Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World

by Madhur Jaffrey

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.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference, Nonfiction, Vegetarian, India

768 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 1998

About the author

Madhur Jaffrey CBE is an Indian-born actress, food and travel writer, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing Indian cuisine to the western hemisphere with her debut cookbook, An Invitation to Indian Cooking, which was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2006.

Reviews

[Angelar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't stress enough how indispensable I find this cookbook. Divided into easy-to-use sections (for individual beans, vegetables, grains, dairy products, and soups, salads, drinks, and additional seasonings), clearly written and supplemented with cultural anecdotes and tips, Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian is encyclopedic in scope, but full of individual treasures. Even if you're someone who eats meat regularly, this book is worth investigating for its troves of recipes which will surely supplement your meals.

Something I especially appreciate about this book is that it doesn't use any overly-processed convenience foods (such as frozen vegetarian faux-meat), something other vegetarian cookbooks sometimes incorporate. In Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian, with the exception of one seitan recipe for a mock lamb curry, Jaffrey doesn't try to trick your palate into thinking you're eating meat. She seems to think the ingredients of a vegetarian diet can--and do--stand on their own.

One caveat: I often find myself doubling or even tripling the quantities of spices, garlic, ginger, etc. that the recipes call for.

[Karen Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not vegetarian, but I have been going back to this again and again over the years whenever I am looking for vegetable dishes. It's a seemingly limitless source of recipes that make flavorful dishes that are often suitable for either side dishes or main courses. This book has travelled with me from home to home for the last decade and a half, and it hasn't let me down yet. Can't recommend it highly enough. If you enjoy eastern cuisines and like your veggies, I consider this volume a "must have".

[notgettingenough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a friend who is a dyke from Amsterdam - let me clarify that.

It isn't that she holds back the flood waters.

More that she likes girls more than is strictly speaking necessary.

More, for example, than Whitaker would.

She comes around for dinner a lot and she is a very politically correct dyke. Last Monday she presented me with something. 'What's that?' I asked suspiciously? 'A zucchini' she replied. Well, I did know that, really. But for all I know, being a dyke means -

Well anyway. Now I had this zucchini and I had to do something with it.

Enter Madhur Jaffrey's triple x tome 'A thousand and one things a girl can do with a zucchini', that is to say a zucchini and like things. Only 650 actually, but that's quite a lot when you come down to it.

I will put a couple of recipes in the Indian section of my writing tomorrow.

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite cookbook, hands down. The dishes inside sound simple and have humble names, but 'tomatoes in a tomato sauce' will knock your socks off. I'm found the book somewhat intimidating to start -- it's organized by ingredient, and there are virtually no pictures -- but it produces probably the best food I've ever cooked. Try the Sri Lankan sweet potatoes! The recipes are prefaced by information about the area they're from, as well as Jaffrey's first experience with the dish and suggestions of what to serve it with for a meal. Where harder-to-obtain ingredients are required, there are suggestions of substitutions. I bought this book on an impulse years ago, and it really is one of my favourite impulse buys ever.

[Cort · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love me, love my cooking. And I love to cook. DAMN. I don't buy too many cookbooks, as I usually prefer to get creative in the kitchen, but this book is so thorough and the recipes so simple and yet amazing I had to give in a buy it. Who's coming over for dinner?

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember using Madhur Jaffrey's cookbooks for Indian cooking in England in the 1980's. I found her style very engaging & her recipes delicious! It was a real treat to come across this new book by her especially as several of my family members are vegetarian. This cookbook is highly readable in Mahur's warm conversational style & the recipes are laid out very logically. Each recipe includes a label stating which country or region it is from. There are some photographs in the center of the book, I wish they were more of them & that they were interspersed throughout. The ingredients used seem the sort you would either already have in your kitchen or easily purchase nearby, making the recipes very accessible to all.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite cookbook of all time. I've never had to change a recipe (unless I preferred it a different way).. Vegetarian or not, every single dish I've ever made is delicious. Love, love the Nigerian peanut stew. I'll probably never be done reading this cookbook. I've been using it for years. it is my favorite vegetarian cookbook of all time. if I had to save one cookbook in a fire this eould be it. Nigerian peanut stew, yellow lentil dal, saag paneer, roti, eggs with siracha. love it all.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a vegetarian, but I have belonged to local CSAs for most of the past decade. As a result, I have an abundance of fresh vegetables for half of the year, and I'm always looking for interesting ways to prepare them. This cookbook definitely serves that purpose. I pull it off the shelf at least 4 times a week during CSA season. With very few exceptions, I have really enjoyed every recipe I've tried. Perhaps a dozen are in our regular meal rotation.

The recipes come from a variety of culinary traditions around the world, and are arranged by primary ingredients. Each recipe includes a caption indicating where it comes from, and usually has a short description or preparation note and suggestions on what to serve it with. If you want to plan a meal by location (e.g. all Thai food, or Jamaican), they are listed that way in the index (perhaps not every recipe or every country, but quite a few).

[Ginna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not too long ago, I had sprouted sauteed blackeyed peas for BREAKFAST, thanks to the inspiration of this book. Jaffrey gives great instructions on cooking, soaking, sprouting, picking ingredients, and she also works wonders through the medium of story (imagine a group of Indian ladies engaged in the communal work of sorting beans together 50 years ago during Jaffrey's childhood, and maybe you'll be inspired to actually sort your own beans as I was).

[Susie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The eggplant curry and aloo gobi are great and have become regular meals for us, but so many of the other recipes that I tried from this turned out very bland. I ended up writing down those two recipes and donating the book.

[Tobinsfavorite · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is my first-among-cookbooks. I just had Persian poached eggs with Forbidden Rice last night. I must be the Emperor!

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really good recipes.

[Krysten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish Madhur Jaffrey were my grandma.

More than that, though, I wish I had enough time in my life to cook every single one of these recipes. I love how comprehensive this book is; this truly is a worldwide selection of recipes. Jaffrey also does the thing that I love most in cookbooks, which is to include a few sentences alongside every recipe to detail how to prepare it or what to serve it with. Cookbooks that don't have that little extra bit of information do not belong on my over-stuffed cookbook shelf.

So! Okay! I will admit it. I haven't cooked more than a handful of recipes from this book. But it is fantastic, dammit, and I feel confident in giving it a five-star rating. I might even give it five stars based solely on this cilantro-coconut chutney I've been putting on absolutely everything, it's that fucking good. I learned a thing or two about beans thanks to this book, and though I still do not subscribe to the idea that beans always need to be soaked, I am grateful that Jaffrey is more open to discussing flatulence than many of her colleagues.

Just one of the many reasons I wish she were my grandma.

[Diann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just got this book, and since it is a cookbook, I can't say I've "read" it as in cover to cover, but as with the other cookbooks I have, I'm marking and rating. (But I'm not counting this for "Date Finished" and my book challenge for 2017.)

Vegetarian cuisine is best, IMHO, garnered from cultures that have a history of vegetarian adherents over time. It will also be the healthiest in this genre. I've been skimming this book, which is a weighty tome, and I find it so fascinating I'm rating it now prior to cooking anything. I can't wait to try many of these dishes!

There are recipes containing dairy and/or eggs, but they are few and far between. I know I'll have some great recipes for vegetarian and vegan friends when they drop by. Personally, I also love veggies, and knowing that I will have good, substantial, filling, and healthy choices from many corners of the world will make my own day (or week), as well.

I'll edit this if my viewpoint changes once I cook a number of these dishes, but right now, I'm salivating.

[Nags · Rating 5 out of 5]

i usually don't rate cookbooks until i've tried at least 3 recipes from it but this one was irresistible. i haven't cooked from it yet but i've heard so many good things about it and after 20 mins of browsing through it, i have bookmarked 6 recipes already. some of them recipes sound so simple, pair up amazingly different ingredients and make you want to cook and eat it rightthisminute. as a rule, i prefer cookbooks with books but this is a wonderful exception.

i know this is too glowing a review for a book i haven't cooked from yet, so will update it once i have, which will be very very soon!

UPDATE: i tried a couple of recipes with chickpeas and found it easy and adaptable. since i am almost incapable of following an Indian recipe too closely, i did make some changes of my own. the book is heavy, a commitment, and i recommend it to those who cook often and refer books for it.

[Karene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic resource for trying out vegetarian recipes. My husband and I were looking to cut back on meat but not looking to go totally vegetarian, and I'm not a fan of just removing meat from my regular recipes. Madhur Jaffrey is the master of fantastic flavors, in my opinion. Most of the meals are seasoned in a way that will leave you wanting more. Keep in mind that this is a book of "world" recipes, some of them are more exotic than others and require a bit of adventurous tastebuds as you experiment. Many of the recipes also call for unusual ingredients. However, I have found that it's worth the trouble.

[Anina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currently reading this and 'A Taste of the Far East.' I am kind obsessed with Madhur Jaffrey lately. First of all, every recipe in each of her books is delicious as hell. And two, I really love reading her little blurbs at the beginning of each recipe, recanting the tale of the first time she ate some crazy thing in Indonesia under the truffula tree. She also describes in a lovely way some of the more exotic ingredients.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't ever read a cookbook cover-to-cover, so it's odd to say it's "read." Graham gave me this for a gift last holiday season, and it's been great. Highly recommended both for cooking and reading.

My criticisms so far are that quantity of salt called for in some of the recipes is much too large and the pressure cooker cooking times for some for some legumes are too long. As with all cookbooks, read with a critical eye and adjust for common sense.

[Yaaresse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so anticipating this cookbook, then it sat on my shelf for nearly five years. I think I used it twice. It's not that the recipes aren't good (at least the two I tried), but more than the format isn't that user friendly. I want to cook, not wade through crowded print and endless paragraphs. Seems like every time I reached for this, I sighed, closed it, and picked up one of my Julie Sahni cookbooks.

[K.N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how everything is organized in this book, and I've loved just about every recipe I've tried. I've had a few issues here and there, such as recipes calling for beans being cooked a certain way with the cooking water retained and used, but I often pre-cook and freeze beans to save time, so perfecting the conversion's had many trials-and-errors. That's my own fault though. If you follow the recipes exactly, you won't have any trouble. They're great.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a carnivore and don't give a damn about vegetarian cooking. But I keep this book on my shelf for one reason: the worldwide selection of recipes for various herb and spice mixtures. Curry, harissa, zahtar, pesto, masala - they're all in here. If I want to know what's in gomasio and how to make it at home, I turn to Jaffrey.

[Nohreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my new favorite vegetarian cookbook. The recipes are very easy to follow and make. I'm looking forward to getting my own copy of this cookbook. The section on beans & legumes are just excellent and the recipes that I have tried are delicious. I can't wait to try the other recipes and all the fun I'll have in the kitchen.

[Allie]

I got this behemoth on clearance at Beans & Barley! What a steal! Anyways, the recipes look really good - a good mix of complex ones and crazy simple ones. Although with all cookbooks, I refrain from giving it a rating until I've actually made a few things from it.

[Hesper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Practically all the (simplified) classics in one place. It's definitely aimed at an American audience: nothing too spicy, piquant, or obscure. Really good starting point for something beyond a Eurocentric go at vegetables (have I ever mentioned how much I hate what the French did to food?).

[Greg]

Probably my favorite cookbook. It includes recipes for sauces, dressings, relishes, chutneys, beverages, breads, pancakes, fritters, pilafs, risottos, lentils, beans, soups, vegetarian main and side dishes from many countries, and menu suggestions for each recipe.

The flavors skew Asian, with a plurality but not majority representing Indian cookery.

Whenever I find this book on a used bookstore shelf, I buy it and give it away to someone. It's not a requirement to be a vegetarian to use this book. But if you're not one already, the book will likely bring you much closer to becoming one by explaining how to compose a full meal out of vegetarian components.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Delicious recipes with excellent instructions in not just making the recipe, but in many instances, how to soak, sprout, buy, blanch or roast the veggies.

Madhur also gives extensive histories of every vegetable in the book. She often writes personal histories of when and where she first ate a certain vegetable or recipe.

So far I've made, Yellow split peas w thyme and cumin from Trinidad and Middle Eastern Stew of Chickpeas, potatoes and carrots. Looking forward to trying lots more.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a vegetarian, but generally limit my "meats" to poultry and fish, with very infrequent meals including beef. I don't see the point of meat replacements, but that's just my opinion: I tried a "Beyond Burger" and was way less than impressed. I do enjoy many vegetarian meals and dishes, as long as they are low-carb, low-fat and on the lower side in calories. I enjoy foods of many ethnicities and am also looking for new ideas – and I found a wealth of them in this wonderfully diverse cookbook. I can't wait to try some of the vegetable dishes, soups and salads. Yum!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I became vegan, this was my vegetarian cooking bible for when I was tired of all the things I knew how to make to expand both what flavors I made, make new things out of veggies I'd had only one way, or to try completely new vegetables that I didn't grow up preparing. Most of the recipes come out beautifully, and the rest can be adjusted if you know what you're doing in the kitchen.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful recipes in this cookbook. Love Madhur Jaffrey.

[L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best vegetarian cookbook out there.