Asian

(Tangy Soy Chicken)

There's something for everyone in this traditional specialty. Don't forget to soak the bamboo skewers before using them.

An Asian take on pasta salad. Soba, or Japanese buckwheat noodles, have a brown-gray color and nutty flavor.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The seafood is cooked in lime juice and fish sauce, making this oil-free salad perfect for a low-fat lunch.

Called pho in Vietnam, this unusual soup is a wonderful party centerpiece dish for an informal gathering. Start out by supplying everyone with a large soup bowl and a ladle. Place the soup tureen in the middle of the table. Have each guest take a generous helping of noodles first, then some meat and broth. Each serving is topped off with shredded lettuce, sliced green onion and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Offer white rice alongside this simple, reduced-fat version of one of Rupa's childhood favorites.

Known as dal in India, this dish is often offered over rice or topped with plain yogurt.

In many instances, boneless skinless chicken breasts are sold with "tenders" (the small fillet strip containing the white tendon on the underside of each breast half) still attached. If that is the case, simply put each chicken breast—skinned side down—on a work surface, pull off the tenders, and reserve them for other use.

You may have had pappadams — light, crisp wafers made of lentil flour — at Indian restaurants. Here we use them as a stand-in for croutons.

This recipe was created to accompany Spinach and Endive Salad with Lemon-Ginger Dressing and Crisp Won Ton Strips. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Aam Lassi I guarantee that even if you think you don't like yogurt you will love this shake. Combined with mangoes and blended until frothy, lassi is always refreshing, not just at mealtime. The bubbly froth subsides when lassi stands awhile, so whip it again in the blender or whisk it just before serving.

Marge Dawson of Ivoryton, Connecticut, writes: "My daughter and I went to Thali, an Indian restaurant in New Canaan, Connecticut, and had a superb meal. I have never been a fan of rice pudding, but their version was out of this world. Is there any chance you could get the recipe?"

The recipe below is excerpted from restaurateur Jenny Kwak's book, Dok Suni: Recipes from My Mother's Korean Kitchen.

Spicy Szechuan dishes were quite the thing in the seventies; around that time, pasta was also coming into its own. This recipe features ingredients that are widely available in the Asian foods section of most markets. If you like, add snow peas and sliced red bell pepper for some crunch.

Hey-mul Pajun Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from restaurateur Jenny Kwak's book, Dok Suni: Recipes from My Mother's Korean Kitchen. Kwak also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Kwak and Korean cuisine, click here. It is said that because Korea was almost all surrounded by water, Koreans looked seaward for culinary inspiration. Hey-mul pajun, a simple and reliable treat, is a good example of this. My parents both spoke of this dish when I was growing up. My father ate it when his family had little to eat, and still to this day he enjoys it with a bottle of soju (sweet potato vodka). My mother told me that the aroma of the dish was so good that it would entice her neighborhood girlfriends to peek over the walls that divided the homes and ask, "Hey, can I come eat that with you?" And because the girls enjoyed the company as much as the food, they sat by the fire cooking up one pancake at a time, talking and eating until their mothers called them back home.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Makes use of the microwave oven.

This sauce, allegedly from Hong Kong, is called XO to equate its extravagance with that of "extra old" fine brandy (though there is none in the recipe). Many versions of this sauce exist, but they all include dried scallops (sometimes called conpoy), an ingredient highly prized in Chinese cooking for its flavor and texture, and costly Chinese Yunnan ham, which is unavailable in the U.S.