Raghavan Iyer

This stir-fry is typical of Northern Indian cuisine, with its emphasis on fresh vegetables. Because the cooking happens quickly it's a good idea to measure out and prepare all the ingredients in this recipe before you fire up the wok.

Biryanis are rice-based casseroles that combine a saucy meat, vegetable or legume curry with basmati rice, whole spices, nuts and raisins. This particular dish is a nutritional powerhouse, thanks to the mustard greens and chickpeas. Look for the specialty spices--cardamom pods, saffron and garam masala--in the spice section of well-stocked supermarkets or online at penzeys.com.

This combo may seem wild, but trust us--it works. Indian-American chef and cookbook author Raghavan Iyer developed it to have everything he thinks a perfect recipe should: a balance of heat, sweetness, a little pucker and a hit of salt combined with a tango of textures.

Richly satisfying, this luscious-looking soup made with red bell peppers gets a touch of heat from Thai chiles. For an extra-nutty flavor, puree an additional 1/4 cup shelled pistachios with 1/4 cup water and serve the soup with a dollop of this pistachio puree on top.

The combination of golden raisins, malt vinegar, fresh ginger and chile yields a complex dressing for an otherwise simple green salad.

Loads of ham hocks, cured pork belly or even smoked turkey wings are usually key ingredients in this Southern dish. In this healthy Hoppin‘ John recipe, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper bring on the flavor. Ounce-for-ounce, these two spices contain roughly 2 1/2 times the beta carotene of boiled sweet potatoes. Serve as a main-dish stew or serve a smaller portion as a side along with some brown rice.

Think of this healthy vegetarian side dish recipe as a meatless tagine served in a squash bowl. Kabocha, sweet dumpling or carnival squash make good alternatives to acorn squash. To make this side a hearty vegetarian meal, serve 2 halves each.

This simple combination of coarsely mashed eggplant and shallots makes a quick vegetarian side dish or main dish.

When time is of the essence, this hearty stew makes a quick meal. It has a complex, almost beefy flavor that develops when the onion and garlic are cooked until dark brown. Accompany with steamed rice or whole-wheat flatbreads (chapatis).

Think of this healthy vegetarian side dish recipe as a meatless tagine served in a squash bowl. Kabocha, sweet dumpling or carnival squash make good alternatives to acorn squash. To make this side a hearty vegetarian meal, serve 2 halves each.

This simple combination of coarsely mashed eggplant and shallots makes a quick vegetarian side dish or main dish.

When time is of the essence, this hearty stew makes a quick meal. It has a complex, almost beefy flavor that develops when the onion and garlic are cooked until dark brown. Accompany with steamed rice or whole-wheat flatbreads (chapatis).

This one-pan stir-fry is an Indian feast of sweet shrimp, perfumy mangoes and spicy basil. It's guaranteed to evoke dinnertime oohs and ahhs. Carbs are a time-tested way to take the pop out of the heat, so make sure you have plenty of aromatic jasmine rice to go with this fiery dish. Use prepeeled shrimp to make preparation a breeze.

This sweet potato and turnip mash is fragrant with fresh sage.