Asian

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from China Modern by Ching-He Huang. In Chinese, Xi-fan means "watery rice." This modern version contains both brown rice and mixed whole grains.

Chinese fermented black beans are a bargain—the small amount here packs a pungent, salty flavor that complements the sweet, garlicky sauce for the wings.

The cabbage and carrots in this dish supply 126 percent of your daily vitamin A, key to maintaining healthy eyes.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Simple Chinese Cooking by Kylie Kwong. Because pork is rather rich, I like to add a touch of hoisin sauce—the pork can stand up to it. The malt vinegar balances out the flavors, cutting through the richness and sweetness.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from The Shun Lee Cookbook by Michael Tong. This Sichuan dish features a regional sauce, sometimes called "fish-fragrant flavor," that combines hot chili paste, garlic, ginger, scallions, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce—but no fish!

These cookies, a twist on traditional snowballs, are just the thing to enjoy with a spot of tea.

A tisane is a tea-like aromatic infusion; this one is a lovely partner to the cheesecake.

Give your meals a spicy kick.

Be sure the lamb is trimmed; otherwise, ask the butcher to do it for you.

Improv: Replace the mushrooms with diced firm tofu and/or wilted spinach.

Called bun bo hue in Vietnam, this is the heartier, spicier cousin to pho, the famous noodle soup.

Why resort to takeout? This spicy coconut sauce, brimming with stewed tomatoes, is a wonderful way to make weeknight chicken tempting again.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from The Skinny: How to Fit into Your Little Black Dress Forever by Melissa Clark and Robin Aronson. Roasted marinated tofu is one of those addictive foods that's OK to keep eating, compared to, say, cheese fondue or doughnut holes. The combination of shiitake mushrooms and soy makes our version particularly hearty.

Tumis Sayur There are, I think, few things more purely satisfying than quickly stir-fried Asian greens. Indonesian cooks agree: Meals in the country are unthinkable without greens on the table. They're so popular that market vendors often sell as many as 15 different kinds, from the tender mustard shoots known as sayur sawi, similar to bok choi, to bitter young papaya leaves (daun papaya), which are stir-fried along with their small white flowers. On our shores, young, tender Asian greens with slender stems — such as water spinach, bok choi, baby bok choi, choi sum, and baby kai lan — work best for stir-frying. Chinese and Southeast Asian markets will likely carry at least two of these varieties at any given time; farmers' markets will have them stocked in the summer months (and year-round in places with temperate climates such as Southern California and Florida). Always buy unblemished greens that have no signs of yellowing, and cook them as soon as possible — they don't store well.

The spices in Indian chai tea flavor this creamy cheesecake.

East meets West in this dessert version of the spring roll.

Thai red curry paste adds a spicy punch.

Start preparing this one day before serving — it needs to chill overnight.