Asian

"What really makes this Korean- inspired dish delightful is the contrast between the crisp vegetables and the soft, chewy sweet potato noodles," says Mai Pham. Look for the noodles at Asian markets; cellophane noodles (sold in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets) also work here. For best results, choose a thicker noodle, about the size of spaghettini. Serve this dish at room temperature as a side or main.

Great for a summer party, this recipe doubles easily, and most of the elements can be done ahead. "This dish exemplifies the lively and engaging nature of the Vietnamese table," says Mai Pham, "the ritual of wrapping meats in crisp lettuce with fresh herbs, then dipping them into a zesty sauce." Provide each person with a little bowl of sauce, as well as the usual plate to make assembly easier.

If you're craving an aromatic Chinatown-style noodle soup, this recipe is a quick fix — especially if you use a roast chicken from the supermarket deli. (For another variation, try using roast duck from a Chinese deli instead.) The chrysanthemum leaves are a beautiful match with the delicate broth redolent of star anise, but watercress can be substituted if you like.

Known in Asia as Shaking Beef Salad, or bo luc lac, this Vietnamese classic is made by shaking — essentially searing — steak in a very hot pan. Jasmine rice or brown rice would be ideal alongside.

Food Editor: Lillian Chou
Father: Kuo Hung Chou, Pine Brook, NJ
Jook, a rice porridge, is eaten at breakfast or as a light lunch in many parts of Asia. Although my father came from Shanghai, he preferred the more flavorful Cantonese version my mother made. Breakfast with "Baba"("Daddy" in Mandarin) on Sundays meant a table adorned with many small dishes of condiments. One of his favorites was "thousand-year-old eggs" (pei dan), which are actually chicken or duck eggs preserved in a mixture of clay, lime, and salt. Thousand-year-old eggs are available at Chinese markets, where they're sold individually or in packs of six. (Don't confuse them with "salted eggs," which are brined duck eggs.) Since their quality varies widely, it pays to buy a more expensive variety, if available.

This all-purpose marinade can be used for chicken or turkey breast, pork cutlets, firm-pressed tofu, and seafood. If you prefer to omit the chile flakes or paste, use 5 or 6 slices of smashed fresh ginger instead.

Nasi Kerabu
Make sure to buy the larger dried shrimp and select those that are bright pink or pink-orange (they brown and harden with age). Lesser grades of dried shrimp tend to be unpleasantly pungent. It's also important to use a fine-quality rice — what you can buy at most supermarkets will yield mediocre results.

Garlic chives smell more pungent than they taste and are wonderful when cooked. (Keep them wrapped well in your refrigerator.)

Yakitori In Tokyo, these savory skewers are made with Japanese leeks, called negi, which are thinner and more tender than Western leeks. We've substituted scallions, since they have a similar sweetness and are more readily available here.

Butter Mochi This chewy snack cake gets its distinctive gelatinous texture from mochiko, a sweet rice flour that's commonly used in Hawaii. Coconut milk and butter add rich, creamy flavor.

Shelling and skinning the raw peanuts for this recipe can be time-consuming. You might prefer to buy them at an Asian market, where you'll often find the work has been done for you. Some shelled peanuts (with skins) come already blanched. We found the best flavor came from those you shell and skin yourself.

Traditional Indian recipes for basmati rice call for soaking the rice, but we find that it isn't necessary in this case.

This recipe uses what is known in Indian cooking as a tarka — hot oil seasoned with spices, which are added in sequence to infuse their flavors. The tarka is either incorporated at the beginning of a recipe or poured, sizzling, over a finished dish, as we do here, to impart another layer of flavor.

The combination of garam masala — a blend of sweet and hot spices — and a light sugar syrup adds so much flavor to this refreshing salad that no oil is necessary. The spice blend subtly enhances the natural sweetness of the pear and the avocado, while lending an aromatic note. If Asian pears are not available in your area, you can substitute another firm-ripe pear variety.