Asian

A fresh curry powder that is mildly hot and packs a flavorful punch compared to commercial blends, which may sit on store shelves for months past their prime. Stir into butter or mayonnaise and use to flavor rice, roasted potatoes, or fish.

This way of cooking eggplant makes the flesh soft and creamy. The miso glaze sweetens it with a Japanese flair.

Broccoli and mushrooms make this miso soup a little bit unusual and a meal in itself. (See photo)

For a richer dressing, add half a cup of coconut milk and a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter to the dressing.

Any rice is fine for this dish, but Lemongrass Rice (page 181) makes it particularly flavorful. We especially like this technique for cooking eggs for fried rice.

This is a sweet fried rice with a pleasing bite of ginger. Before you begin to stir-fry, cook rice if you don’t have any left over, and have everything prepped and close at hand.

Try this versatile omelet with traditional ingredients such as bean sprouts or water chestnuts, or look in your vegetable crisper and use that lonely stalk of celery or leftover carrot half, a handful of mushrooms or snow peas, some broccoli florets, etc. Try for a variety of colors and use up to 2 cups of chopped vegetables.

One of our favorite home-style dishes at Hong Kong Restaurant in Ithaca’s Collegetown, this is the Chinese version of scrambled eggs and ketchup!

Why order takeout when you can create classic Chinese flavors so easily at home?

Coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots), one of our favorite simple suppers convenience foods, is available in the produce section of most supermarkets.

Here’s a meatless variation of a classic northern Chinese noodle dish. We love the contrast between the hot, saucy noodles and the cold, crunchy raw vegetable toppings. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days, so you can make the sauce and prepare the toppings ahead of time and then cook the noodles when you’re ready to eat.

I enjoy going out for Indian food and pairing a cool, calming lhassi with a heavily spiced meal. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to develop one for my dessert menu. This one—which I worked out with my friend and onetime sous-chef Jason Casey—is creamy smooth and softly perfumed with rose water and cinnamon.

Mochi are sweet, filled Japanese dumplings that are served chilled. I’ve been fascinated by them from the first time I had one, but I’d always been told that they could be made only in factories. And since the commercial ones are artificially flavored and colored and filled with ice-hard ice cream, that didn’t surprise me. One day, I promised my friend David Chang of Momofuku that I’ d make fresh mochi for him. It became a mission. Once I learned how to do it, I found that it really wasn’t difficult at all to make the tender, sweet rice dough and flavor it naturally. And since I fill mochi with a compote, they’re fork-tender. The basil fluid gel is an ideal herbal foil to the compote. I use 2-inch demisphere molds when I make mochi, but I’ve found that an egg carton works fine. The secret to the dough is working quickly. This recipe makes twice as much as you need for the fourplay, but I hardly consider leftover mochi a problem. The mochi will keep for 1 day in the refrigerator.

If you’re looking for something to accompany an Asian-inspired burger, look no further. Whether used on French fries, potato chips, or onion rings, this seasoning blend infuses your dish with an Asian flair. Ultimately savory, it achieves a balance between the spicy and sweet flavor components that I love. Five-spice powder is a Chinese blend of spices incorporating the five basic flavors of Chinese cooking—savory, sweet, bitter, sour, and salty. It is available in the spice aisle of most supermarkets.

Using prewashed spinach and presliced mushrooms makes preparation of an easy entrée even easier. Serve this stir-fry over hot brown rice to add a whole grain to your meal.

Lean ground beef and lots of vegetables, seasoned with peppers, garlic, gingerroot, and green onions, make a flavorful one-dish meal the whole family will enjoy.

This recipe boasts a Japanese marinade and a slightly sweet glaze. Like many other Asian stir-fries, it goes well over steamed brown rice.