Jasmine Rice

Mangoes are used two ways in this Indian dish — grilled with the chicken and tossed into rice.

Nasi Uduk, Java, Indonesia Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from James Oseland's book Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It originally accompanied Javanese Chicken Curry and was part of an article by Oseland on Indonesian cuisine. Rice that's been cooked in coconut milk and seasoned with aromatics is a velvety-rich, alluring dish. It turns up in countless incarnations all over Indonesia. This is the Javanese version, which is flavored with lemongrass and daun salam leaves, the woodsy-tasting Indonesian herb. The aromatics are submerged in the rice as it cooks, infusing the cooking liquid—and, in turn, the rice—with their essences. The hint of lemongrass is appealing, while the topping of crisply fried shallots adds smoky succulence. Friends I've cooked this rice for have told me it's the best rice they had ever eaten. It pairs well with just about anything that plain rice is served with, including curries and stir-fries, though it's wonderful on its own, with a salad of baby lettuces. I prefer to eat nasi uduk warm rather than hot — its flavors are more pronounced. It's not advisable to halve this recipe: Using one cup of rice would mean that most of the aromatics would be sitting on top of the rice as it cooks rather than being submerged in it, resulting in a poorly flavored dish. Reheat the excellent leftovers in a warm oven. It's also not advisable to make this dish in a rice cooker, as the fats and proteins in the coconut milk and the high, continuous heat of a rice cooker's heat source can easily lead to the rice on the bottom layer sticking and burning.

If you don't have a rice cooker, this is the way to prepare absolutely perfect rice. The liquid cooks down before you cover the pot, so you have more control over how much liquid evaporates; this makes all the difference between mushy and fluffy rice.

Bottled red-curry paste heats up this flavorful, vegetable-rich Thai-style curry.

You'll have some leftover creamy ginger soy dressing for salad later in the week.

Nasi Kerabu
Make sure to buy the larger dried shrimp and select those that are bright pink or pink-orange (they brown and harden with age). Lesser grades of dried shrimp tend to be unpleasantly pungent. It's also important to use a fine-quality rice — what you can buy at most supermarkets will yield mediocre results.

The rice grains puff slightly during frying, making these crackers wonderfully light and crunchy. They are also a great alternative to croutons on soups as well as salads. This recipe is an accompaniment for Purslane, Meyer Lemon, and Pear Salad With Makrut Lime Vinaigrette and Jasmine Rice Crackers.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This three-in-one dish (chicken, rice, and soup) originated in Hainan, a tropical island off China's southern coast, and has become a culinary staple in Malaysian culture.

Matt McMillan, Big Bowl's executive chef, threw together these items for his lunch one day. We ran it as a special the next week. It's simple and delicious.

(Chicken Stir-Fry with Holy Basil) Two of the common types of basil used in Thailand are now available in North America. Bai horapha tastes like a good strong Italian sweet basil and can be found in Asian markets and some supermarkets, usually sold as Asian basil or Thai basil. The basil traditionally used in this recipes is bai gaprow, or holy basil which can be harder to find because of its shorter shelf life. Holy basil hasn't much taste when raw, but when cooked it becomes strong and distinctive. Asian basil makes a very good substitute, though it can't be cooked as long or it will lose flavor.

Round out this menu with a salad of snow peas, cherry tomatoes, and bean sprouts dressed with a rice-wine vinaigrette. For dessert, sliced kiwis splashed with rum would be good. Look for the curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, and jasmine rice in the Asian foods section of your supermarket.

This fail-safe method for steaming rice comes from Kasma Loha-Unchit's book It Rains Fishes.

Look for the black sesame seeds in the Asian foods section of a specialty market; they add a dramatic touch to this simple side dish. If you can't find them, just use all white seeds instead.

Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 40 min