Egg Noodle

This Szechwan dish is traditionally made with toasted sesame paste, but peanut butter has been substituted here with good results. One secret of this light but flavorful rendition is to dress the noodles just before serving them. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Lukshen Kugel Mildred Grosberg Bellin's recipe for kugel has nothing modern about it, calling for noodles (not "pasta") and plenty of cottage cheese, butter, and sour cream. It was a treat in the test kitchens every time we tried it, and there's no need to wait until Rosh Hashanah to enjoy it. We particularly like it as a side dish to another humble favorite: pot roast.

The hearty sauce is also great over couscous.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Chinese egg noodles are at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

Although this particularly suits Chicken Paprikás , it is also a fine side dish for ham, as well as for roast beef or pork.

A comfort-food treat that's great for brunch. This version takes less time than most because the noodles aren't precooked.

The hearty sauce is also great over couscous.

This Russian dish has been around for several centuries, but it wasn’t until the fifties that it became all the rage in the United States (despite our fear of Communism). Here is a delicious rendition that pays tribute to the "gourmet" chafing-dish dinner party. Now, as then, beef stroganoff is a good thing to cook in front of a small crowd.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from chef Neil Perry's book Rockpool. Neil also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. For your convenience, we've converted the measures — with as much accuracy as possible — from Australian to American. For those who have metric equipment and wish to follow Neil's recipe to the milliliter, we've included the original measures too. This dish is a blend of both Asian and Western techniques and flavours, and has been refined over a period of time. My objective was to end up with a layering of textures and flavours that built up from firm and sweet to soft and creamy. If there is one thing Eastern cooking has taught me, it is the balance and interplay of flavours from strong to subtle. This recipe also uses extra-virgin olive oil alongside tamarind, soy sauce and palm sugar to achieve a full-flavoured dressing that melds all parts of the composite salad together. When cooking Thai and Chinese food it is imperative not to use olive oil as it masks the authentic flavours, but once you understand the balance of these flavours you can start to blend with sympathy, and to create dishes that are in harmony with both their roots. The key to this salad is the same as for any composite salad; all the parts must be of the highest quality. The mangoes should be ripe but not overly sweet and soft. The chicken cannot be compromised, it must be fresh to achieve the right texture. Ensure that all the ingredients are at room temperature. It is ideal if all the preparation is done on the same day, but if that's impossible make sure you take everything out of the fridge well beforehand.

My reason for disliking this dish as a child was more about what it lacked than what it delivered — it wasn't savory enough to be lasagna or sweet enough for dessert, so why bother eating it? I do, however, remember the first few times I watched my mother prepare kugel — the thrill of all those noodles, and the seductive smell of cinnamon and butter as it baked, which only set the stage for my letdown when I tasted this bland noodle square on my plate.

Kugels are baked puddings that come in many forms; Their base may be noodles, matzo, or bread or cake crumbs; most are sweet but some are savory; and they may be served warm or cold. Traditionally part of Jewish sabbath and holiday meals, slightly sweet noodle kugels are often served as a side dish. The following kugel would also work well as a dessert.

Though egg drop soup is not traditionally made with noodles, we love the texture and substance they add.