Asian

Dried shiitake mushrooms add an extra earthy depth of flavor to this versatile vegetarian dashi. Use the broth as the base of any Japanese soup.

Mala dry pot may be hot pot’s soupless cousin, but don’t mistake this lack of soup for lack of flavor. 

Oden, a hearty Japanese winter stew, has a little bit of everything—fried tofu, eggs, fish cake, and boiled potatoes.

The flavors of chana dal, okra, and fresh coconut work amazingly well together.

Chawanmushi, a Japanese savory, soupy custard, makes a wonderful first course, served either hot or cold.

Thinly sliced duck breast seared with leeks starts this beautiful bowl of noodle soup called kamo soba.

The broth base for tonyu nabe, as the name suggests, is soy milk, along with dashi and miso paste. 

This quick and flavorful curry udon gets its flavor from Japanese curry sauce mix.

Rajma, a North Indian dish of kidney beans in a deeply nuanced gravy pairs perfectly with jeera rice (basmati rice cooked with cumin seeds).

In this Instant Pot konkani lobia, tangy tamarind-sauced black-eyed peas are accentuated with pieces of zucchini and butternut squash.

These chicken wings are as golden and crispy as can be—without the hassle of deep-frying.

For these pearl meatballs, a mixture of pork, ginger, and scallions are combined into a meatball, then rolled in grains of sweet glutinous rice.

The final touch for this dish is a pour of hot oil over the top, providing an additional flash-fry of aromatic flavor as the oil sizzles over the scallions and ginger.

Lion’s head meatballs are traditionally stewed or steamed in a casserole dish; here they star in the sandwich of my childhood dreams.

In these chicken dumplings, sweet apple and savory chicken come together, and pickled fennel is the lightly acidic bridge.

Other types of plant-based protein, such as tempeh or seitan, can be used in this green bean stir-fry.