East Asian

The flavor of the soy paste really shines here, so use the best-quality one you can find. We like Yu Ding Xing’s glutinous rice soy paste.

Eggs provide all the protein and fat that a dumpling demands. 

Dark soy sauce along with regular soy sauce is what gives these wings their rich color. We like to use all flats—arguably the best part of the wing!—but a mix with drumettes or whole wings works too.

It’s astonishing how much scallion flavor these noodles take on from the infused scallion oil. Still, we encourage you to take it one step further with a garnish of crunchy fried scallion slices.

Flattening pork chops with the dull edge of a cleaver or heavy knife gives the surface an almost fluffy texture and helps the potato starch coating adhere.

This dumpling combines lamb with delicate green summer squash, which brings a surprising freshness to the filling.

Use this easy dumpling dough with any filling you like, or add some puréed vegetables to the dough for colored dumpling skins.

Shelled raw peanuts are easy to find at Asian markets, health food stores, and other specialty food stores.

This version is made with up to eight spices. It’s worth using them all for the fullest flavor.

Whipping an egg into the filling of these simple, folded dumplings makes them fluffy and moist—and a double hit of soy amps up the umami.

This salad is palate-cleansing and refreshing. A little spicy, a little tart—and you can prep it in advance.

These savory Japanese pancakes are stuffed with shredded cabbage, red pepper, and your choice of meat or seafood. Top with crumbled seaweed, bonito flakes, and mayo for the full experience.

The koji brine deeply seasons the pork and keeps it juicy. You can skip this step, but we highly recommend it.

Usually just a pancake-like dough with egg, this version sports bacon, tomato and gooey cheese for a completely gratifying breakfast.

This all-purpose chile crisp—which is tangy, spicy, and addictive—will give your other condiments an inferiority complex. You’ve been warned. Put it to good use on eggs, meat, seafood, or hearty salads.