I have not measured out the spices in this recipe, since all you do is sprinkle them over the top. A little more, a little less hardly makes any difference. Serve this with curries or grilled or baked meats.

　　

Ingredients

serves 2¿4

　　4 smallish zucchini, about 1 pound in all

　　4 tablespoons olive or canola oil

　　Lemon juice

　　Salt

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　Ground roasted cumin seeds (page 284)

　　Cayenne pepper

　　

Step 1

Cut the zucchini into halves lengthways.

　　

Step 2

Pour the oil into a large frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the zucchini, skin side down, in a single layer. (Do two batches, if needed.) When the bottom is a reddish brown, turn the pieces over. Brown the second side the same way. Arrange in a single layer in a platter, cut side up. Squeeze some lemon juice over the top. Sprinkle some salt, lots of black pepper, some cumin, and cayenne over the top as well. Serve.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.