Thai

These powerfully seasoned chicken breasts grill up smoky and moist. Serve with minted iced tea and Asian beers. For dessert, offer mango sorbet with pineapple.

If canned unsweetened coconut milk is not readily available in your area, you may substitute 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1 tablespoon sweetened flaked coconut. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Thai cooking frequently makes use of cilantro roots; their flavor is more pronounced than that of the leaves.

The mangoes must be completely unripe in order to achieve the firm, chunky texture desired for this chutney. This recipe was created to accompany Lamb Stew with Black Mustard Seeds. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serve this salad with grilled meats; it's especially great with spare ribs.

Chef-owner Neath Pal is known for his fusion of French-Asian and New England cooking. So serve this dish with slender noodles tossed in a purchased peanut sauce. Finish with coconut ice cream.

Here, lime juice replaces the traditional lemongrass, which can be hard to find. The result is a quick, authentic-tasting Thai-style soup. If coconut milk is unavailable, substitute 1 3/4 cups half and half mixed with 3/4 teaspoon imitation coconut extract.

Fermented soybean paste-called miso-is the key ingredient here.

(Grilled Beef Salad) The following grilled beef salad has as many versions as there are cooks in Thailand. The success of the dish depends upon starting with good-quality tenderloin and achieving a balance of hot, sour, and salty. Before serving, be sure to sample the salad and adjust the amount of chili, lime, fish sauce — and, if desired, sugar — to your taste.

Hor Neung Pla Duk Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 21/4 hr

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 4 hr

Gaeng Pah Muu Most curries from southern Thailand use coconut milk. This one, from the mountainous north, doesn't, because the climate is too temperate for coconut palms to survive. Don't be intimidated by the start-to-finish time; the curry paste and chicken stock can be made days ahead. Once you have those components at hand, the recipe only takes about 1 hour to put together. If you prefer your food less spicy, use the smaller amounts of curry paste and vegetable oil. Active time: 3 1/4 hr Start to finish: 7 1/4 hr (includes making curry paste and stock)

Serve this Thai-style dressing over chilled pasta or mixed raw vegetables.

The following recipe is our version of gai yang, the grilled or roasted marinated chicken for which there are many variations in Thailand. Although gai yang is traditionally served with only a sweet chili garlic sauce for dipping, we were so taken with the complex flavor of the marinade that we decided to make extra and turn it into a second dipping sauce. Both sauces offered here are simple and delicious, but the Cornish hens can easily stand on their own.

Using shrimp instead of chicken in this recipe makes for an equally delicious soup.

This hot and tangy Thai version of coleslaw is one of those dishes that I don't know if they really serve in Thailand but it certainly seems they should. I like it more than traditional coleslaw, and it seems to better suit our modern-day taste for lighter dishes and for the forthright flavors of Asian ingredients. I serve this salad with grilled meats — it's especially great with spare ribs.