Asian

The kicky flavors of ginger, garlic, and garam masala play off the richness of salmon in this stunning main course. It's served with raita, a cooling cucumber-yogurt sauce.

Chicago chef Graham Elliot uses aromatic makrut lime leaves to make this sparkler from his sandwich shop, Grahamwich. They're sold frozen, and sometimes fresh, wherever you buy Thai groceries. If unavailable, substitute an additional 1/2 teaspoon lime zest for each lime leaf.

You will definitely surprise yourself with this one. It is an extremely delicious dish that's quick and straightforward to make, but looks as if it's been prepared at a top Chinese restaurant. It is fiery, both from the chiles and the black pepper; you can moderate this by reducing their quantity a little. However, the whole point is spiciness so don't go too far.

Thai red curry paste, unsweetened coconut milk, and fish sauce are available in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets. Serve this curry over steamed jasmine rice.

A staple of classic Japanese cooking, teriyaki is wonderful with not only seafood but also poultry, beef, vegetables, and tofu. Often, however, this versatile sauce can be quite sweet. My version uses fresh orange juice, which adds just a touch of natural sweetness as well as some acidity to temper the sweet mirin. Pouring some of the teriyaki sauce into the hot pan with the fish further reduces it so the sauce really coats the fish with a deep, caramel glaze that enhances the delectable moist, buttery, and tender qualities of black cod perfectly. Other good fish for this dish are Alaskan cod, true cod, sablefish, or wild salmon. Searing each side of the sticky rice cake gives a nutty flavor and crisp texture. I also like to serve these rice cakes with vegetable stir-fries in place of plain rice. If you have a rice cooker, use it to prepare the rice according to the manufacturer's directions. If not, follow the instructions in the recipe to prepare it in a saucepan.

The beauty and subtlety of wild garlic makes this dish very appealing, and fresh curry leaves add a fragrance that is quite seductive. During the summer months we pod fresh coco beans and cook them directly in the curry until soft. In winter we soak dried cannellini beans overnight and precook them in water for an hour or so over gentle heat, with one or two herbs added for flavor. I like to serve this curry just as it is, but you could add chunks of white fish to it.

As anyone familiar with Indian food knows, chickpeas are one of the most common types of legumes found on Indian tables. In this popular recipe, the spices and fresh ingredients are added at the very end of the cooking time to preserve optimum flavor and freshness. Regulate the heat by the amount of cayenne you use.

Serve this classic quick soup with brown rice crackers to increase the fiber and for dipping

If you don't have a slow cooker, use a covered Dutch oven; cook the curry in a 325°F oven until the beef is tender, about 2 hours, adding 1/2 cup water if the stew is dry. The spice paste can be made up to a week ahead of cooking.

Unlike most braises, these ribs aren't browned before they're simmered. The long, slow simmer tenderizes the meat, and the ribs get their brown, shiny exterior from a soy and brown sugar marinade. The ideal drink pairing? Ice-cold Thai beer.

This is a delicious Web-exclusive recipe for Epicurious by Chef Kerry Simon at Las Vegas' Simon at Palms Place Hotel and Spa. It's an interesting take on the classic creamy rock-shrimp dish and a great appetizer for a Super Bowl gathering or any party.

This Vietnamese-style dish infuses fresh mussels with intense flavors of garlic, pepper, and fish sauce. A cast-iron pot, the ideal cooking vessel, gets very hot, cooking the mussels quickly and heightening the flavors of the seasonings. You can also use a wok or Dutch oven.

All sorts of neglected or leftover vegetable bits can be transformed into these lovely, lacy-crisp, colorful tempura pancakes.

Shojin Chawan Mushi The classic version of chawan mushi, often part of a formal banquet menu, is made with eggs and fish-based dashi. But lightly seasoned soy milk can be transformed into a custardlike consistency reminiscent of the classic by adding the coagulant nigari, in a process similar to the making of tofu. I have filled my vegan chawan mushi with seasonal tidbits: wild mushrooms in the fall and asparagus tips and fresh bamboo shoots in the spring. The custard must be served in the same heatproof container in which it is steamed. The Japanese use special chawan mushi cups with lids that are placed on top only after steaming. Ramekins, custard cups, or teacups without handles can be used in their place.

Daigaku Imo Hanamaru Market, a highly successful, long-running Japanese television talk show, opens with a short cooking segment every weekday morning. Finding ways to make impressive classic cuisine simpler and less technically demanding is the theme of many of the episodes. In the autumn of 2008, one of the broadcasts featured an innovative recipe for daigaku imo (candied sweet potatoes) that topped all previous viewer-rating charts. Indeed, as of this writing, nearly a year later, it remains the all-time favorite. Syrup-glazed, black sesame-studded sweet potato first became a popular snack among university students at the turn of the twentieth century. Indeed, that is the origin of the name of the dish: daigaku means "university" and imo is "potato." Most recipes for daigaku imo instruct the cook to deep-fry sweet potato chunks first and glaze them afterward. Although delicious, the classic version results in a high-calorie snack that is messy both to make and to clean up. In contrast, the Hanamaru Market version offers a (relatively) healthy snack.