Life-Changing Madhur Jaffrey Recipes From Boti Kebabs and Chicken Biryani to Fresh Paneer and Chickpea Pizza
The legendary author and educator has been a part of Food & Wine since almost the beginning.
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
Food & Wine has had its eyes trained on Madhur Jaffrey since nearly as long as it's been in print, logging the author of An Invitation to Indian Cooking as a bold-faced name at star-studded food world parties as early as October 1978. Finally in the summer of 1980, the magazine managed to score a full-length feature from the superstar actress, author, chef, and culinary ambassador, delving into one of her favorite subjects: the art and craft of Indian barbecuing, featuring a Boti Kebab recipe that Food & Wine revisited in a Classics column in 2023. In 1981, her story "The Many Cuisines of India" was a pan-cultural tour of dishes and ingredients from Goa to Kashmir.
Jaffrey broke down her step-by-step technique for making Chicken Biryani in 1990 in a "Cooking with the Masters" profile by Irene Sax. In 1999, Jaffrey contributed a feature on vacationing in Martha's Vineyard, complete with recipes for Indian-Style Grilled Vegetables with Paneer, cooling Sour Cherry and Ginger Lime syrups, Chickpea Flour Pizza with Tomato and Parmesan, and more. Along the way, Jaffrey shared recipes for Shrimp Cooked with Coconut Milk, Lemon Rice, Tandoori Chicken, and a bounty of dishes and condiments that have become an essential part of Food & Wine's legacy, and our editors' everyday and occasion cooking.
Consider this your invitation to the bold, beautiful, flavorful world of Madhur Jaffrey's recipes.
Related: Madhur Jaffrey and the Trap of Perfection
Chicken Biryani
This South Asian dish is perhaps one of the world's most elegant rice dishes, and is perfect for a dinner party or celebration meal.
Boti Kebabs
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
Freshly ground warm spices form a flavorful crust around these juicy grilled lamb kebabs, while the lactic acid in the yogurt marinade tenderizes the meat.
Shrimp Cooked With Coconut Milk
Jaffrey tempers curry leaves, along with fenugreek, mustard, and coriander seeds, as well as tamarind paste, garlic, chiles, fresh ginger, and a host of flavorful spices and aromatics to balance beautifully with thick coconut milk and shrimp in this South Indian curry.
Green Lentil Curry
Madhur Jaffrey infuses green lentils with garlic, ginger, coriander, and cumin and serves the curry over rice or with a piece of warm naan.
Caribbean Seasoning Sauce
Jaffrey says to try spreading this herb-filled sauce thickly on fish fillets such as salmon or sea bass and letting them marinate for 30 minutes before grilling.
Tandoori Chicken
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Kelsey Moylan / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
This Indian chicken dish is popular throughout the world for the deep flavor that comes from cooking chicken in a tandoor, the deep, urn-shaped clay oven. Jaffrey adapted the recipe for a charcoal grill to make it accessible to home cooks.
Lemon Rice
Tempered fresh curry leaves and mustard seeds bring fragrance and flavor to a lemon juice and zest-kissed rice.
Seasoned Radishes
Jaffrey is known for her passion for radishes. She often serves them with drinks at dinner parties. They're easy to make and don't ruin anyone's appetite.
Indian-Style Grilled Vegetables with Paneer
Pair seasonal vegetables with Jaffrey's easy Homemade Paneer with Indian Flavors, and you'll find yourself putting this recipe in rotation year-round with whatever's on hand.
Swiss Chard with Ginger and Cumin
“I often use just one or two spices, such as the ginger and cumin in this Swiss chard,” says Jaffrey. “It’s a very northern Indian approach.”
Village-Style Carrots and Peas with Tofu
This vegetarian dish from the villages of the Punjab in northwestern India is normally made with paneer, but sometimes Jaffrey takes a shortcut and uses tofu.
Chickpea Flour Pizza with Tomato and Parmesan
Called socca in Nice and farinata in Genoa, this workingman's morning snack is traditionally baked in brick ovens in pizza pans. Jaffrey's method calls for using a skillet on the stovetop, then moving the pizza to the broiler.
Persian Pilaf with Lime and Green Beans
This is one of the best vegetarian pilafs Jaffrey has ever eaten. It looks like a slightly collapsed cake with a crust of reddish-gold sliced potatoes. Underneath are layers of rice and green beans and tomatoes.
Lime and Ginger Syrup
Many people in India have a particular passion for sherbets (pronounced shar-bats), or fruit-syrup drinks. For each drink, pour about a half inch of the syrup into a tall glass, add ice cubes, fill the glass with water or seltzer and garnish with a sprig of mint or a lime slice.
Sour Cherry Syrup
Jaffrey likes to pour about a half inch of syrup into a tall glass, add lots of ice cubes and then pour in seltzer. You might prefer water instead.
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