Southeast Asian

Sticky rice is worth using for this porridge-y, comforting chicken soup recipe; it releases lots of creamy starches and helps builds nice body as it cooks.

The ingredient list for a curry can be a little daunting with all those spices, but the technique isn’t very far from a pasta sauce: you just toast the whole spices and then move on to a sort of sofrito of onion, garlic, and ginger. From that flavor base, you add tomatoes and whatever veggies you desire. At the end, a quick chutney, really just a rough chopped blend of herbs and coconut, gives the stew a bright pop of flavor (the way a few torn basil leaves make that tomato sauce sing).

Tamarind gives this hearty stew a pleasant sweet-sour pucker.

An craveable slaw with sweetness from the fresh coconut and sneaky, creeping heat from the chiles. This recipe is from Bad Saint, one of Bon Appétit's Hot 10, America's Best New Restaurants 2016.

Frying ukoy the Bad Saint way is a very active process­—the fritter will blow apart in the oil before you tease it back together. Use a tall pot with plenty of extra room since the oil will bubble vigorously when the mix hits it.

Combined with coconut milk, it’s the base for your next Thai curry.

Japanese eggplants are smaller, sweeter, and faster-cooking than other types. If using globe eggplants, slice them into half-inch rounds.

A heavy-hitting marinade and a vibrant plum and herb salad transform pork rib chops into a memorable summer meal.

Tom Yum is made so many different ways that no two batches are really ever alike. Simultaneously spicy, tart, and sweet, this soup grows on you the more you eat it. Try it along with rice to cut some of the heat, or eat it throughout a meal for a welcome contrast.

Spaghetti squash plays the part of rice noodles in this take on a Vietnamese noodle bowl.

Feel-good greens and creamy comforting coconut come together in less than half an hour for a weeknight dinner you can really get behind.