Chile

Plenty of seasoned cornstarch and a clean vat of high-heating oil is the secret to light and crispy fried salt and pepper squid.

These tandoori-spiced chickpeas get slow-cooked with aromatics in oil, and they’re sublime for a make-ahead meal.

These jammy eggs are a quick and beautiful addition to any cocktail party.

Thepla is a quintessential Gujarati flatbread that goes with anything—mango lassi, a cup of chai, or achar for dipping.

Spiced tomato sauce with bits of creamy paneer fills delicious stuffed peppers here, but it can also be served with flatbread, over quinoa, or in a quesadilla.

Starring crispy fried thigh meat dressed in a savory, citrus glaze, orange chicken is a Chinese American take-out staple well worth making at home.

This easy chunky guacamole recipe gets warmth from a dash of cumin and heat from fresh or pickled jalapeño.

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 Taiwanese classic gets its name from the generous amounts of soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine it calls for.

Menudo is typically served on weekends (whether that means family reunions, dressed in your Sunday best—or as an ideal hangover cure). The earthiness of the hominy and smoky chiles makes this dish one you’ll crave for weekends to come. Dried snow mushrooms are easy to find online and at many East Asian grocery stores. Their frilly, honeycomb-like texture provides a similar look and bite to the pancita—a.k.a. beef stomach—used in traditional menudo, making this dish accessible to almost anyone. W.…

Enchiladas are my comfort food: warm corn tortillas bathed in a slightly sweet, spicy, and bright sauce of chiles and tomato, wrapped around either a quick sauté of whatever veggies I have hanging out in the fridge or the creamy potato mash used here.

Rich, hearty black-eyed peas simmered in coconut milk get a boost of spice from habanero pepper and curry powder.

Sear and braise tofu with onions, carrots, and mushrooms, then pour a simple, spicy soy-sauce based dressing onto it for a dinner that practically makes itself.

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. 

Braise smoked collard greens with onions, then toss them with a bright pepper vinegar for dish that's smoky, sweet, and savory.

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.

Large pieces of butternut squash get braised in a coconut sauce spiked with chile, cayenne, and turmeric for a low-effort dish that’s full of flavor—perfect to star as the vegetarian- or vegan-friendly main event on your Thanksgiving dinner table. Serve with your favorite festive sides or simply with rice or potatoes and a side salad. A squeeze of lime juice at the end adds tang, and almonds bring some contrasting crunch.