Asian

Spiced tea and sweetened condensed milk are the keys here.

Go light on the salt when seasoning these chops; the marinade is fairly salty, especially after it reduces.

Yes, making this rice is a time commitment and a labor of love. But the ingredients aren't difficult to find, and the finished dish is stunning.

Pea shoots are the young, tender tips and vines of the snow pea or the sugar snap pea plant. Once your plants are established and producing an abundance of pods, clip off leaf and tendril sections about 4 inches (10 cm) long. If you don't have your own plants, look for these tender shoots at farmers' markets or Asian grocery stores. Sambal oelek is an Indonesian chile paste, and tart, citrusy makrut lime leaves are used in Southeast Asian cooking.

When Chris Lilly is at the grill and says to you, "Come on back and have a bite when this is ready," he's not making polite idle talk. Take him seriously. Ask him when it will be ready and make a point of being there. Chris, with father-in-law Don McLemore and the Big Bob Gibson competition barbeque team, has brought home so many contest cooking and sauce awards to his hometown of Decatur, Alabama, that we've lost count. Chris has honed his culinary skills to reach far beyond the basic superb down-home flavors of Alabama barbequed pork and chicken. This grilled flank steak recipe is a perfect marriage of authentic Asian flavors and grilling techniques. If you've ever enjoyed grilled meat skewers at an Asian farmers' market—Guangzhou, for example—this dish will put some good memories and wow in your mouth. Chris's version is second to none!

This recipe is excerpted from Cooked by Michael Pollan and is recommended as an option to serve with his Pork Shoulder Barbecue recipe. Read more in our interview with Michael Pollan.

All the different textures make this meal vibrant and unique. —Zakarian

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.

Although it's reason alone to keep a rotisserie chicken on hand, this salad would also be great with shrimp or sliced leftover pork chops.

Rice sticks are a magic trick in a bag: Crumble them into hot oil and they poof instantly into crispy, twisty little morsels of browned, puffed rice—ready in seconds to serve as a crunchy topping for bite-sized pieces of quick-cooked chicken, broccoli, and almonds.

Benefits: Anti-Inflammation + Metabolism + Cleansing As the name would suggest, this soup is perfect to eat in the spring, just when your body is most naturally poised for cleansing. This soup, traditionally eaten in China as a springtime ritual, has natural detoxifying properties, mainly deriving from the watercress. Watercress has natural diuretic properties that help you release excess fluids, which often contain toxins and waste products. Of course, feel free to eat this soup for cleansing any time of year!

Benefits: Heart + Metabolism My mother innovated constantly to satisfy her two sons' demanding palates, so she adapted quinoa with brown rice to make one of our all-time favorite foods: sushi. Once called "Inca Gold" due to its stamina-building properties, quinoa contains all the essential amino acids, rendering it a complete protein food. Its high manganese content supplies the body's production of superoxide dismutase, an enzyme that protects against free radical damage to your energy factory. Consider this an energizing longevity recipe!

Benefits: Heart + Immunity + Brain & Vision + Anti-Aging Beauty Here you've got a tasty recipe that is low fat, heart-healthy, and good for your circulation. It comes from a Chinese colleague, whose family owned and operated Chinese seafood restaurants for years. This is what they had the chef prepare for them almost every evening when they sat down for dinner. Besides its wonderful taste, it's also a beautiful dish with the colorful peppers.

White miso might sound like the kind of ingredient that sends you in search of a specialty store, but in fact it is the most common type of miso paste, and you're likely to find it in the international or Asian food section of the supermarket. It's a lighter, sweeter alternative to dark miso, which is generally used in soup, and it often appears in dressings like the one for this easy Japanese noodle salad. You can make the dressing in the time it takes to cook the soba, and if you add some thinly sliced cooked chicken, beef, or shrimp, you'll have a one-dish meal.

The yogurt helps tenderize the chicken; the garlic, ginger, and spices in the marinade infuse it with lots of flavor.

The miso marinade lightly cures the fish, which results in a pleasantly firm texture and great flavor.

This cooling raita, or yogurt sauce, is a popular condiment for Indian feasts. It's also great with lamb chops.

If you've never made a savory custard, now's the time. Start with this minimal and delicate Japanese version, studded with fresh peas and tender shrimp.

We like skirt steak because it's a tasty and affordable cut. Slice it thinly so it's tender.

No tandoor oven? We didn't think so. Any heavy-bottomed skillet will get the job done.