100 Best Veg Recipes

A New Leaf: Okra, plantain and sweet potato curry

Monday, May 12, 2008
Last updated: Monday May 12, 2008, EDT 9:02 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"100 Best Vegetarian Recipes," by Carol Gelles (Wiley, 2008)

Twelve years ago, Carol Gelles won both the Julia Child and James Beard awards for "1,000 Vegetarian Recipes." Now she's simmered that down to a select 100 recipes in a pocketbook-size package. Gelles provides several-course menu plans for entertaining and a primer for keeping a well-stocked vegetarian pantry. She marks the recipes with icons so that vegetarians of all stripes — vegan, lacto and lacto-ovo — know what they're getting before even reading the ingredients. Many non-vegan recipes come with vegan variations. The recipes themselves range from lasagnas and risottos to the "Jamaican curry" below and other world cuisine options. Beyond being a cookbook, this is a useful handbook: concise, convenient and delicious.

— Evelyn Shih

* Okra, plantain and sweet potato curry

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sliced onion ( 1/4-inch thick)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups water
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes
2 cups sliced, peeled green plantains
2 teaspoons dried lemongrass
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups whole okra, tops trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup peas (optional)

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, paprika, cardamom and cinnamon.

Add the water and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes, plantains, lemongrass and basil. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Add the okra, cilantro and salt. (If you want to use peas, add them now.) Return to a boil.

Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until okra is tender.

Servings: 5 to 6.

Per serving: 247 calories, 10 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 39 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 105 milligrams sodium, 6 grams fiber.