Ramadan

A bit of cardamom gives this dessert its exotic flavor. The pudding needs to chill about five hours before serving, so be sure to plan ahead.

Nasi Goreng
Chicken, shrimp, and fried rice combine in this traditional version of the classic Indonesian one-dish meal, made intense and spicy with fish sauce and plenty of chiles. On the side, cucumber slices cool things down, hard-boiled eggs provide a neutral foil, and shrimp crackers add crunch.

When there is a whole lamb on the Arab table, the occasion is a special one. It is prepared to celebrate the birth of a child, a marriage, the return from a pilgrimage, or the recuperation from illness. For the host, it is an opportunity to honor the guests, showing them how important they are. When I was growing up, my mother always prepared it for the Eid al Adha, the celebration for the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca. It used to be that only families of little means, who could not afford to buy a whole lamb, stuffed the shoulder, neck, or leg. These days, anyone who is preparing dinner for a small gathering will stuff just the leg, as I do here, with a mix of herbs, garlic, and carrots. I prefer farm-raised fresh lamb for this dish, for its tender, delicate meat. Ask your butcher to butterfly the leg of lamb and to leave the thin membrane on the leg; it retains the meat's juices as it cooks.

Cholar Dal This dal, a sweet version served at festive occasions, is the best we've ever tasted.

Healthy bonus: Vitamin C from mangoes; iron from raisins

Ground Urfa and Maras peppers are flavorful without being fiery. If you find only one, use 1 tablespoon of it.

This delicious bread, which has been part of Egyptian cuisine since the time of the Pharaohs, gets beautiful color and vibrant flavor from dukka, a blend of spices and nuts widely used in the Middle East.

At Mo Mo, chef Greg Malouf serves his b'stilla in individual portions, but we've opted to make a large pie designed to be served in wedges.

Use a block of Asian (Thai) tamarind rather than the Indian kind. It's usually thicker, softer, and easier to work with.

This chai recipe—inspired by versions in India—combines black tea, spices, and milk. The savory notes from black pepper and cardamom in this version give it a wonderful aromatic complexity.

This is more of an infusion than a true tea, since it isn't made with tea leaves. You will have leftover spice tea to store.

Es alpukat, a surprisingly delicious and refreshing Indonesian coffee drink, gets its richness and body from avocado. In Indonesia, they often serve it over ice, but we prefer the ice blended right in, milkshake-style.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.