Cilantro

For an easy, low-cook dinner, toss canned chickpeas with potatoes, cilantro-mint chutney, tamarind chutney, and yogurt, then top with chiles, onions, tomatoes, and chaat masala.

The Thai-inspired dressing—tart and spicy and salty—plays up the sweetness of watermelon and berries while keeping the fruit salad firmly in savory territory.

These shortcut Egyptian-style falafels are made with frozen edamame and peas instead of the traditional fava beans. Sear them to make the most crunchy surface and pair them with buttery brioche burger buns.

Flavored with citrus, maple syrup, and cilantro, this slaw makes an excellent topper for tacos or huaraches.

Tagines are typical street food in Morocco, and this is the one that is most commonly found, except that street vendors cut the potatoes into small dice and I prefer to use new potatoes, which I leave whole if they are very small or halve if they are medium.

Standing three tiers high, the magnificent Bombay sandwich is a whopper of a construction. It’s available on every street corner, and each stallholder obsesses over their own special blend of spices, vegetables, and chutneys, for that “better than yours” taste. Although it’s a wonder, it’s also a labor of love to make at home, and so in this recipe I’ve attempted to embody its spirit—a sharp, hot green chutney, cheese, and onion—but in a pastry roll that can be made in just minutes.

This pungent, spicy, and garlicky broth is a riff on rasam, a South Indian soup. Tamarind juice typically acts as the base for the dish, but here tomato paste and lime juice add fruity acidity to balance the intense flavors.

This dish of tender spiced goat layered with saffron rice, cashews, and golden raisins is a celebratory meal ideal for birthdays and holidays of all kinds.

Green seasoning is one of those herb mixtures that is unique to the Caribbean and differs slightly from island to island.

This recipe is inspired by the grilled chicken served at Jeerapan, a 77-year-old restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. Their version is baked in a tandoor-like oven, but I've adapted it for a grill or oven. The two-stage cooking method is essential: The initial roasting at moderate heat partially cooks the meat while dehydrating the skin, getting it ready to crisp up later on and allowing all the scattered bits of fresh aromatics and dried spices in the marinade to adhere. The final stage of cooking is hot and fast, using saffron-infused coconut oil as a basting liquid. The end result is a juicy, fragrant, and intensely flavorful bird, tinted canary gold—its skin smoky, charred, and crisp. The pineapple-chile dipping sauce lends its sweet tang and a mild kick of heat to round out the meal.

When tomatoes are at their best, we recommend making the salsa roja. During the rest of the year (even in winter), tomatillos still have plenty of flavor and can be your go-to salsa base.

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.

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.

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. 

I love the notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, sweet warming spices in these baby back ribs.

The key to these juicy steaks is to flip them often, so the fat renders evenly without overcooking the meat. And don’t sleep on that herb salad—it adds freshness to the sticky-salty-sweet pork.

This dish is so easy to make and yet looks and tastes impressive enough to serve for a dinner party.

This is a refreshing, summery spin on a margarita.

You need a bigger bowl and more water than you might think to rehydrate wood ear mushrooms—they nearly triple in size.