Asian

Before tasting the oysters served by Tadashi Ono at New York's Matsuri, I was convinced that the best oyster is a naked one. But there is something magical about the way frozen ponzu brings out the sweetness of a plump oyster; add the crunch of tobiko and you have something absolutely extraordinary. In our version, we serve the oysters on a bed of seaweed to keep them flat and to retain their liquor. If you can't find seaweed, substitute a bed of uncooked sushi rice. Traditional ponzu (a soy citrus sauce) is made with fish stock (dashi), but we used a kelp broth instead because we found the stock too heavy.

There isn't a drop of alcohol in this dish — the name refers to how much you'll want to drink to combat the heat. We suggest a nice cold beer or sparkling wine.

Liz and Kurt Gruber of Bellevue, Washington, write: "We really enjoyed the mulligatawny soup we had at Shamiana in nearby Kirkland. Could you get the recipe?"

Pulissery This is the ultimate Keralan rice dish — sour, spicy, and with a strong coconut accent. For more information on grated coconut, coconut oil, and coconut milk. The Indian ingredients can be found at Indian markets and Kalustyan's (800-352-3451).

Cheera Thoren As cheera is hard to come by, we substituted red Swiss chard. The Indian ingredients can be found at Indian markets and Kalustyan's (800-352-3451).

Cut the green beans and bell pepper while the tofu marinates.

We found that 1 green chile was enough, but add more if you like things fiery.

This authentic Cantonese version of chow mein features fresh egg noodles, which are fried into a cake that softens slightly when topped with a meat and vegetable sauce. Be careful not to mistake wonton noodles for Chinese egg noodles — although they look similar, wonton noodles don't have the same rich texture.

Chances are, your home stove isn't as powerful as the ones at your local Chinese restaurant, in which case a flat-bottomed wok will work best, as it has more contact with the heat than does a rounded one.

You'll have some leftover creamy ginger soy dressing for salad later in the week.

You can't fling a chopstick in this übertrendy Japanese eatery without hitting at least one celebrity: Jessica Simpson, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio, Liv Tyler, George Clooney — the list goes on. The best of the beau monde enjoy a variety of fresh fish (raw and cooked) in a soothing Zen setting. This recipe may have a higher percentage of calories from fat than other fish dishes, but it's mostly the healthy kind.

Healthy bonus: Vitamin C from mangoes; iron from raisins

The skewers grill above the flames, suspended between two bricks to keep them from touching the grates of the barbecue. No bricks handy? Substitute disposable foil mini loaf pans (found on the baking aisle at the supermarket).

Blue crabs take a little more work to eat than larger crabs like Dungeness, but their sweet flavor is worth the extra effort. Blue crabs are commercially harvested from New York to Florida — including, most famously, Chesapeake Bay — and the Gulf Coast states. The best are available from late summer to early fall. If you're landlocked or on the West Coast, you can order live blue crabs from The Crab Place (877-328-2722; crabplace.com).