Tofu

Canned coconut milk + bottled mustard = an exquisitely simple sauce for any flaky whitefish.

Lara Lee’s crunchy, bright, and veg-packed summer rolls are a cross-cultural twist on two street food icons: refreshing Vietnamese gỏi cuốn and Indonesian gado-gado.

Grate your tofu on a box-grater (it works!) and the rest of this satisfying lunch bowl is only minutes away.

A riff on Chinese American sesame chicken, this recipe is super sesame-y from the sauce up: Tahini (an untraditional but logical addition) adds richness, and sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds hit the flavor home.

The soul of this recipe comes from the ginger and tamari marinade that gives crispy tofu a sweet and savory winter coat. 

Crispy tofu cubes get tossed in a sweet and savory glaze that hits all the umami notes.

The combination of corn, soy, and butter is as delicious as it is classic. As Hiroko Shimbo writes in her book Hiroko’s American Kitchen, corn and butter are a common pair in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, where both are produced. Here, the three come together along with pan-fried tofu, scallions, mirin, and sesame oil to make an ultra-flavorful, just-rich-enough vegetarian main. Serve it over rice, a chewy grain like farro or wheat berries, or arugula dressed with rice vinegar and more sesame oil. A crispy fried egg would also be welcome.

You’ll find a version of this quicker-than-quick dish on many Korean tables as a banchan, or small plate. But with rice and a side of greens, it’s dinner exactly when you need it: right now.

In this 30-minute dish, which is inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe in his 2011 book Plenty, black pepper is the star, not the sidekick: When bloomed in oil, the coarsely ground peppercorns become piquant and fragrant enough to flavor the entire sauce, no red pepper flakes, dried chiles, or hot sauce needed. Take care not to burn the peppercorns as you toast them or the flavor could swing from spicy to bitter.

Choose your mushrooms carefully: Crimini and white button will never get as crispy as oyster or maitakes.

We took inspiration from picadillo, a saucy spiced ground meat dish packed with flavor, and thought, Why not give tofu a similar treatment?

August is peak eggplant season; look for Japanese and Chinese eggplants for this stir-fry recipe.

Any vegetable or meat would be in good company with this stew’s spicy-funky base of kimchi, gochugaru, and gochujang.

Chef Josh McFadden’s crazy-simple yogurt flatbreads from Bon Appetit’s August 2015 issue inspired this whole-grain version.

The trick to this recipe is using the pan sauce as a base for the sesame noodles.

A Healthyish take on classic creamed spinach

If you have a batch of our Chile Crisp at the ready, you can make this summery, no-fuss pantry salad in just 5 minutes.

The vegan patties in this burger recipe go straight from the mixing bowl to the grill without falling apart—all in about 20 minutes.

Whenever you’re cooking tofu, here’s one of our no-fail techniques: Draining the tofu, then squeezing out as much water as possible (without smashing it), is the key to the crispiest cubes.

Toasted sesame seeds can often be found in the Asian sections of some supermarkets, sometimes labeled Gomasio. If ever there was a time of year to keep a big jar of them on hand, pre-toasted and ready to go, this is it. They are the perfect crunchy topper for everything from salads to soups and roasted vegetables.