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Photo: Jacob Fox, Getty Images / Jon Kopaloff
Padma Lakshmi never fails to impress us with the recipes she shares. From cookbook favorites to the household staples she shares on Instagram, we love the mix of savory and sweet flavors coming from Padma’s kitchen. Recipes like Padma’s Yogurt Rice and Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Tamarind Glaze are delicious dishes we want to keep making over and over again.
01of 15Yogurt RiceView RecipeJacob FoxSavory, cool yogurt rice, or “curd rice,” as it’s referred to on the Indian subcontinent, is the ultimate comfort food. It’s made from Indian household staples—it’s really just yogurt, rice and salt, after all—with a variety of ingredients added as embellishments. This take on yogurt rice is seasoned with aromatic spices including asafetida powder, a pungent spice that comes from the roots of a plant that’s a cousin to celery and takes on a flavor similar to onion when cooked.Read more about this recipe and what it means to Padma Lakshmi here.
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Yogurt Rice
View Recipe
Jacob Fox
Savory, cool yogurt rice, or “curd rice,” as it’s referred to on the Indian subcontinent, is the ultimate comfort food. It’s made from Indian household staples—it’s really just yogurt, rice and salt, after all—with a variety of ingredients added as embellishments. This take on yogurt rice is seasoned with aromatic spices including asafetida powder, a pungent spice that comes from the roots of a plant that’s a cousin to celery and takes on a flavor similar to onion when cooked.Read more about this recipe and what it means to Padma Lakshmi here.
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Chicken a la Nueces de la India (Chicken with Creamy Cashew Sauce)
Johnny Autry
03of 15Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Tamarind GlazeView RecipeAnthony JacksonPadma Lakshmi loves to make this roasted sweet potato recipe during Diwali, a festive time when her family often winds up eating a lot of fried treats. This gives them the feeling of eating chaat or Indian street and snack foods but without all the fuss. The tamarind sauce is a tangy counterpoint to the sweet potatoes, and the yogurt gives it a mellow creaminess without being too heavy.
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Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Tamarind Glaze
Anthony Jackson
Padma Lakshmi loves to make this roasted sweet potato recipe during Diwali, a festive time when her family often winds up eating a lot of fried treats. This gives them the feeling of eating chaat or Indian street and snack foods but without all the fuss. The tamarind sauce is a tangy counterpoint to the sweet potatoes, and the yogurt gives it a mellow creaminess without being too heavy.
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5-Ingredient Chickpea Salad
Lakshmi: Amy Sussman/Getty Images. Recipe photo: KELSEY HANSEN.
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Padma Lakshmi’s Beef Shawarma with Beet Yogurt Sauce
06of 15Peanut Butter & Pomegranate ToastView Recipeted + chelsea cavanaughFor all the flavor of a classic PB&J without the added sugar, just reach for the real deal—fresh fruit. You still get a little natural sweetness and enough juiciness to combat peanut butter’s stick-factor, plus some extra fiber. Padma Lakshmi—who shared this recipe when she guest-editedEatingWell Magazine—loves a combo of peanut butter and pomegranate arils (and her Instagram followers went crazy for it too), but you can replicate the formula with whatever nut butter and fruit you love.
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Peanut Butter & Pomegranate Toast
ted + chelsea cavanaugh
For all the flavor of a classic PB&J without the added sugar, just reach for the real deal—fresh fruit. You still get a little natural sweetness and enough juiciness to combat peanut butter’s stick-factor, plus some extra fiber. Padma Lakshmi—who shared this recipe when she guest-editedEatingWell Magazine—loves a combo of peanut butter and pomegranate arils (and her Instagram followers went crazy for it too), but you can replicate the formula with whatever nut butter and fruit you love.
07of 15Padma Lakshmi’s Chicken StockView RecipeGetty Images / Kelly Sullivan"There’s almost nothing that’s more comforting and nourishing than homemade stock," Lakshmi says about her anti-inflammatory recipe.
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Padma Lakshmi’s Chicken Stock
Getty Images / Kelly Sullivan
“There’s almost nothing that’s more comforting and nourishing than homemade stock,” Lakshmi says about her anti-inflammatory recipe.
08of 15Green Juice with VodkaView RecipeGetty ImagesPadma’s simple cucumber-vodka drink will keep you refreshed.
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Green Juice with Vodka
Getty Images
Padma’s simple cucumber-vodka drink will keep you refreshed.
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Baharat Spiced Eggplant
Ryan Liebe
10of 1520-Minute Creamy Boursin PastaView RecipeThis dish is a cacio e pepe-inspired pasta recipe that has eight ingredients, serves four and can be on your table in 20 minutes.
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20-Minute Creamy Boursin Pasta
This dish is a cacio e pepe-inspired pasta recipe that has eight ingredients, serves four and can be on your table in 20 minutes.
11of 15Grilled Pineapple with TajínView RecipeGetty Images / LauriPatterson / Michael KovacThis healthy 2-ingredient dessert reminds Padma Lakshmi of her childhood.
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Grilled Pineapple with Tajín
Getty Images / LauriPatterson / Michael Kovac
This healthy 2-ingredient dessert reminds Padma Lakshmi of her childhood.
12of 15Padma Lakshmi’s Chipotle ColeslawView RecipeGetty Images / Todd Williamson/NBCThis copycat coleslaw is a taco night must-have.
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Padma Lakshmi’s Chipotle Coleslaw
Getty Images / Todd Williamson/NBC
This copycat coleslaw is a taco night must-have.
13of 15Indian Summer MasalaView RecipePhotography / Fred Hardy, Styling / Ruth Blackburn / Audrey DavisThis spice blend is Padma Lakshmi’s riff on an Indian street-food blend called chaat masala. It adds instant umami and heat to dishes: mix it into plain yogurt for a quick dip or stir into lemonade for an Indian twist. She likes to sprinkle it on fresh fruit for a sweet-savory-spicy zing.
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Indian Summer Masala
Photography / Fred Hardy, Styling / Ruth Blackburn / Audrey Davis
This spice blend is Padma Lakshmi’s riff on an Indian street-food blend called chaat masala. It adds instant umami and heat to dishes: mix it into plain yogurt for a quick dip or stir into lemonade for an Indian twist. She likes to sprinkle it on fresh fruit for a sweet-savory-spicy zing.
14of 15Neela’s Tomato ChutneyView RecipeGetty Images / Dimitrios KambourisThis traditional Indian dish gets some kid-friendly adjustments for a family-friendly meal.
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Neela’s Tomato Chutney
Getty Images / Dimitrios Kambouris
This traditional Indian dish gets some kid-friendly adjustments for a family-friendly meal.
15of 153-Ingredient No-Bake Freezer PieView RecipeGetty Images / Cindy OrdThis easy and refreshing dessert is also great for breakfast, according to Padma.
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3-Ingredient No-Bake Freezer Pie
Getty Images / Cindy Ord
This easy and refreshing dessert is also great for breakfast, according to Padma.
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