Coconut Milk

These little gems stirred up our childhood memories of coconut-filled candy bars. We baked them in extra-large muffin cups to make them more like little individual cakes. If you choose to use regular-sized muffin cups, the recipe will yield 24 cupcakes and the cooking time will be shorter.

This fresh and sophisticated dish would be a delicious vegetarian entrée for two—just add rice. Look for curry paste and coconut milk in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

"Rundown" (also called "oiled down" or "oil dong") is a classic stew served throughout the islands, often using saltfish or mackerel. Stories proliferate as to where the term comes from, but Jamaicans say "cook it down" when they mean to cook something for a long time. This vegetarian take is luxurious and satisfying. Serve this as a side dish or over rice as an entrée.

Red peas and kidney beans are one and the same.

Sheila Jacobs and Lynn Kramer of Abreu, Cabrera, Dominican Republic write: "We're both from the U.S., but we have lived in the Dominican Republic for about 25 years. We're friends, business partners, and neighbors, so we entertain together often. Cooking the local dishes has made us feel a part of the country." This recipe is inspired by pescado con coco (fish with tomato, garlic, and coconut).

In Trinidad, this rustic coconut loaf with a biscuit-like texture is traditionally eaten with bul jol, which is also known as pick-up saltfish . The bread is quick and easy to make, and is great for breakfast with tropical jams such as guava, passion fruit, or mango. Coconut know-how: To open a coconut, pierce "eyes" with an ice pick and drain out liquid. Break coconut open with a hammer, and then pry out the meat and scrape off the brown skin. Chop or grate meat by hand or in a processor.

Why resort to takeout? This spicy coconut sauce, brimming with stewed tomatoes, is a wonderful way to make weeknight chicken tempting again.

A Goan dish from the Savoi Spice Plantation.

_Opor Ayam, Java, Indonesia Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from James Oseland's book _Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It was originally accompanied by Lemongrass-Scented Coconut Rice and Lemongrass-Shallot Sambal and was part of an article by Oseland on Indonesian cuisine. A gorgeous coconut-milk curry from Java, Indonesia, perfumed with lemongrass, ginger, cinnamon sticks, and ground coriander. It's one of the benchmark dishes by which Indonesian home cooks are judged. If a young cook's opor ayam is as rich and delicate as it should be, she's well on her way to becoming skilled in the kitchen. The dish is a perfect showcase for a high-quality free-range chicken. A whole one, cut into small, bone-in serving pieces, will yield the best results, though whole chicken parts can be substituted without compromising the dish's taste. Daun salam leaves, the dried seasoning herb prized in Indonesian cooking, helps give this dish its unique aroma. I've often seen bay leaves listed as a substitute for daun salam in recipe books. While bay leaves have an aggressively mentholated taste, daun salam are subtle, with a faintly foresty flavor. The only thing the two herbs share in common is that they are both green leaves that grow on trees. Omit daun salam leaves if you're unable to find them.

Nasi Uduk, Java, Indonesia Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from James Oseland's book Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It originally accompanied Javanese Chicken Curry and was part of an article by Oseland on Indonesian cuisine. Rice that's been cooked in coconut milk and seasoned with aromatics is a velvety-rich, alluring dish. It turns up in countless incarnations all over Indonesia. This is the Javanese version, which is flavored with lemongrass and daun salam leaves, the woodsy-tasting Indonesian herb. The aromatics are submerged in the rice as it cooks, infusing the cooking liquid—and, in turn, the rice—with their essences. The hint of lemongrass is appealing, while the topping of crisply fried shallots adds smoky succulence. Friends I've cooked this rice for have told me it's the best rice they had ever eaten. It pairs well with just about anything that plain rice is served with, including curries and stir-fries, though it's wonderful on its own, with a salad of baby lettuces. I prefer to eat nasi uduk warm rather than hot — its flavors are more pronounced. It's not advisable to halve this recipe: Using one cup of rice would mean that most of the aromatics would be sitting on top of the rice as it cooks rather than being submerged in it, resulting in a poorly flavored dish. Reheat the excellent leftovers in a warm oven. It's also not advisable to make this dish in a rice cooker, as the fats and proteins in the coconut milk and the high, continuous heat of a rice cooker's heat source can easily lead to the rice on the bottom layer sticking and burning.

This fragrant soup from Sam Hazen, executive chef at Tao in New York City and Las Vegas, is brimming with lean protein. Perfect for chilly weather!

Work more soy into your diet with this delicious vegetarian dish. Serve with: rice noodles or steamed rice.

Coconut milk ties this dish together, adding a tropical note and balancing the heat of Sriracha sauce (a Thai bottled sauce of puréed red chiles).

Khao Neeo See Dam — Thailand Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid and are part of our story on Lunar New Year. Since black rice is a big favorite of Tashi's, over time we've developed a quick version of black rice pudding, aromatic, sweet, and satisfying. You can prepare it and have it in bowls for impatient rice pudding fans in under an hour, with no presoaking of the rice. Serve it for dessert or as a snack, or even for breakfast. The rice is moist, almost soupy, when first made, but if it's left to stand in a cool place, it firms up into a pudding-cake texture and can be eaten in slices (see Note below). Eat it on its own or topped with sesame seeds, coriander leaves, or fried shallots, or a combination.

Khao Neeo Mamuang — Thailand Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid and are part of our story on Lunar New Year. You need sticky rice (also called sweet rice or glutinous rice) for this classic Thai-Lao sweet. The recipe for making it at home is very simple. As with most of the sweets in Southeast Asia, you can eat Coconut Milk Sticky Rice as a snack or serve it as dessert.

Ca ri ga Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham and are part of our story on Lunar New Year. True to the Vietnamese style of curry-making, this recipe is milder and lighter than Indian or Thai curries. You can make this with chicken stock, but the coconut milk adds body and enhances the overall flavor. Depending on my mood and the time of year, I sometimes serve this with a warmed baguette (a French influence) instead of steamed rice. Other times, I just make the curry with more broth and serve it with rice noodles. Like other curries, it's delicious the next day.

Sunday dinner. From Golden Door in Escondido, California. Executive chef Michael Stroot loves this stir-fry because it's a showcase for his garden-fresh herbs and produce. And cooking the dish makes the kitchen smell fantastic. Serve it over fiber-rich brown rice.

Editor's note: The recipe below is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Lake Austin Spa Resort. This is arguably Mexico's most famous special occasion cake. Tres leches means three milks — typically heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk. Our version opts for a lighter more tropical soaking — reduced-fat coconut milk, fat-free sweetened condensed milk, and skim milk. You would think that all of this fluid infusion would turn the cake to sodden disintegration. But, in fact, it absorbs the liquids beautifully, much as does the equatorial earth absorb a sudden downpour. Accompanied by rum-caramelized bananas and topped with toasted coconut, this cake has become our most popular new dessert.

If you like curries, you'll love this recipe. The sauce is rich with coconut flavor and redolent with spice. Don't be alarmed by the number of red chiles — these are mild.