Herbs & Spices

While it is not uncommon to find ginger blended into limeades, lemonades, and fresh sugarcane juice in India, it also pairs nicely with tamarind. Serve cold and give it a good stir before drinking.    This recipe is made with tamarind pulp, which contains large seeds that you will need to remove. Avoid the temptation to use concentrates. They’re more convenient because they don’t have seeds, but they don’t taste nearly as fresh.

Unlike a strongly acidic lemonade or limeade, this sumac syrup is tart but mild. The saffron and cardamom are pounded to release their color and flavors into the hot syrup.

One of the many reasons you'll be grateful to have a jar of kimchi in your fridge at all times: this throw-together no-cook toast.  It's a low-lift breakfast, lunch, or snack that's ideal for even the laziest of days.

A quick sizzle with ginger, butter, and soy sauce transforms tomatoes into a savory condiment we're spooning over rice, pasta, and crusty bread.

Very loosely inspired by Lebanese fattoush, this is one of those dishes where you want to use only the ripest, most fragrant tomatoes in the bunch.

This new tart from Tara O’Brady has an easy press-in pistachio crust and a few pounds of peaches, plums, or apricots coddled in a supple layer of custard.

In this recipe, summer produce gets stuffed with spiced ground lamb and cooked in an oniony tomato sauce. Top it off with crispy garlic, herbs, and yogurt.

Bisibelabath is kitcheree’s spicier cousin. The name means “hot lentil rice,” so consider yourself warned—this is a spicy dish of vegetables, rice, and lentils straight out of South India. I like to serve it with raita to cool things off.

Toss grilled carrots and fresh avocados with a chile-ginger dressing that's sweetened with honey for a simple side that can easily double as a light lunch.

This salad is inspired by Chinese dish lao hu cai, otherwise known as tiger salad. Unripe plums, nectarines, or peaches marinate in a spicy dressing and get tossed with crisp celery and herbs.

No ice cream machine required for this frozen treat, as the cream is whipped before being frozen. 

Quick pickled vegetables are welcomed any time of the year. Use fresh produce like cauliflower, carrots, radish, radish pods, or raw turmeric for this preparation.

Flatfish is ideal for grilling if you cut it into wide planks but leave the skin and bones intact. The skin insulates its tender meat during grilling, and the bones help keep the pieces together.

This all-purpose condiment is an ideal finisher for anything you might care to grill. Make it ahead and have it ready to spoon over grilled meats, fish, and vegetables.

Sometimes the best meat in the butcher’s case isn’t beef. Pork shoulder is virtually guaranteed to be pleasantly fatty and flavorful.

Potato salad gets a fresh burst of flavor from a dose of Jamaican jerk seasoning. The spicy rub is the foundation of the creamy dressing, where some of the heat is quelled by rich mayonnaise.

A classic recipe gone rogue.

Smoky mezcal, fresh pineapple juice, serrano chile, and cilantro—this is one of my favorite cocktails. The mezcal gives it some edge, and the pine­apple makes it easy drinking.