Southeast Asian

This delicious vegetable soup, called sayur lodeh in Indonesian, is popular in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Rendang is a slow-cooked dish that requires hours of stovetop nursing. It was only when I bought an Instant Pot that I even entertained the idea of making it myself.

This peppery turmeric soup is a meatless version of soto ayam, which is usually made with chicken. 

Inspired by chili crab, an aromatic and spicy Singaporean braise, this crab dip gets a little sweetness from tomato paste and dynamic flavor from shallots, garlic, and ginger. 

When I’m with my mom’s side of the family, no holiday is complete without ube pie. Ube is a vibrant purple yam from the Philippines used in many sweet dishes. This version of the pie, with its deep shade of violet and its pearly crown of marshmallowy whipped cream, looks as regal as it does whimsical. It’s creamy and custardy like a sweet potato pie but with ube’s distinct notes of vanilla and pistachio. Instead of starting with whole purple yams, this recipe uses jarred ube halaya (sometimes ca.…

This take on a very popular Thai bar snack—freshly fried cashews tossed with salt, chiles, scallions, and fragrant lime zest—is simple but so good with an ice-cold beer.

To add earthy heat to your cooking, roast dried Thai chiles in the oven before grinding them to a powder.

Adobo is commonly made with chicken, pork, or squid, but this one relies on mushrooms for a boost of umami flavor and meaty texture.

This dish is inspired by a Thai-Chinese favorite, bami haeng, served from food carts and casual open-air eateries in Thailand.

This Indonesian plate of blanched vegetables, boiled eggs, and tofu is served with a spicy, tangy, and slightly sweet peanut sauce for drizzling and dipping. Add salty-savory shrimp chips for scooping.

This peanut sauce recipe is based on my mom's version, which accompanies Gado Gado. Raw peanuts are roasted on the stovetop or in the oven, and then ground. You'll also have to hunt down tamarind pulp and lime leaves, but it's worth the trouble—the addition of freshly roasted peanuts and fragrant herbs makes for unsurpassed flavor.

Make coconut sticky rice in the microwave for creamy, perfectly tender results in under 10 minutes. Serve it with shredded coconut, toasted sesame seeds, and of course, ripe mango slices.

If Thai food were laid out as one of those nutritional pyramids they showed you in health class, green papaya salad would be at the bottom, right above rice. In other words: It is fundamental. 

This low-effort, high-flavor tomato demonstrates how the Thai concept of balancing flavors can be achieved in different combinations.

Sinuglaw is a combination of fish ceviche—in this case, vinegar-cured tuna—plus smoky grilled pork belly. The flavorful dish gets dressed with coconut milk, ginger, red onion, chiles, and tomato.