Rice

While this recipe isn't terribly difficult, it is labor-intensive. We recommend you break it up into a couple of steps: Make the filling, then enlist a friend or two to help you do the rolling the following day.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min

The word mash means mung bean in Farsi and Farsi-related languages like Azeri and Tajik, as well as in Turkic languages such as Uzbek and Uighur. The word kichiri is like the Hindi word kitchri, a name for rice dishes made by cooking rice together with other ingredients. (The British took the idea and the name and turned it into "kedgeree.") We like this satisfying meal-in-one stew we learned in Tajikistan. Potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes give variety of taste and texture to the main event, a spiced combination of mung beans (yellow dal) and long-grain rice. Mashkichiri is quick and easy to prepare once the mung beans have soaked, and all too easy to eat in large quantities when accompanied by plenty of yogurt. Serve it as a simple meal in one, or serve with kebabs and a side dish of something crunchy, like sliced cucumbers or radishes, or Persian pickled radish. The winter version of this dish would have no tomatoes, and would use more carrots and onions instead. Winters in Central Asia are harsh, and there are few fresh vegetables to be had. Root vegetables, which can be stored and used when other vegetables are available, aren't an important part of the winter diet.

Nasi goreng, which is Indonesian for fried rice, is a staple in Indonesia. It's delicious on its own for lunch or as a side dish for an Asian-style dinner.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This gets its distinctive pink color from the addition of red wine and radicchio.

Garlic bread is perfect on the side. You can find Creole or Cajun seasoning in the spice section of most supermarkets.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Makes use of the microwave oven.

(Sushi Rice Salad with Avocado, Cucumber, and Scallions) Sushi fans will recognize this salad as a California roll unrolled. For those who want to include one of the classic ingredients, surimi (also known as mock crab legs), we've given an amount, but the salad is also delicious without it.

This dish of spinachy rice with feta and black olives is extremely simple … and therein lies its elegance. Some people simply don't get it. "It's just so humble," they say. To which I respond, "That's what I like about it!"

If you like, sauté some wild mushrooms and stir them into the finished risotto. This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A marinade of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, herbs and spices perks up the grilled chicken and vegetables in this dish. It's all served with wild rice.

The texture of this rice is moist and sticky, so do not expect fluffy individual grains.