WE’RE HAVING A HEAT WAVE
Long before recorded history, early humans discovered that certain seeds, barks, fruits, buds, stems, and roots had pleasingly pungent effects on the tongue. News of this flavor magic must have spread fast, because spices became so popular, people used them as money and medicine. In places where food spoiled quickly, which was just about everywhere, the preserving quality of spices added to their mystique.
Camel hooves wore paths through deserts and over mountains as the Arabs built a monopoly in the spice trade all the way to India and China. From the Middle East, particularly during the Crusades, spices made their way to Europe, where the Venetians built their own monopoly, and on to Britain and the New World. Today, the United States is the world’s top importer of spices. Everyone loves spices to some degree, and many people thrive on them, even to obsession. Food lovers value spices as the precious seasonings that transform otherwise plain meals into exotic and aromatic delights.
When I was a professional chef, I worked with culturally diverse colleagues who shared their culinary knowledge and traditions. I am also fortunate to have friends from all over the world. As a result, I learned early in my career to appreciate spices and their proper use in international cuisines. Part of the fun of writing this book has been discovering delicious global fare, but especially, fare that is naturally vegan in its own right or can be easily adapted for the vegan table.
Whole grains, beans, and vegetables are ideally suited for making spicy dishes. So, while the book is not exhaustive, I have compiled what I believe to be a broad sampling of global recipes from around the world: the Americas, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the Mediterranean, and some places in between.
With these recipes, you can transform everyday vegan meals into sultry and savory dining experiences. Most of the recipes are surprisingly easy to prepare, and will enable you to explore a wide variety of classic spicy dishes as well as some of my own interpretations. Along the way, I also offer suggestions on how to enhance your cooking and define your own threshold of heat, as you explore the world of spicy cooking.
So why do we call a particular dish “spicy”? Often paired with “hot,” as in “hot and spicy,” the word has erroneously come to be thought of as searingly hot. For that reason, people who don’t like too much heat in their food often avoid dishes that sound “spicy,” and, in the process, end up relying on the same familiar meals time and again. What the “unspiced” don’t realize is that they can have “spicy” food—as in “well spiced”—without the heat anytime they wish. It comes down to adding just the right amount of seasonings to your meals to please your own palate. For the recipes in this book, you can even leave the heat out entirely, as they work just fine without any “hot stuff” at all.
Sampling meals from around the world can make cooking fun and expand your skills. It’s also a great way to introduce others to vegan dining. We all know reluctant family members or friends who live in fear of being served a plain slab of tofu in place of their favorite animal part, but they’re not likely to complain after sitting down to a colorful international vegan feast with piquant aromas and bold flavors. Exhilarate and intrigue them with Moroccan Vegetable Tagine with Seitan and Apricots (here) or Barbados-Style Grilled Kebabs (here), and maybe you will awaken them to the healthful, compassionate, and eco-friendly alternative of going vegan.
THE SPICES OF LIFE
I learned to love spices growing up in an Italian family. Each week, Mom made her rich, dark tomato sauce infused with fresh garlic, basil, and red wine, and sprinkled liberally with hot red pepper flakes. When I was a kid, my dad taught me the extreme sport of snacking on scorching cherry peppers right from the jar. It gave me a taste for exciting foods that inspired me later in life to explore the spicy, savory, and sometimes fiery foods of other cultures.
Most often, the fire in spicy dishes comes from chiles, and we’ll look at them later. However, different kinds of heat can be achieved from a wide range of international “hot stuff” such as ginger, mustard, horseradish, and peppercorns. This book includes recipes using all these ingredients, as well as various herbs and spices that contribute to making foods well-seasoned and perhaps spicy, but not necessarily hot. Here are some of them:
Cumin—A component of both chili powder and curry powder, cumin is used in Mexico, India, the Middle East, and North Africa. Its strong, pungent, slightly bitter flavor has been used for thousands of years to season a variety of foods. Cumin seeds are yellowish brown in color. They are roasted to bring out their flavor. Cumin seeds are used either whole or ground. Whole seeds can be ground or crushed at home.
Curry: Indian, Thai, and more—Westerners tend to think of curry as the commercial curry powder found on supermarket shelves, but genuine curry powders are actually combinations of spices custom blended for specific types of dishes. The term curry is derived from the Southern Indian word for sauce: kari. Integral to the cuisines of India and Southeast Asia, curry blends can vary widely, not only among regions and countries, but also among individual cooks. Indian curry blends are usually mixtures of a dozen or more dried spices, seeds, and herbs that can include chiles, cardamom, coriander, cumin, saffron, and turmeric. They are available in both powder and paste forms. Thai and other Southeastern Asian curries, on the other hand, include mainly fresh ingredients, such as ginger, garlic, shallots, and lemongrass, and are made into pastes rather than powders.
Ginger—Hot and pungent, this root adds a distinctive flavor and bite to both sweet and savory foods. Fresh ginger is popular in Asian cuisines, while powdered ginger is used mostly in baking and spice mixtures, and is no substitute for fresh ginger when called for in savory recipes. When purchasing fresh gingerroot, look for firm, unblemished roots.
Mustard—Available in the form of mustard seeds, mustard powder, or prepared mustard, this hot and spicy ingredient is common to a variety of world cuisines. There are forty species of mustard, and they all belong to the crucifer (cabbage) family. Mustard seeds can be found in whole, ground, or condiment form. Ground mustard is often mixed with water to form a paste. An especially hot variety is Chinese mustard. One of the most popular of the prepared mustards is Dijon, which has a rich depth of flavor. The more pungent varieties of mustard can affect the nasal passages.
Peppercorns—Black, white, and green peppercorns are obtained from the same plant by picking the berries at varying stages of ripeness. Black peppercorns, picked when the berries are half ripe, are the strongest, and are used widely on virtually every continent. (When using fresh ground pepper, add toward the end of cooking time, as it tends to lose its flavor and become bitter if cooked longer than an hour or so.) White peppercorns, the mildest, are actually black peppercorns that have had the outer skin rubbed off. Green peppercorns are undeveloped berries and are often pickled and sold in small jars. They have a fresh, piquant flavor with medium heat.
Wasabi—A member of the horseradish family, wasabi is served as a condiment with sushi in Japanese cuisine. Available in powder, or already prepared as a green paste, a little wasabi goes a long way. Add some to vegan mayo or mashed potatoes for a little culinary excitement.
CHILES BY ANY OTHER NAME
To put the “hot” in “hot and spicy,” we generally look to chiles as the world’s most universally popular heat source. Erroneously called chile “peppers,” attributed to an error by Christopher Columbus, chiles are not peppers at all, but actually fruits. They are used in a wide variety of cuisines throughout the world in a variety of forms. You can buy them whole, fresh, dried, canned, and jarred in the form of chili oil, paste, and powder, as well as hot red pepper flakes and ground red pepper, or cayenne. Many hot condiments are made with chiles, and these include chili sauce, hot bean sauce, salsas, and various chutneys. Tabasco, a particularly popular brand of hot chili sauce, is in such wide use that it goes by its brand name.
With over a hundred varieties of chiles available, recipes calling for chiles can sometimes be confusing, especially since chiles range in heat from mildly sweet to searingly painful. Chiles are members of the capsicum family, and their heat is caused by the amount of capsaicin oil they produce, and customarily measured according to Scoville Heat Units (SHUs), a relative heat index named after Wilbur Scoville, the chemist who developed it in 1912. Here follows some of the most commonly available fresh chiles used in this book, their physical characteristics (lengths and widths are approximate), and their SHU order, ranging from the hottest (7) down to the most mild (0).
Habanero—(7) Extremely hot. Light green to bright orange. 3-inches long and 1-inch wide. Scotch Bonnets also clock in at (7).
Thai—(6) Extremely hot. Green to bright red. 2-inches long and ¼-inch wide. Dried Thai chiles are called “bird” chiles.
Cayenne—(5) Very hot. Bright red. Usually dried and ground to produce “cayenne pepper.” 3- to 4-inches long and ½-inch wide.
Serrano—(4) Very hot. Deep green, bright red when ripe. 2-inches long and ⅜-inch wide.
Jalapeño—(3) Hot. Dark green. 2-inches long and ¾-inch wide. Dried, smoked jalapeños are known as chipotles and are deep red in color.
Poblano—(2) Mild to medium hot. Dark green, resembles a bell pepper. 4-inches long and 3-inches wide. Dried poblanos are anchos.
Anaheim—(1) Mild. Medium green in color. 6-inches long and 1-inch wide.
Bell Peppers—(0) Have no heat at all, and can be substituted in any recipe calling for hot chiles.
Veteran aficionados of hot food may enjoy exploring the vast world of chiles and experiment with different varieties. Chile purists would prefer to see specific names of chiles for particular uses. However, when you go to a supermarket, you may find a variety of chiles labeled simply “hot peppers.” For those who don’t know their serranos from their anchos, don’t be discouraged. While I do call for a particular type of chile in certain recipes, I often refer to them simply as “hot” or “mild” chiles, and feel that most recipes will work just fine when one chile is swapped for another. For those who avoid heat of any kind, simply substitute sweet bell peppers for chiles, and you’ll make a mild yet still flavorful dish. You may want to experiment, pick out some favorites, and stick with them.
If a recipe calls for mild, dried chiles, anchos are a good choice. For hot dried chiles, try the cayenne or Thai bird chiles. Commercial chili powders are widely available with varying degrees of quality. They are usually a blend of ground dried chiles combined with other spices, such as cumin and oregano. Paprika, the Hungarian word for “sweet pepper,” refers to the powder made from ground sweet peppers. It can be labeled either “sweet” or “hot,” depending on what parts of the pepper are used. When the seeds and membranes are included, or when hot varieties of chiles are also included, the result will be a “hot” paprika.
In the event that you need to make substitutions, use this list of approximate “heat” equivalents:
1 small, dried red chile =
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon hot chili paste
1 teaspoon Tabasco
A WORD OF CAUTION
Anyone who has engaged in hand-to-chile combat can tell you that whenever you handle hot chiles, do it very carefully. The juice or flesh of a hot chile can burn on contact, and you don’t want any part of it near your eyes. Try to wear rubber or disposable gloves when handling chiles, and, if that’s not possible, be sure to wash any contacted areas immediately. Whatever you do, don’t rub your eyes, or anyone else’s, after handling chiles.
COOLING DOWN
Fiery food lovers can be made as well as born, since we are able to build up to a tolerance for heat in our food. However, even the most ardent fire-eater needs to know how to cool down after one chile too many. Whether it be with drink, a side dish, or a dessert, putting the fire out takes a bit of know-how.
While water may be the way to put out conventional fires, you can forget about using water to tame a fire in your mouth because the capsaicin oil released from chiles is not water-soluble. Beer, wine, and creamy or fruity drinks, such as Thai iced tea or Indian mango lassi, are more effective for cooling down the inside of your mouth. Some other natural foils for hot foods are bread, pasta, rice, or other grain-based starches, which cushion the assault of our favorite incendiary dishes. Some cuisines, such as Italian, Indian, and Ethiopian, offer both grain and bread to soothe the tongue. Thai and other Asian cuisines rely on rice or noodles to soak up the heat. Many cultures include soothing dairy-based accompaniments in their cuisine, such as the Indian raita, which is made with cucumber and yogurt. Many brands of good-quality vegan yogurt are available and can be used to make “cool-down” recipes usually made with dairy yogurt. I also find fresh fruit, a cooling sorbet, or a creamy dairy-free pudding or vegan ice cream to be a perfect denouement to most spicy meals.
YOUR HOT VEGAN PANTRY
In order to produce the spicy flavors of a particular cuisine, several ingredients are generally used in combination with chiles. For example, combine chiles with cumin and tomatoes, and you have the beginning of a Mexican recipe. Chiles coupled with soy sauce and sesame oil provide flavor to Chinese and Korean recipes. Chiles paired with coconut milk or lemongrass can transport your taste buds to Thailand or Indonesia.
A well-stocked international pantry should include a variety of ingredients in order to make many of the recipes in this book. By keeping these items on hand, you will be able to prepare wholesome and delicious meals on a moment’s notice. Included in your inventory should be a variety of canned and dried beans, dried and canned chiles, chili paste, capers, canned artichoke hearts, canned and sun-dried tomatoes, dried mushrooms, coconut milk, a variety of spices including good curry spice mixtures (both Indian and Thai varieties), as well as chili powder, dried fruits, oils, olives, whole grains, couscous, and pastas. And of course, any well-stocked vegan kitchen wouldn’t be without fresh seasonal produce, a supply of tofu, tempeh, and seitan, as well as soy milk, rice milk, or other dairy-free milk, and any other plant-based meat and dairy alternatives you may enjoy.
EASY SOLUTIONS FOR EXOTIC INGREDIENTS
For the recipes in this book, my goal was to simplify recipes that normally call for truly exotic ingredients. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to make a recipe, only to realize that you have to purchase a dozen esoteric items just to get started. Wherever possible, I suggest accessible alternatives that should be available in any well-stocked supermarket. For example, in the case of Thai cooking, I suggest ginger for the traditional galangal and lime for keffir lime leaves. If I use a “borderline” ingredient (one that can be found in most but not all supermarkets) such as lemongrass, I will offer an alternative such as lemon zest in the recipe ingredient list. Additionally, some Asian cuisines traditionally use fish-based sauces, so I have included a vegan recipe for nam pla, a Southeast Asian fish sauce. While such substitutions may make some of these dishes less than authentic, the trade-off is that they enable virtually anyone to prepare exotic-tasting dishes in their own kitchen with ingredients that can be found in most supermarkets.
Seitan, Tempeh, and Tofu
Find me a vegan who has never been asked, “Where do you get your protein?” The answer, of course, is primarily from beans and grains and the foods derived from them. Wheat gives us seitan, and from soy beans come tempeh and tofu, which are all used in this book. Here are some notes for those who may be unfamiliar with them.
Seitan—Called “wheat meat,” seitan is made from wheat gluten and is widely used in vegan cooking. Seitan is available in the refrigerator section of natural food stores. It can also be made at home from simple recipes found in cookbooks or online. It can be sliced, diced, or chopped for use in a variety of recipes.
Tempeh—Made from fermented soybeans that have been compressed into cakes, tempeh is available fresh or frozen in natural food stores. It makes an ideal meat alternative because of its firm texture and high protein content. Tempeh must always be eaten cooked. Because it can sometimes have a strong flavor, tempeh should be mellowed by poaching or steaming it for 30 minutes before using it in a recipe. Tempeh is especially good when marinated and can be cubed, sliced, grated, or chopped, depending on its use.
Tofu—Soybean curd that has been pressed into white cakes, tofu is available in regular or silken varieties, both of which come in textures ranging from soft to extra-firm. Widely used in Asian cooking, tofu is high in protein and calcium. It keeps for a few days in the refrigerator when covered with water. However, the water should be changed daily. It’s best to use an opened package of tofu as soon as possible. Before using tofu, it should be pressed and blotted to remove excess water. Silken tofu is available in aseptic containers and may be stored without refrigeration until opened. Since tofu absorbs the flavors of the foods with which it is cooked, it is highly versatile. Silken tofu is best used to replace dairy ingredients in sauces, soups, and desserts, whereas regular tofu, which is firmer and can be sautéed, braised, fried, or grilled, works well as a meat alternative.
Vegetables
Whenever they’re available, buy fresh organic vegetables that are both firm and rich in color. Be sure to wash all produce well before using, rinsing leafy greens and scrubbing other vegetables and fruits. Fresh herbs, while a welcome addition to your cooking, can be expensive. Consider growing your own herbs in a window box, even if it’s just a few of your favorites. You’ll be rewarded with lovely plants, as well as lively seasonings at a fraction of the price of buying fresh herbs at the supermarket. Keep plenty of garlic, ginger, and onions on hand as they store well, and are indispensable seasonings.
Cooking Oils
For general cooking, I use organic grapeseed oil, because it is neutral in taste; however safflower or sunflower oil may also be used. In addition, many recipes require the special flavors of extra-virgin olive oil or toasted (dark) sesame oil in order to succeed, and they are noted accordingly. If you wish to cut down on your intake of fats, you can substitute nonstick vegetable cooking spray, vegetable broth, or water in your cooking.
Beans: Canned or Dried?
Beans are a major staple throughout the world. They are inexpensive, easy to store and prepare, and high in protein and other nutrients. In addition to grains, beans are a mainstay of the vegan kitchen. Some people prefer to cook dried beans from scratch. If you do, consider making a double batch and freezing the extra beans for future use. Others prefer the convenience of canned beans. Available in many varieties, canned beans can be ready to use after a quick rinsing and draining. The choice is yours. I generally list “cooked or canned” beans when used as a recipe ingredient, thus allowing you to decide whether to cook the beans from scratch, pull some out of the freezer, or simply open a can.
A basic vegetable broth is used in many of the recipes, mainly to enhance the flavor of the dish. While a homemade broth made from fresh vegetables is best, it is not always available. If you don’t have your own vegetable broth on hand, you can use canned vegetable broths or those sold in aseptic containers. You can also use a powdered vegetable base or bouillon, which you would reconstitute with water according to package directions. When choosing a commercial product, be sure to read the ingredient list to avoid any that contain monosodium glutamate or other additives. Since these products vary greatly in intensity and saltiness, be sure to check for seasonings when using these products, adding more or less salt to the recipe, accordingly. In a pinch, your “broth” can be as simple as water seasoned with a little soy sauce or miso paste. However, since vegetable broth is so easy to make, and can be portioned and frozen for convenient future use, I provide the following recipe for homemade vegetable broth:
VEGETABLE BROTH
Makes about 10 cups
Amounts and types of vegetables may be varied, but avoid strong-flavored vegetables, such as cabbage, which might overpower the broth.
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
2 large onions, quartered (including peel)
2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped (including leaves)
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 potato (skin on), sliced
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled, crushed
½cup chopped parsley (including stems)
2 bay leaves
1½ teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon black peppercorns
Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onions, celery, and carrots, cover and cook 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the potato, garlic, parsley, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns. Cover vegetables with twice the amount of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer for an hour or more. Strain through a colander into another pot. The broth can now be used in recipes or cooled, portioned, and stored in the freezer for future use.
As I’ve mentioned, you can alter the heat of a recipe by increasing or decreasing the amount of chiles, hot sauce, chili paste, or other incendiary ingredients. It’s also worthy to note that you can also change the amount of any other seasonings to suit your taste. An important example is salt. Some people use salt by the grain instead of the teaspoon, while others shake it vigorously onto their food before they even taste it. The best-tasting food is usually somewhere in between. It’s important to use enough salt when preparing a recipe so it has a chance to permeate the other ingredients.
Since factors such as the saltiness of your vegetable broth or other ingredients can impact how much salt you wish to use, I suggest starting with a moderate amount, and then add more to taste. That way, you can arrive at a flavor that appeals to you. For people who can’t use salt for health reasons, this also applies to their salt substitute of choice.
Regarding the use of spices and herbs, a rule of thumb is to add dried herbs and spices near the beginning of a recipe so their flavors have a chance to develop, and add fresh herbs at the end so their flavors don’t dissipate. Many spices are available whole and can be ground when ready to use for maximum flavor. With the exception of baking, where results depend on precision, it is my belief that most recipes should be used as guides, not inflexible blueprints. When you cook, go ahead and use a pinch more or less of a spice, and even substitute one ingredient for another, if you wish. For me, that’s the fun of cooking.
BASIC KITCHEN EQUIPMENT
When you decide to journey into the realm of exotic cuisines, you shouldn’t feel that you need to go out and buy special equipment. I feel that quality is better than quantity. I’d rather have a few good multipurpose pots and pans than collect a kitchen full of trendy gadgets.
Good quality, heavy stainless-steel pots and pans will get you through any recipe. You don’t need a couscoussière, clay tagine, or paella pan in order to make the correlating dishes, because a good 12-inch skillet or a large saucepan will get the job done. The same skillet can be used in place of a wok for stir-fries. Of course, if you have a wok, use it. However, lightweight aluminum pans spell disaster in any language because they distribute heat unevenly, which can cause food to cook unevenly or burn. Additionally, the aluminum can leech into the food.
A set of sharp high-carbon steel knives is a worthy kitchen investment. You will also need a sturdy, flat cutting board. A food processor, a blender, and a spice mill can cut labor time dramatically.
HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED
I’ve organized the book into the five main geographical sections where the world’s spiciest cuisines are found: The Americas, Mediterranean Europe, the Middle East and Africa, India, and Asia. Within each main section, recipes are further organized by particular countries or regions. For your convenience, each main section has its own Recipe Guide to help you quickly find recipes for appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes, and condiments. This will help you create your own great creative menus from the same cultural families or even mix them.
The recipes are also thoroughly cross-indexed in the main index at the back, with listings for all the appetizers, soups and stews, main dishes, rice and noodle dishes, salads and side dishes, sauces, condiments, and main ingredients. This allows you to either immerse yourself in a particular region’s cuisine or look for an intriguing individual recipe for a less formal meal.
To further assist you in choosing recipes, super-hot dishes are marked with three chiles 
, medium-hot dishes by two chiles 
, and mildly spicy dishes by a single chile 
. Many recipes do not specify a particular type of hot chile, because the heat can vary so greatly between them (see explanation of Scoville ratings in “Chiles by Any Other Name” above). For example, if you use a serrano instead of a jalapeño, the resulting dish will be much hotter. Think of these little chile symbols as more of a relative guideline and know that the actual heat level is in your own hands, depending on the actual chiles you choose. Card-carrying chile-heads may actually want to double up. My interpretation of “hot” is one that applies to the typical Western palate. For example, even my hottest Thai recipes do not approach the incendiary heat of native Thai.
As you use this book, remember that in the wondrous world of herbs, spices, and chiles, “spicy” doesn’t have to mean “hot.” You can modify the degree of heat by increasing or decreasing the quantity of chiles and other hot spices that you use, all according to individual preference. For example, if you like exotic flavors, but not too much heat, simply decrease the number of chiles or eliminate them entirely. While this may render some recipes less than “traditional,” they will still be flavorful and delicious.
READY FOR DEPARTURE
It’s amazing to realize that in our very own kitchens, we can have the world at our fingertips. Start with some unadorned grains, beans, and fresh vegetables, and, with the mere twist of a spice mill, you can treat yourself to an astounding variety of global dishes. Whether we prefer our food mildly seasoned or searingly hot, most of us enjoy the unique flavor experiences that spices, chiles, and other seasonings have to offer.
Two of life’s greatest pleasures are food and travel. While I don’t travel as often as I’d like, my taste buds are veteran explorers. Whether I cook up an Indian feast, a Mexican fiesta, or a Chinese banquet, I enjoy transporting my guests to exotic areas of the globe without ever having to leave the dinner table. That’s what this book is all about. It’s a cooking adventure that never has to end. The richness of varied cultures can be yours for the tasting anytime you desire. For those who enjoy feasting on vegan dishes that are at once spicy, healthful, and delicious, what more could we ask?
I hope you’ll think of this book as your culinary passport to the delectable spicy cuisines of the world.