Coconut Milk

The mild spice paste is also great used as a base for chicken and shrimp curries.

(Thai Grilled Chicken) For connoisseurs of grilled chicken, Thailand is paradise: Gai yang is a common street food and restaurant specialty. Each region has its own cooking methods, though most recipes begin by briefly marinating pieces of chicken, the bone still in, with the traditional Thai seasonings of black pepper, garlic, coriander root, and fish sauce. In this recipe coconut milk is added to the marinade, making the chicken especially succulent and flavorful. Because coriander root is called for in many classic Thai recipes, buy coriander with the roots on; when finished with the sprigs, wash the roots, wrap them in foil, and keep them in the freezer.

A crisp white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc, would be nice with this dish.

Suitable accompaniments to this risotto-like dish are crusty bread, an avocado and orange salad with a cilantro vinaigrette and, to top it off, coconut pie.

Any brand of curry paste, which comes in jars or plastic pouches, will be successful in this authentic-tasting curry. Serve the spicy chicken with rice pilaf and stir-fried broccoli; lemon frozen yogurt is a refreshing finale.

The texture of this rice is moist and sticky, so do not expect fluffy individual grains.

(Parfaits Glacés D'annanas En Piña Colada)

If you thought you couldn't cook Thai food at home, this colorful and slightly spicy curry-a bit of a cross between a soup and a stew-will change your mind. It's a cinch to whip up after work and intriguing enough to impress your friends. Begin dinner with frozen egg rolls or take-out ones from a Chinese restaurant, and finish things off with ice cream or sorbet topped with chopped tropical fruit. GewÜrztraminer or Thai beer complements the menu nicely.

Sheenga Chat Here is a wonderful recipe of the chettinad (the business community) of Madras whose food often reflects a fusion of northern and southern flavors. In this shrimp preparation, for example, both Curry Powder and Garam Masala are used to achieve intriguingly complex results.

(Tony Tan's Laksa Lemak)

From the Rainforest Cafe in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Serve this lush, smooth soup as part of an Asian or Western meal. Large wedges of pumpkin with a pale gray-green skin are sold in Southeast Asian groceries and in Caribbean produce markets. Pick out the pumpkin with the reddest flesh. You can also use an orange "pie pumpkin."

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

This would also be delicious paired with chicken or shrimp. This recipe originally accompanied Sake-Marinated Sea Bass with Coconut-Curry Sauce.

Pla Phad Phrik Khing The pummelo salad makes a nice first course with this dish.