hot 10 2019

It’s way too easy to fall in love with the Malaysian dish Nasi Lemak, a coconutty rice bowl topped with crispy-crunchy crumbles of teeny little fried anchovies dressed in a sweet-spicy sambal. This recipe is from Kopitiam in New York, No. 6 on our Hot Ten list this year. Look for the smallest dried anchovies (ikan bilis) you can find: They’re known for their superior flavor and texture. We’ve provided a few options for dried chiles below, but any thumb-size red chile you can find at an Asian market will get the job done.

Nasi Lemak

dried paper lantern chiles, dried bird chiles, or dried chiles de árbol

vegetable oil

peanuts

anchovies

shallots,

garlic

Holland chiles, stems removed, halved lengthwise

sugar

tamarind

jasmine rice

kosher salt

pandan leaves (optional)

coconut milk

eggs

½ English hothouse cucumber,

Soy sauce (for serving)

Paper lantern chiles

It’s way too easy to fall in love with the Malaysian dish Nasi Lemak, a coconutty rice bowl topped with crispy-crunchy crumbles of teeny little fried anchovies dressed in a sweet-spicy sambal. This recipe is from Kopitiam in New York, No. 6 on 2019’s Hot Ten list. Look for the smallest dried anchovies (ikan bilis) you can find: They’re known for their superior flavor and texture. We’ve provided a few options for dried chiles below, but any thumb-size red chile you can find at an Asian market will get the job done.

Bon Appétit

Chop paper lantern chiles into ½" pieces, discarding most of the seeds that fall out. Place in a small bowl and pour in boiling water to cover. Let sit 30 minutes to soften, then drain.

Meanwhile, bring oil and peanuts to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook, adjusting heat as needed, until peanuts are golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer nuts to paper towels to drain; set aside for serving. Immediately add anchovies to oil and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to fresh paper towels; let cool. Set ¼ cup oil aside.

Pulse shallots, garlic, and ¼ cup fried anchovies (save remaining anchovies for serving) in a food processor until a smooth paste forms. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add paper lantern and Holland chiles to food processor (no need to clean) and pulse until very smooth and no visible pieces of dried chile remain. Transfer chile purée to a small bowl.

Heat reserved oil in a medium skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add shallot mixture and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened in color and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Mix in chile purée and cook, stirring often, until it starts to stick to bottom of skillet, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add sugar, tamarind concentrate, and ¼ cup water and cook, stirring often, until sambal is much darker in color and thickened, 25–35 minutes.

Do Ahead: Sambal ikan bilis can be made 1 week ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

Place rice in a medium saucepan and pour in cold water to cover; swirl with your hands to rinse away some of the starch. Drain and repeat process 2 more times. Water should be just slightly cloudy at this point. Place rinsed rice back into saucepan and cover with 2½ cups cold water; stir in salt. Gather pandan leaves (if using) together and tie into a knot; add to pan. Bring rice to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover pan and reduce heat to low; cook 18 minutes. Remove lid and stir in coconut milk. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Carefully lower eggs into water. Cook 10 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise.

Combine sambal ikan bilis, reserved fried peanuts, and reserved fried anchovies in a medium bowl and toss to evenly coat. Scoop a generous ½ cup sambal mixture into a 12-oz. bowl. Top with 1½ cups rice and pack into bowl with a rubber spatula to compress. The bowl should be filled to the rim. Place a slightly larger bowl upside down over bowl of rice. Invert so larger bowl is now on the bottom; lift off smaller bowl. You should have a dome of rice and anchovy mixture nestled in the center of the larger bowl. Arrange 8 cucumber slices around rice dome, overlapping slightly to make a semicircle. Add 2 egg halves to side of rice with no cucumber slices; season yolks lightly with soy sauce. Repeat with remaining rice, sambal mixture, cucumbers, and eggs to make 3 more bowls.

We had to have this dip recipe from Ochre Bakery in Detroit, No. 4 on our 2019 Hot Ten list. Sweet and smoky roasted carrots are blended with chickpeas, almonds, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs. It’s the perfect companion to seeded crackers or good bread. Make sure the carrots are tender to their core before you pull them from the oven for the smoothest possible texture.

Carrot Dip

almonds

lb. carrots, trimmed, peeled

2½ tsp. kosher salt, divided,

chickpeas

Tbsp. (or more) fresh lemon juice

tsp. black pepper

¾ tsp. hot smoked Spanish paprika

Preheat oven to 350°. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until slightly darkened and fragrant, 8–10 minutes. Let cool; set aside.

Cut any thick carrots in half lengthwise, then slice all carrots crosswise into 4 pieces. Toss on a parchment-lined baking sheet with 2 Tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt. Spread carrots out evenly on baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until very tender and starting to shrivel and brown (but not char), about 1 hour.

Transfer carrots to a food processor; add garlic, chickpeas, lemon juice, pepper, paprika, chopped parsley, ½ cup oil, 1½ tsp. salt, and reserved almonds. Process, adding more oil as needed, until mixture is almost completely smooth. Taste dip and add more lemon juice and/or salt if needed.

Transfer dip to a small bowl, drizzle with more oil, and top with parsley leaves.

Do Ahead: Dip can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

This is it! The famous katsu sandwich from Konbi in Los Angeles, the No. 1 restaurant on our 2019 Hot Ten list. The koji brine deeply seasons the pork and keeps it juicy. You can skip this step, but we highly recommend it.

Pork Katsu Sandwich

pork

shio koji seasoning

Meyer lemons lemons

Kosher salt

eggs,

panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil (for frying; about 6 cups)

Tonkatsu sauce, preferably Bull-Dog, and Dijon mustard (for serving)

milk

koji, rice

Slice pork crosswise into 4 medallions. Place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; gently pound with a meat mallet to 5"-wide pieces.

Whisk koji, salt, and 1 cup water in a medium bowl until salt dissolves. Add pork; cover and chill at least 8–24 hours.

Drain pork (no need to rinse off koji if it sticks); set aside. Place cabbage in a medium bowl. Finely grate lemon zest over; slice lemons in half and squeeze in the juice. Season cabbage with salt. Using your hands, toss and squeeze cabbage until slightly wilted, about 5 minutes. Chill until ready to use.

Place eggs, panko, and flour in 3 separate shallow bowls. Whisk 2 Tbsp. water into eggs. Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels and set a wire rack inside; place near stovetop. Working with 1 piece of reserved pork at a time, dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in eggs, letting excess drip back into bowl, then coat in panko, pressing to adhere before shaking off excess. Transfer to another rimmed baking sheet or a platter.

Pour oil into a medium heavy pot to come 2" up sides. Heat oil over medium-high until an instant-read thermometer registers 350°–365°. Carefully lower a piece of pork vertically into skillet, letting it slide away from you into oil until it eventually lies flat. Cook, using tongs to keep meat submerged in oil, until golden brown underneath, about 1 minute. Using tongs, carefully turn over and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 1 minute. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; immediately season with salt. Repeat with remaining pieces of pork.

Drizzle tonkatsu sauce over cutlets. Spread mustard on 1 side of half of bread slices; top with cabbage mixture, then cutlet, sauce side up. Close sandwiches and slice each into thirds.

Everything about this tender muffin from Ochre Bakery in Detroit (No. 4 on our Hot Ten list this year!) maximizes the flavor of tart apples and nutty pecans. The apple slices get glazed in honey before baking, while the pecan meal is deeply toasted. In the background, tangy buttermilk keeps everything from getting too sweet.

Apple-Honey-Pecan Muffins

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Pink apples

pecans

unsalted butter

Tbsp. honey

Flaky sea salt

¾ cup (100 g) all-purpose flour

(60 g) spelt flour or all-purpose flour

baking powder

baking soda

eggs, room temperature

(150 g) granulated sugar

extra-virgin olive oil

buttermilk

Raw sugar sugar

Everything about this tender muffin from Ochre Bakery in Detroit (No. 4 on our Hot Ten list for 2019!) maximizes the flavor of tart apples and nutty pecans. The apple slices get glazed in honey before baking, while the pecan meal is deeply toasted. In the background, tangy buttermilk keeps everything from getting too sweet.

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Lightly coat flat top of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray (this will prevent muffins from gluing themselves to the pan). Line cups with double layers of muffin liners. Cut apples into quarters; remove cores. Cut each quarter into 4 wedges; set aside.

Pulse pecans in a food processor until you have a fine meal with a bit of texture, like coarse sand. Heat a large skillet over medium-high, then add pecans and toast, stirring, until darkened and very fragrant (it’s okay if they’re even a tiny bit burnt in spots), about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly.

Wipe out skillet and return to medium-high heat. Melt butter, swirling pan so that it’s evenly coated, until foaming, then add reserved apples. Drizzle with honey and generously sprinkle with sea salt. Cook, tossing often, until apples are tender and deep golden brown and glazed with honey, about 5 minutes. Scrape into a medium bowl and let cool.

Add all-purpose flour, spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt to nuts; whisk to combine. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed until mixture is thick, pale, and tripled in volume, 8–10 minutes.

Combine oil and buttermilk in a measuring glass. With motor running, gradually pour into egg mixture, stopping as soon as incorporated to prevent eggs from deflating. Scrape into bowl with dry ingredients and fold until just combined (be careful not to overmix). Scoop about 2 Tbsp. batter into each muffin cup and place an apple slice on top. Divide remaining batter among muffin cups, filling until just below the top (you may have a spoonful or two of batter left over). Place 1 apple slice on top of each, then spoon any glaze left in the bowl on top. (You’ll have a few leftover apple slices; eat them.) Sprinkle each muffin with some raw sugar and a pinch of sea salt.

Bake muffins until golden brown all over, rotating pan halfway through, 22–28 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Do Ahead: Batter can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

This mega-moist olive oil cake from Ochre Bakery in Detroit (No. 4 on our 2019 Hot Ten list!) is bright and lemony, buttery and nutty. Don’t even think about lifting it out of the pan before it’s completely—and we mean completely—cool. Because it’s vegan, with no eggs for structure, its delicate crumb needs time to rest and firm up.

Lemon-Pistachio Loaf

vegetable oil,

pistachios

lemons

(220 g) all-purpose flour

(200 g) granulated sugar

Tbsp. olive oil

Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, divided

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Grease a 9x5" loaf pan with vegetable oil, then line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on long sides. Oil parchment paper (for insurance and an easy release).

Pulse pistachios in a food processor until finely ground (it’s okay if some of the pieces are a bit larger). Set aside a heaping tablespoonful.

Whisk lemon zest, flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and remaining pistachios in a large bowl. Whisk olive oil, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, remaining ⅓ cup vegetable oil, and ½ cup water in a small bowl to combine. Pour oil mixture into dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula to combine. Be very careful not to overmix: This batter contains a high ratio of liquid, which means it can get gummy if overworked. Transfer to prepared pan and use a spatula to distribute batter; batter should come halfway up the sides.

Bake cake until golden brown all over, it springs back when gently pressed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60 minutes. It's okay if your cake has dipped a little in the center. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan, at least 2 hours. Using parchment overhang, lift cake out of pan and place on rack. Peel away parchment.

Whisk powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp. lemon juice in a medium bowl, drizzling in remaining 2 Tbsp. lemon juice as needed until you have a thick but pourable glaze. Pour glaze over cake, letting it drip down the sides (if your cake has dipped, you can always glaze the flat underside instead of the top). Immediately top cake with reserved pistachios, then let sit until glaze is set, at least 30 minutes.

Do Ahead: Cake can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

This light and creamy (and definitely garlicky) beet dip is from Ochre Bakery in Detroit, No. 4 on our 2019 Hot Ten list. Every supporting ingredient in this recipe exists to make beets taste like their best selves: The maple syrup accentuates their sweetness, the hazelnuts play up their earthiness (but it’s not too earthy, we promise), and the lemon juice brightens up the whole thing.

Beet and Hazelnut Dip

beets

kosher salt,

hazelnuts

parsley

(or more) extra-virgin olive oil

Tbsp. maple syrup

Place beets in a large pot and pour in water to cover by at least 2"; season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender (a paring knife should easily slip through flesh), 45–60 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Peel off skins (they will easily pull away); discard. Coarsely chop beets; set aside.

Heat oven to 350°. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Transfer nuts and reserved beets to a food processor and add garlic, parsley, oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, and 1½ tsp. salt; process until smooth. Dip will be fairly loose but will set up in the fridge. Taste and add more lemon juice, oil, and/or salt if needed.

Irresistible, chocolate-laced, nutty cookies from Ochre Bakery in Detroit, No. 4 on our Hot Ten list this year. Coarse raw sugar gives them a subtle crunch in every bite, but you can replace it with an equal amount of white sugar if needed. And trust us on the big pieces of chocolate: The matchsticks are what give these cookies their melty stripes.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies

(115 g) blanched hazelnuts

(440 g) all-purpose flour

ginger

(2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

(100 g) granulated sugar

(100 g) raw sugar or granulated sugar

(100 g) (packed) light brown sugar

honey

vanilla extract

2-oz. bittersweet chocolate bars,

Irresistible, chocolate-laced, nutty cookies from Ochre Bakery in Detroit, No. 4 on our Hot Ten list for 2019. Coarse raw sugar gives them a subtle crunch in every bite, but you can replace it with an equal amount of white sugar if needed. And trust us on the big pieces of chocolate: The matchsticks are what give these cookies their melty stripes.

Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 300°. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet on upper rack, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then chop very coarsely; set aside. Increase oven temperature to 350°.

Whisk flour, kosher salt, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger in a large bowl to combine. Beat butter, granulated sugar, raw sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally, until pale and fluffy, 5–7 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-high and add eggs, one at a time, increasing speed to high after each addition to fully incorporate and stopping periodically to scrape down sides of bowl. Add honey and vanilla and beat just to combine. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients; beat until combined. Add chocolate and reserved nuts and beat just until incorporated.

Scoop dough into 1½-oz. portions (about 3 Tbsp.); roll into balls (if the batter feels loose or sticky, chill 30 minutes). Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

Arrange chilled cookies on 2 fresh parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2" apart; you should be able to fit about 12 cookies on each. Sprinkle cookies with sea salt. Bake, rotating top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until bottoms and edges are golden brown, 12–15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets. Place a fresh sheet of parchment on 1 baking sheet and repeat process with remaining balls of dough.

Do Ahead: Dough can be made 1 month ahead. Transfer chilled balls to resealable freezer bags and freeze. Bake from frozen.

Top 7 hot 10 2019 recipes from across the web

The most viewed hot 10 2019 recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Nasi Lemak

Carrot Dip

Pork Katsu Sandwich

Apple-Honey-Pecan Muffins

Lemon-Pistachio Loaf

Beet and Hazelnut Dip

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies

Top 7 hot 10 2019 recipes from across the web

The most viewed hot 10 2019 recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Nasi Lemak

Carrot Dip

Pork Katsu Sandwich

Apple-Honey-Pecan Muffins

Lemon-Pistachio Loaf

Beet and Hazelnut Dip

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies

The most viewed hot 10 2019 recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine