Recipes & Food

The velvety combination of beans and coconut milk is found in a number of African and Caribbean dishes, like Nigerian frejon and Haitian sos pwa nwa In this recipe, black beans are simmered in coconut milk with a healthy dose of fresh ginger, then finished with lime juice The result is a light vegan main or side dish

Convenient and tender rotisserie chicken, sautéed scallions and garlic, vinegar-soaked currants and a couple big handfuls of peppery arugula make up this simple yet very flavorful sandwich Inspired by the wood-oven-roasted chicken and bread salad from Zuni Café in San Francisco, this is a take on that famed dish in sandwich form Parmesan and toasted nuts add texture, depth and a hit of umami

The key to achieving the signature sweet-smoky-salty flavor of Indonesian stir-fried noodles is to let the noodles cook, undisturbed, over high heat until you see small wisps of smoke Javanese sweet soy sauce, also known as kecap manis, can be very sweet, so giving it a good cook will bring just enough of a bitter edge to its sweetness If you’re making this dish for a crowd, don’t prepare more than two servings at a time, otherwise the noodles will crowd the pan and not brown properly, and you won’t get that smoky wok hei flavor

Cooked ham lends a surprising amount of flavor to this simple, hearty soup Easy to put together using leftover ham or a ham steak, this recipe is perfect for a weeknight or a busy weekend The ham, joined by soft chunks of potato as well as soup all-stars carrot, onion and celery, is bathed in a creamy broth thickened with a quick roux made from flour and butter

For this recipe, you’ll want to grind part of the salmon in a food processor: It’ll bind the rest, which can be coarsely chopped to retain moisture during cooking Some bread crumbs keep the burger from becoming as densely packed as (bad) meatloaf This approach, along with a few simple seasonings, produces delicious burgers in not much more time than it takes to make one from ground chuck

In this weeknight recipe, perfectly browned chicken breasts are smothered in a creamy spinach sauce that comes together with ease, all in one skillet The highlight of this recipe is the buttery white-wine sauce, which is enriched and thickened with a secret ingredient: cream cheese The sauce nicely coats the wilted spinach, though you can use sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms or canned artichokes instead of, or in addition to, the spinach.  A side of mashed or roasted potatoes would round out this dish well, but some crusty bread to sop up every last bit is a must.

Smoked hamburgers are a great way to prepare burgers. By smoking, you get a juicy burger, and the smoke creates crispy, charred edges.

In this cozy, easy dinner, store-bought gnocchi, broccoli and little meatballs (made by pinching pieces of Italian sausage) roast together on a sheet pan When everything comes out of the oven bronzed and crisp, sprinkle it with Parmesan and stir: The heat from the sheet pan will help the cheese gloss the gnocchi Some lemon juice lightens the mix; for a little heat to balance the richness, use hot Italian sausage or a sprinkling of crushed red pepper.

This nutty, spicy salsa with the tang of vinegar is from Veracruz, Mexico, where it’s called salsa macha It has long been a favorite of Pati Jinich, the Mexican-born chef who lives in Washington, D.C Her version comes together fast, and offers a lot of character and versatility

This classic carrot cake recipe is not overly spiced, and it has texture from the grated carrots, shredded coconut, chopped nuts and raisins. Discover more ideas for the big day at NYT Cooking.

Packed with an abundance of fresh herbs, kuku is a frittata-like Persian dish with many regional and household variations This version, kuku sabzi, is the most herb-forward, allowing the greens to take center stage While kuku is often flipped to brown on both sides, this version skips that step and allows the egg on top to set under the broiler, which helps retain its vibrant green color

For a spectacular vegetable side at home, try this tried-and-true formula: A swoosh of sauce on a plate topped with a cooked vegetable and a confetti of finely chopped garnish For this iteration, blend the base (a cloud of yogurt, tahini, citrus and garlic) and chop your garnish (a pretty pile of pistachios, dill and chives) while the carrots roast Set on a platter, served hot or at room temperature, it’s a special side dish that can also hold its own as a vegetarian main, supplemented with chickpeas, quinoa, couscous or toasted bread.

Lu rou fan—braised minced pork belly over rice—is a comforting and deeply flavorful Taiwanese classic. Traditionally, lu rou fan requires hours of simmering; this recipe from bestselling cookbook author Clarissa Wei reimagines it for a pressure cooker, making it possible to have dinner ready in half the time.

Make the most of spring produce with these light, refreshing salads.

Baking fish and chips is not only easier and less messy than frying, but it also has the distinct advantage of allowing you to cook both fish and potatoes at the same time in your oven The key to getting the crunchiest fries is to cut them thin (leave the skin on for extra flavor) and spread them out in one layer onto a preheated sheet pan to jump-start the crisping (If you want to save a few minutes, start the potatoes in the oven while you prepare the fish.) We’ve paired this dish with a piquant horseradish tartar sauce, but ketchup works well, too, particularly for the grade-school set.

Crackly on top and fudgy yet tender in the center, this cake tastes like a complex restaurant dessert, but comes together effortlessly in one bowl Chocolate chips save you the messy step of chopping chocolate bars and deliver deep flavor along with cocoa powder If you don’t have a springform pan, a regular cake pan lined with foil all around makes it easy to lift out the delicate cake, which melts in your mouth when served warm or at room temperature

What's better than a roasted ham? A smoked, shredded ham! Take ham to new heights with this fun method and these hot thermal tips.

Welcome to American Sandwiches Week, a celebration of the mighty sandwich through the lens of Americana.

These garlicky, buttery noodles are perfect for when you need a stellar pantry meal lickety-split A packet of fresh or even instant ramen speeds up the meal prep and is ideal when cooking for one (see Tip) Honey and sherry vinegar round out gochujang’s deep heat into a mellowness that’s at once sweet, savory and tangy

These tender sour cream and chive biscuits have just the right amount of tang, with plenty of allium flavor from fresh chives and garlic powder.

In Trenton, New Jersey, mustard pie is a local favorite. It's exactly what it sounds like: a fantastic slice of NJ pizza with the zip and heat of spicy brown mustard spread just below the cheese. Here's how to make your own.

Originally created as a way to add flavor to roasted meats, chicken jalfrezi is a tangy, spicy stir-fried curry with origins in Bengal “Jalfrezi” translates to "hot fry," and the dish typically features meat coated in a thick tomato-based gravy — a defining characteristic of the Anglo-Indian version that became popular through British curry houses in the mid-20th century This recipe uses both Kashmiri chile powder and fresh serrano chiles to deliver its signature spicy kick.

This vibrant green pasta salad gets its color from a combination of spinach and basil, but you can swap the spinach for arugula for a more peppery finish (Some of us need a little bite in our lives!) The miso in the sauce does a lot of the heavy lifting, imparting a salty, almost Parmesan-like quality

Here is a hamburger you might find in taverns and bars, plump and juicy, with a thick char that gives way to tender, medium-rare meat It is best cooked in a heavy, cast-iron skillet slicked with oil or fat Ask a butcher for coarse-ground chuck steak, with at least a 20 percent fat content, or grind your own

This five-ingredient recipe transforms canned beans into a no-fuss, comforting meal that’s easy to whip together at the end of a long day The beans are doused in a creamy, garlic-infused sauce that’s inspired by Alfredo, and topped with crunchy garlic chips Choosing the right beans for this recipe might feel intimidating, but the most important thing to remember is texture

A Singaporean staple of moist chicken, aromatic rice, and tender bok choy, finished with chile garlic sauce and kecap manis.

With tinned fish, tender rice and mixed vegetables, these meal-worthy hand rolls are all at once rich, fresh, crunchy and tender They’re also pantry-friendly and customizable: Crack open a tin of any assertively-flavored fish (save the canned tuna for spicy tuna) and slice any mix of crunchy vegetables (Pro tip: Baby carrots stay juicier in lunchboxes than regular carrots.) Clementines may be a surprising addition, but sweet citrus and oily fish are a common duo in Persian, Mediterranean and Mexican dishes

Smothered in a supersavory gravy studded with pork belly, these chewy wheat noodles are South Korea’s cultural equivalent to delivery pizza in the United States Traditionally a takeout food, this variant of China’s zha jiang mian was created in Incheon, South Korea, by Chinese migrant workers around the turn of the 20th century Over the years, the dish has become sweeter and richer with pork to match Korean palates

Here's a radical notion: chicken potpie does not have to be filled with goopy white sauce, carrots and peas Traditional recipes are long on starch and richness, short on flavor This updated version is savory with chicken stock, herbs, and wine (no white sauce needed), easier to make, and still familiar

Chicken potpie, like so many other dishes, was a created as way to stretch chicken by encasing it in less expensive, more filling dough In restaurants, the dish has gone through something of a renaissance, but not many people make it at home, maybe because it seems like too much work This version is different, using a far simpler procedure