Thai

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.

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

Tamarind juice concentrate helps gives this riff on the popular Thai stir-fry its tangy flavor.

The tangy dipping sauce is great with pretty much any grilled meat. Keep it on heavy rotation this summer.

The little bits of fatback add an extra layer of deliciousness.

This popular Thai dish has been cooked regularly in our kitchen ever since we first tried it in Bangkok. The first time we made it at home, we stayed true to the original recipe by stir-frying rice noodles in a sweet and a slightly spicy sauce, but through the years, it has slowly transformed into something new. Instead of stir-frying rice noodles, we now simply peel a daikon radish (courgette/zucchini also works fine) into thin strips that we toss with carrot strands, tofu and fresh herbs and cover with a peanut butter and lime dressing. Even though we have changed both cooking method and ingredients, it still has that wonderful flavor combination of sweet, nutty, tangy and a little spicy and the experience is light, fresh and, in our opinion, even tastier.

"Celery is the perfect vehicle for a salty, assertive dressing like this one. Chiles and peanuts make it that much more addictive." —Alison Roman, senior associate food editor

Peanut butter, ginger and fresh basil bring out the Thai character of this tasty rice-and-chicken salad

Done well, this should be crunchy, fresh, spicy, sour, and a little bit funky. Taste as you go and adjust as needed.

Prepared curry paste speeds up this nuanced dish.

This curry is doubly rich from the coconut milk and the deep red curry, but the pineapple keeps it from being too heavy and gives a beautiful freshness to the dish. I like to cook the lobster in the shell because it makes for a more flavorful sauce, and I like to serve it that way too. You can be as refined as you like or, like me, pick up the shell and make an animal of yourself. If lobster is going to blow the budget, you can still have a delicious curry by substituting shrimp or monkfish.