards—and she was named to the Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America by the James Beard Foundation. She is the recipient of an honorary CBE and is also an award-winning actress, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival, with numerous major motion pictures to her credit. She lives in New York.

MADHUR JAFFREY is available for select readings and lectures. To inquire about a possible appearance, please contact Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau at speakers@penguinrandomhouse.com or visit prhspeakers.com. View titles by Madhur Jaffrey