serrano chiles

You need day-old rice to make this vibrant, springy pilaf recipe, but it’s worth planning ahead. The precooked rice gets super crisp before it’s tossed with soft feta, crunchy pistachios and snap peas, and jammy golden raisins. It’s a true study in textures.

Crispy Green Rice Pilaf

pistachios

cilantro, mint, basil, and/or dill

(or up to 3) serrano chile, stems removed, split lengthwise

lime juice

Tbsp. white miso

kosher salt,

extra-virgin olive oil

rice,

sugar snap peas

scallions

feta

golden raisins

peas

Bon Appétit

Preheat oven to 350°. Toast pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 5–8 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.

Meanwhile, blend herbs, one of the chiles, lime juice, miso, ½ tsp. salt, and 2 Tbsp. water in a blender on high speed until well combined. Drizzle in ⅓ cup oil and continue to blend until sauce is very smooth. Taste sauce for heat; if it seems mild, add another chile or two. It should be slightly spicier than you’re comfortable with since it’s going to get mellowed out by everything that it’s tossed with. Season with salt if needed.

Heat remaining 3 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high until very hot. Add rice, pressing down with a spatula in a single layer to create as much contact with surface of pan as possible. Reduce heat to medium and cook, undisturbed, until rice is deep golden brown underneath, 6–8 minutes. Season with salt.

While rice cooks, thinly slice snap peas and scallions on a long diagonal and transfer to a medium bowl. Add pistachios, feta, and raisins and toss to combine.

Add fresh peas to rice and continue to cook over medium heat, tossing often, until peas are just cooked through, about 2 minutes.

Transfer rice mixture to bowl with vegetables and toss to combine. Drizzle in herb sauce, tossing again to coat well. Taste and season with salt if needed.

Crisp, peppery radishes take center stage in this fresh limey Salvadoran salsa.

Hanger Steak With Chimol

Vegetable oil (for grill)

limes

red onion, thinly sliced

serrano chiles, thinly sliced, seeds removed if desired

garlic clove, finely grated

torn cilantro leaves

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1¼-lb. hanger steak,

Worcestershire sauce and warmed tortillas (for serving)

“If you’re eating at Mercado Central in El Salvador, you’ll likely get your steak with a side of chimol,” says chef Anthony Salguero of Popoca in Oakland. “Chimol is basically a radish pico de gallo. The combination of radish and chile delivers two kinds of heat: The radish gives that peppery, nose-clearing spice while the chile gets your tongue tingling. Crunchy, spicy, and acidic, it’s exactly what you want with steak.” And you’ll also want Worcestershire sauce. “In El Salvador, Worcestershire sauce—or salsa inglesa as it’s called there—is everywhere,” says Salguero. “It’s always on the table when you’re eating hanger steak.”

Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; oil grate with vegetable oil. Toss lime juice, red onion, chiles, garlic, radishes, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in ¼ cup olive oil. Let chimol sit at room temperature while the steak cooks.

Season steak with salt and pepper, then rub all over with remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Grill, turning occasionally, until deeply browned on the outside and cooked to desired doneness, 8–12 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and generously drizzle with Worcestershire sauce. Let sit 5 minutes before thinly slicing.

Serve steak with chimol, tortillas, and more Worcestershire sauce.

This sour-salty soup was made for using up sweet, late-season tomatoes.

Brothy Tomato and Fish Soup With Lime

vegetable oil

shallots,

garlic cloves, finely chopped

lemongrass

tomatoes

1¼ lb. skinless, boneless cod, haddock,or halibut, cut into 1½" pieces

Kosher salt

Tbsp. (or more) fish sauce

This sour-salty soup was made for those late-season tomatoes on your countertop about to go bad. They get jammy while the fish poaches. And go ahead, add some greens. Use shrimp! This soup is flexible.

Heat oil in a medium pot over medium. Add shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and chiles and cook, stirring occasionally, until aromatics start to soften but have not taken on any color, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, smashing and stirring, until tomatoes have burst and fallen apart and mixture is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Pour 5 cups cold water into pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medi um-low so broth is at a bare simmer.

Add fish to pot; season lightly with salt (you’ll finish soup with fish sauce). Cook until fish is opaque and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; add lime juice and fish sauce. Taste and season with more salt and/or fish sauce if needed. Stir in herbs and ladle into bowls.

Chhaunk, the addictively crunchy fried herb-and-spice mixture on these tangy yogurt sandwiches, also makes a fantastic topping for grilled steak or nachos.

Dahi Toast

¼ cup plus 6 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

black mustard seeds

curry leaves

½ medium red onion, finely chopped

Indian green chiles

plain low-fat Greek yogurt

cilantro

½ tsp. black pepper

red chili powder

sourdough bread

Chutney

What makes these tangy yogurt sandwiches so addictive is chhaunk, a crunchy fried herb-and-spice mixture that also makes a fantastic topping for grilled steak or nachos. Watch Priya Krishna, who developed this recipe, make dahi toast here.

Heat ¼ cup oil in a small saucepan over low heat until just warm. Add mustard seeds and cook until they start to pop and sputter, which should be a matter of seconds. Quickly remove pan from heat, add curry leaves, and toss to coat—they should crisp immediately from the residual heat. Set spiced oil aside.

Mix together onion, green chiles, yogurt, cilantro, black pepper, and chili powder in a small bowl; season with salt. Spread yogurt mixture over 6 slices of bread and top with remaining slices to make 6 sandwiches.

Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Reduce heat to low and cook 2 sandwiches until undersides are crisp and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn, add another 1 tsp. olive oil to skillet, and cook until the second side is crisp and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer sandwiches to a platter or plates; repeat with remaining sandwiches and 4 tsp. oil.

Drizzle reserved spiced oil evenly over sandwiches. Cut in half and serve with chutney and/or ketchup alongside if desired.

Do Ahead: Yogurt filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Umami-charged asafetida is well worth seeking out at an Indian grocer or online—just a pinch of this pungent powder makes all the other spices come alive. Feta and spinach is an iconic combination, but mozzarella or even tofu cubes are also great here.

Saag Paneer

¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. ghee or extra-virgin olive oil

coriander seeds

cardamom

onion,

garlic clove, finely chopped

1½" piece ginger, peeled, chopped

baby spinach (about 12 cups)

Indian green chile

feta,

cumin seeds

asafetida (optional)

Roti or rice (for serving)

This riff on the classic dish swaps paneer out for salty chunks of feta. And while feta and spinach is an iconic combination, mozzarella or even tofu cubes are also great here. Do seek out the umami-charged asafetida at an Indian grocer or online—just a pinch of this pungent powder makes all the other spices come alive.

Heat ¼ cup ghee in a large skillet over medium. Cook coriander seeds and cardamom, stirring constantly, until starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Mix in garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add spinach by the handful, letting it wilt slightly after each addition before adding more. Cook until all of the spinach is just wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add chile and lime juice; season with salt. Let cool 5 minutes.

Transfer spinach mixture to a blender (reserve skillet) and blend until a coarse paste forms, about 1 minute. Return spinach mixture to pan and set over low heat. Stir in ½ cup water, then gently fold in feta, being careful not to break up. Cook until feta is slightly softened and has absorbed some of the sauce, 5–7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 Tbsp. ghee in a small saucepan over medium-high, 1 minute. Add cumin seeds. As soon as cumin seeds start to pop, sputter, and brown, remove from heat, 1 minute tops. Immediately add asafetida, if using, and chili powder. Pour ghee mixture over spinach mixture. Serve with roti or rice.

Do Ahead: Spinach mixture (without spiced ghee mixture) can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

In Korean, ssam literally means “wrapped”—set the fish in the center of the table and pull the meat off the bones, using chopsticks to fill lettuce wraps along with radish salad, ssamjang, kimchi, and rice. Roasting a whole fish—skin, bones, and all—is surprisingly easy, and the flesh stays moist and flavorful even if you overcook it a touch. Preheat your baking sheet for extra insurance against sticking and to keep the sesame seed crust clinging tightly to the crisp skin.

Whole Fish Ssam

scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal, divided

garlic cloves, 4 thinly sliced, 1 whole

serrano chiles, thinly sliced, divided

sesame seeds

doenjang (Korean soybean paste)

Tbsp. gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)

Tbsp. honey

Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar

radishes, trimmed, halved

Kimchi, cooked white rice, and lettuce (for serving)

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and coat evenly with 1 Tbsp. oil. Place rack in middle and top third of oven and set baking sheet on middle rack. Preheat oven to 375°.

Whisk egg white, a pinch of salt, and 1 tsp. water in a small bowl until frothy. Pat fish dry inside and out with paper towels. Season fish all over, including cavity, with salt. Stuff cavity with one fourth of scallions, half of sliced garlic, and half of chiles.

Place fish on a large plate or another rimmed baking sheet, brush with egg white mixture, and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, patting gently to adhere. Turn over and repeat on opposite side, with egg white and another 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds. Transfer fish to preheated baking sheet, drizzle with 1 Tbsp. oil, and season with more salt. Bake until mostly cooked through and the tip of a paring knife easily slides through flesh, 20–25 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast remaining 2 tsp. sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat until golden and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and add doenjang, gochujang, honey, and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. Finely grate in 1 garlic clove and whisk to combine. (This is your ssamjang.)

Whisk vinegar and 2 Tbsp. ssamjang in a large bowl. Add radishes and remaining sliced scallions, garlic, and chiles. Toss to combine.

Remove fish from oven; heat broiler. Broil fish on top rack until sesame seeds are golden, about 4 minutes. Remove fish from oven and gently turn over by sliding fish to one side of baking sheet and using parchment and a fish spatula to turn it. Season other side of fish with more salt and broil until sesame seeds are golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer fish to a platter and serve with ssamjang, radish salad, kimchi, cooked rice, and lettuce for making wraps.

Bathe seared cabbage in turmeric-accented coconut milk until it’s meltingly tender and sweet.

Turmeric And Coconut-Braised Cabbage With Chickpeas

½ medium head of green cabbage (about 2 lb.)

shallots

ginger

garlic

serrano or other green chile

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Diamond

coconut milk

chickpeas

brown mustard seeds

cumin

turmeric powder

vegetable stock

black pepper

white rice, cilantro leaves, and lime wedges (for serving)

“Cabbage has emerged as the hero of weeknight pantry cooking,” writes cookbook author and recipe developer Hetty McKinnon. “Inexpensive and infinitely versatile, with an impressively long shelf life, one head of cabbage goes a long way. This recipe, where wedges are bathed in a turmeric-accented coconut milk until meltingly tender and sweet, uses just half a cabbage. It’s enough to feed a family of four (with rice on the side), but you could easily use a whole one if you are feeding more mouths or catering to bigger appetites. To adjust the recipe, increase the stock or water to 1 cup to create more braising liquid—you may also have to sear the wedges in batches and use a bigger pan to simmer. You could also double the amount of chickpeas or substitute with cooked lentils instead.”
And for the other half of the cabbage? We recommend saving it for another night: Shave it finely, toss with mint, dress with lemon juice and olive oil, and top with lots of grated Pecorino and freshly ground black pepper for a quick salad.

Turmeric and Coconut-Braised Cabbage With Chickpeas

To start, prep your ingredients: Slice ½ medium head of green cabbage (about 2 lb.) through core to make 4 wedges. Peel and finely chop 2 medium shallots (about 4 oz.). Peel one 1" piece ginger with a spoon and finely chop. Using the side of your knife, crush 2 garlic cloves, remove and discard papery skins, and finely chop. Halve 1 serrano or other green chile lengthwise and, if you don’t want it too hot, scrape out seeds and white membrane with the back of the knife; discard. If you prefer some heat, leave as is. Finely chop chile. Set shallots, ginger, garlic, and chile aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large high-sided skillet with lid or wide Dutch oven over medium-high. Add cabbage, cut side down, and season with kosher salt. Cook, undisturbed, until lightly charred underneath, about 5 minutes. Turn over and cook, undisturbed, until charred, about 5 minutes. Transfer cabbage to a plate.

Shake one 13.5-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk to ensure it’s well mixed; open can. Open one 15.5-oz. can chickpeas and rinse in a colander under running water.

Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in same skillet over medium-high. Add reserved shallots, ginger, garlic, and chile, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1 tsp. brown mustard seeds, 1 tsp. ground cumin, and 1 tsp. turmeric powder and cook, stirring, until mustard seeds are popping, about 1 minute.

Add coconut milk, chickpeas, ½ cup vegetable stock or water, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Stir to combine.

Place cabbage wedges back into pan and, using a large spoon, baste cabbage with coconut milk; bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until cabbage is tender, 15–20 minutes. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Scoop some steamed white rice into each bowl and divide cabbage and chickpeas over; top with cilantro leaves. Serve with lime wedges, for squeezing over.

The fun and flavor of Cuban-style slow-cooked pork in zippy mojo sauce transformed into quick, weeknight-able meatballs. 

Mojo Meatballs

(packed) cilantro sprigs, divided,

panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Morton kosher salt, divided,

garlic cloves, divided

pork

red onions,

orange

white rice and plantain chips (for serving)

Inspired by our love of zippy chile-and-garlic-packed Cuban mojo sauce, we transformed the fun and flavor of long-cooked mojo pork into quick weeknight-able meatballs. If you’re spice sensitive, split the chiles in half lengthwise and remove the seeds; they hold much of the heat.

Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 500°. Set aside ½ cup cilantro for making the sauce; finely chop remaining ½ cup cilantro. Lightly beat egg in a medium bowl to blend. Add panko, cumin, 1 Tbsp. oil, 2 tsp. sugar, and 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt and stir until panko softens and turns pasty. Finely grate 3 garlic cloves and 1 chile into mixture, add chopped cilantro, and mix well to combine. Using your hands, mix in pork until evenly distributed.

Toss onions with 1 Tbsp. oil on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast until wedges are well charred underneath, about 10 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, divide pork mixture into eight pieces and roll each into a 2”-diameter ball.

Using a metal spatula, turn onion wedges over and scoot them toward edges of baking sheet to make room for meatballs. Arrange meatballs in the center, spacing out evenly. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until meatballs are browned and spring back when gently pressed and onions are well charred on the other side, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove stem from remaining chile and split in half lengthwise. Place in a blender and add orange juice, lime juice, reserved ½ cup cilantro, remaining garlic clove, ⅓ cup oil, 2 tsp. sugar, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt; blend until mostly smooth but still specked with herbs. Transfer sauce to a small bowl.

Divide rice among bowls and top with meatballs and onions, then plantain chips and more cilantro sprigs. Serve with sauce alongside.

If you’ve never used fish sauce before, let this recipe be your delicious introduction to one of our favorite ingredients.

Pork Meatball Rice Bowls

basmati rice (NOT parboiled, converted, or quick-cooking)

serrano chile

Tbsp. fish sauce, divided

carrots

Persian cucumbers

Vegetable oil (for greasing)

If you’ve never used fish sauce before, this recipe is a great place to start. It’s a magical, salty, umami-packed condiment that truly shines when paired with other bold, flavorful ingredients like vinegar, chiles, and garlic. In this recipe, it's doing double-duty—both as a seasoning in the meatball mixture and as a part of the finishing sauce.

Before we dig into the rest of this recipe, let's make a perfect pot of rice. (No shade on your rice cooker if you've got one, but everyone should know how to make a pot on the stovetop.) First, rinse 2 cups basmati rice in a fine-mesh sieve until water runs clear, at least 60 seconds. (Alternatively, you can rinse the rice in a bowl in several changes of cold water—whatever feels easiest to you.) Combine rice, 1 tsp. salt, and 2½ cups water in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover pot with lid and reduce heat to low, aiming for the lowest possible flame. Cook rice without uncovering, 18 minutes. Let stand at least 15 minutes, or until ready to use.

Let's make a dressing! Cut 3 limes in half and squeeze juice into a medium bowl. Cut remaining 1 lime into wedges and set aside for serving. Cut off and discard stem of 1 serrano chile. Thinly slice crosswise, then finely chop and add to bowl. Using a Microplane, finely grate 1 large garlic clove into bowl. Add 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. fish sauce, and 1 cup water and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning for salt.

Peel 3 medium carrots (no need to peel the cucumbers). Cut carrots and 2 Persian cucumbers thinly on a diagonal and add to bowl with dressing. Let sit to lightly pickle while you make your meatballs.

Place a rack in top third of oven. Heat broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lightly grease foil with vegetable oil.

Time to make the meatballs! Thinly slice 6 scallions crosswise. Transfer white and light green parts to a medium bowl; reserve darker parts for garnishing later on. Finely chop stems of 1 small bunch cilantro and add to bowl along with pork. (Reserve cilantro leaves for serving.) Finely grate 1 1" piece ginger and remaining 2 garlic cloves into bowl. Add 1 lb. ground pork and remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. fish sauce, and 1 tsp. salt. Work together with your hands just until well combined—you don't want to overwork your meatballs, otherwise they'll become tough.

Form pork mixture into twelve 1½" balls. Arrange on prepared baking sheet.

Broil meatballs, rotating pan halfway through, until browned on top and just cooked through, 7–8 minutes.

Uncover and fluff cooked rice with a fork. Divide among bowls. Top with meatballs and some of the pickled veggies.

Garnish with reserved dark scallion parts and cilantro leaves. Serve lime wedges and any remaining sauce alongside for dipping and drizzling.

In this refreshing Thanksgiving salad, half the kale gets crisped up in the oven like chips while the rest is tossed with a gingery soy-tahini dressing.

Raw And Crispy Kale Salad With Ginger And Coconut

Tuscan kale (1½ lb.), ribs and stems removed

2 Tbsp. plus ½ cup grapeseed or vegetable oil

lemon juice

Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

Tbsp. tahini

honey

sesame oil

shallot,

coconut flakes

grapefruits

cilantro leaves

In this refreshing Thanksgiving salad, half the kale gets crisped up in the oven like chips while the rest is tossed with a gingery soy-tahini dressing. Some cut-up grapefruit goes in, and there’s extra crunch from toasted coconut flakes. The grapefruit adds a touch of bitterness that goes well with the salty soy-and-ginger dressing, but oranges and tangerines also work.

Raw and Crispy Kale Salad With Ginger and Coconut

Preheat oven to 375°. Divide half of kale between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Drizzle each with 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil, season with salt, and toss to coat. Spread out in a single layer and bake until crisp and lightly browned in spots, 8–10 minutes. Set kale chips aside.

Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice, soy sauce, tahini, honey, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and remaining ½ cup grapeseed oil in a large bowl. Mix in shallot and chile, season dressing lightly with salt, and let sit at least 5 minutes.

Toast coconut in a dry medium skillet over medium heat, tossing once or twice, until most flakes are golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.

Using a paring knife, remove peel and white pith from grapefruits. Slice however you want, working to avoid cores.

Tear remaining raw kale into bite-size pieces and add to bowl with dressing. Season with more salt and give kale a good scrunch to soften. Add grapefruit, coconut, cilantro, and reserved kale chips and gently toss to combine.

With leeks, fennel, sugar snap peas, and English peas, this soup is perfect for ushering in spring. While it’s definitely a lighter take on the classic minestrone, it gets a lot of depth of flavor from the ground spices, toasted garlic, and white miso.

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