Food & Wine's Favorite Padma Lakshmi Recipes

8 of Our Favorite Recipes From Padma Lakshmi, From Keralan Crab Cakes to Vodka-Rose Punch

Published on September 27, 2023

Sautéed Zucchini with Ginger and Dill — Photo: © John Kernick

We love talking with Padma Lakshmi about her 19 seasons hosting Top Chef, her work on her show Taste the Nation to showcase food from immigrants around the U.S., and other ways this author and United Nations Goodwill ambassador combines food and culture in her life. Her recipes are one way to start; whip up some crab cakes and coconut curry stew to experience her deft hand with spices and other ingredients and then pour one of her signature cocktails to go with them.

Tinfoil Swans Podcast

01 of 08

Keralan Crab Cakes with Mint Chutney

Kerlan Crab Cakes with Mint-Chutney — Charles Thompson

Lakshmi made this recipe to meld a classic American dish with the hot and tangy flavors of her native Kerala. Since crab dishes are abundant in South Indian cuisine, the marriage is a happy one. She liberally uses hot green chiles, but they can be reduced a bit to taste. The shredded coconut gives the dish a South Asian variation, and the dried mango powder adds sourness.

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02 of 08

Crispy Turkey Kathi Rolls with Mint and Date Dipping Sauce

Kathi rolls, a popular street food in India, are made by rolling vegetables or meat in roti, an Indian flat bread. In her fabulous take on the recipe, Padma Lakshmi wraps flour tortillas around a succulent filling of ground turkey, fresh ginger, curry and basil, then pan-fries the rolls until crispy for decadent hors d'oeuvres that can be eaten as finger food.

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03 of 08

Vodka-Rose Punch

"When I was a child, the only way I would drink milk — the unhomogenized kind you get in India — was if my granny swirled a couple teaspoons of rose syrup into it,” Lakshmi says. “Today, I love the floral accent and the frilly pink tinge it gives mixed drinks."

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04 of 08

Spinach, Basil, and Plum Salad

Lakshmi likes using yuzu (a sour Asian citrus fruit) in the vinaigrette for this salad, a simple but bold combination of spinach, basil, and juicy plums. Yuzu can be hard to find, so a mix of lemon juice and lime zest is equally good here. Finishing the salad with flakes of sea salt gives it a nice unexpected crunch.

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05 of 08

Mahi Mahi Coconut Curry Stew with Carrots and Fennel

Lakshmi says she always makes extra portions of this excellent coconut-curried mahi mahi so she can reheat it the next day and eat it over noodles.

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06 of 08

Sweet Lime-Ginger Rum Punch

"In India, we constantly serve sweet lime juice and sometimes make a salty version, too," Lakshmi says. For this punch, she adds dark rum, cilantro, and ginger, which gives the drink a little spice.

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07 of 08

Sautéed Zucchini with Ginger and Dill

This is a light and lovely way to prepare zucchini, which gets quickly sautéed with garlic, shallots, and ginger, then tossed with fresh dill. Lakshmi likes to stir anardana (dried pomegranate seeds) into this dish for a bit of crunchy tang.

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08 of 08

Mint and Date Dipping Sauce

Lakshmi calls this sauce "liquid heaven." She purees sticky dates with fresh mint, lemon juice and chile, creating a sweet, bright-flavored and slightly spicy sauce. It's a stellar accompaniment to the kathi rolls, but Lakshmi also uses it as a sandwich spread or whisks it into salad dressing.

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