Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is one of my favourite ingredients and it makes a fantastic creamy base for all the other robust flavours in this Asian-style soup. Choose firm sweet potatoes with orange flesh for their vibrant colour.

Prepared curry paste speeds up this nuanced dish.

This curry is doubly rich from the coconut milk and the deep red curry, but the pineapple keeps it from being too heavy and gives a beautiful freshness to the dish. I like to cook the lobster in the shell because it makes for a more flavorful sauce, and I like to serve it that way too. You can be as refined as you like or, like me, pick up the shell and make an animal of yourself. If lobster is going to blow the budget, you can still have a delicious curry by substituting shrimp or monkfish.

Shrimp absorbs the flavors of a marinade rapidly, making this quick entrée ideal for a busy weeknight. Steaming gently cooks the shrimp and reduces the likelihood of overcooking. Regular coconut milk offers the best flavor for this dish, as the taste of light coconut milk is too subtle. I often serve it over brown rice or whole wheat noodles.

The lively flavor of this ice is a perfect accompaniment to fruit salad. The key to its smooth texture is making a ginger "tea," then combining it with the remaining ingredients, rather than simply incorporating pieces of ginger into the custard mixture.

If you like things extra spicy, pass some chili sauce at the table.

Vegan Green beans, cashews, mint, carrot, cucumber, and lime shine through the pearly noodles in this pretty, uplifting dish. The noodles will seem undercooked at first, but they will soften as they absorb the marinade and the moisture from the other ingredients. If you cook them all the way, the finished dish will be mushy. • Rice noodles of various thickness can be purchased inexpensively in most Asian-themed grocery stores, some supermarkets, and online. Use medium-thin ones for this recipe. • You can freeze the unused coconut milk in an ice cube tray, then transfer the cubes to a heavy plastic zip-style bag for making this (or something else) in the future. Don't forget to label the bag. • This tastes best within a few hours of being assembled, so plan accordingly. • Make sure the cucumber is sweet.

A Classic Dessert with a Caribbean Twist

Raspberries or blackberries can be swapped in for the blueberries.

This recipe, with its double dose of coconut, is a quinoa game-changer.

"This looks impressive, but it's simple to whip up," Bemis says. "It goes great with crusty bread and champagne."

This silky, aromatic soup is a complete meal in a bowl.

Thai red curry paste typically has more than eight different ingredients, including hot red pepper and lemongrass, so buying it ready- made is certainly easier than making your own. Look for it in the ethnic foods section of your supermarket or at Asian grocers. You can add 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, to the curry during the last few minutes of cooking, if you wish.

Start this recipe one day ahead; the pork is best if it is left to marinate overnight.

A simple curry paste gives this northern Thai-inspired soup surprising depth of flavor.

A homemade chicken stock spiced with a Scotch bonnet or habanero chile lays the foundation for this tropical dish. Coconut powder and sweet potatoes add to the island feel. “It’s a sweet soup and is more appropriate as an appetizer than an entrée, though I have to admit I’ve indulged in several bowls for dinner,” Epicurious member JTucci says. Although Tucci calls it a soup, the coconut chicken broth will be scant—just enough to cover the chicken and cabbage at the bottom of the bowl.

These doughnuts are insanely moist. I promise you, they melt in your mouth. My friends can never get enough of them. This cake doughnut recipe is very simple to make. I store the doughnuts glazed in the freezer for sugar-craving moments. Once the doughnuts are fried, they can be glazed with Coconut Glaze or any other glaze you like, or dusted with superfine sugar.

The creamy peanut marinade comes together in just minutes. For maximum flavor, we like to soak the chicken for at least three hours.

Cooking the wings slowly over medium-low coals and turning them often makes for crisp results; the skin will brown while the meat cooks through. Be sure to begin 1 day ahead; the chicken needs to marinate overnight for the flavors to infuse.

Thai-flavored rice pudding is frozen into creamy ice pops. Dried apricots add subtle color and a satisfyingly chewy texture.