Simple Cooking

Minced garlic gets doused with oil and microwaved until it becomes golden-brown and crispy.

The dressing was a crowd-pleasing sweet onion recipe that we’d used at Old Lahaina Luau. It's made with a fresh, uncooked sweet onion, that gets puréed with cider vinegar, sugar, Dijon mustard, and oil. Try it on our Maui Kale Salad with cabbage and spicy peanuts.

You only need one bowl to mix this easy, cheesy, savory-and-sweet corn muffins.

Monte Cristo sandwiches usually have a sweet element, like powdered sugar sifted over the top, or raspberry jam served on the side for dipping. In this version, you’ll cook green apple and canned green chiles down into a sweet and spicy compote to slather on your bread.

This omelet, with its rich, comforting, fiery gravy, is enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Of course, you could also whip it up deep into the night, the time when most Goan partygoers looking for something to fuel their endless dancing sessions seek it out on the lively Goan streets.

No chopping required for this weeknight dinner. Just blend spinach, kale, basil, and garlic with feta, cream cheese, and olive oil to make a fresh, rich sauce that wraps itself around pasta.

These nachos lend themselves to customization and are an excellent place to use up little bits of leftovers (extra black beans, crumbled sausage or bacon, roasted vegetables—or a random radish or extra scallion).

This mixed vegetable dish takes its inspiration from Buddhist vegetarian cooking and can include any combination of ingredients that represent good luck, prosperity, happiness, family wholeness, and longevity. 

Rice cakes are available sliced, marble-shaped, and in batons. There are dried versions, but the refrigerated version is widely available and easier to work with. You can use any combination of vegetables and seasonings here, so feel free to experiment with flavors.

One great thing about dumplings is that you can use practically anything in the filling—and you can pan-fry them, or boil them, or deep-fry them.

The collar is one of my favorite parts of the fish. Baste it with naturally sweet and salty flavor from briny kombu and dark sweet prunes. The briny and sweet sauce is easy to make ahead and store in the refrigerator. The collars of a large fish, such as cod, is the part between the head and the body; it has a (healthy omega-3) fatty richness that is ultra-satisfying. 

This recipe for salted salmon is excerpted from Maori Murota’s Tokyo Cult Recipes. The method, called shioyaki, can be adapted to fish collars as well.

This easy dinner is inspired by gomen, an Ethiopian dish in which greens are flavored with an aromatic spiced butter. Breaded tofu is a delightful counterpoint.

Make fast roast chicken by using a rarely used part of the oven: the floor. The intense heat under your skillet from the oven’s floor quickly cooks the chicken and allows its skin to become remarkably crispy.

The liberal spoonful of Chakalaka (spicy vegetable relish) makes these extra special. If you don’t have a jar of it in your fridge, you can use any type of relish or chutney.

These pancakes are quick to cook and are typically eaten for breakfast. Spread them with a little butter, ghee, or sesame oil and sprinkle with sugar if you’d like. Serve with hot tea or alongside cups of Shaah Cadays.

This recipe lets mushrooms shine, turning them crispy and meaty—almost like carnitas. Top with a creamy, savory peanut butter and serrano salsa.

Peanut butter tames the heat in this mild puréed salsa with serrano chiles and onions. Spoon it over mushroom tacos or use it as a dip for chips.

Melty, cheesy, crunchy, spicy: These sandwiches, a street food favorite in India, check all the boxes.