East Asian

Tofu is a surprisingly rich source of calcium, which may discourage your body from storing fat, especially in the tummy region. Break out the bikini!

Impress dinner guests with this chic dish featuring top round, which has less than 1 gram of fat per ounce.

In Japan today, onigiri are still the go-to food for picnics. It's not surprising that they started being grilled, too, which is what yaki onigiri are—grilled rice balls. Fire crisps up and caramelizes the rice on the outside, creating a delicious crust, which makes them even more irresistible.

Japanese eggplants have thin skins and few seeds, just meaty, flavorful flesh that transforms into tender, creamy textured, fragrant, smoky goodness when grilled. The classic way to enjoy this dish is with just soy sauce or Ponzu and a mound of katsuobushi, dried shaved bonito flakes (a type of tuna). The dressing below is more contemporary but also fantastic. Either way, get your hands on these eggplants and grill them.

Grilled squid—yaki ina—is a fixture of street fairs, shrine festivals, and pushcart vendors. Its phenomenal soy sauce fragrance makes it almost impossible to pass by without wanting one.

Yukari shiso salt is powdered dried purple shiso leaves mixed with salt, a tangy and colorful seasoning. It's often available in Japanese markets, but if you have trouble finding it, substitute another flavored Japanese salt like matcha salt (green tea salt) or furikake, seasoning for rice that comes in many varieties.

The trick to a successful stir-fry? Have all your ingredients prepped so that you can cook quickly over high heat. In professional kitchens it's called mise en place, or "put in place."

Head to a local Chinese supermarket for the ginger in syrup and, while you're there, pick up a package of glass or cellophane noodles to serve this with. Tangy ginger and flavorful hoisin work so well with duck. Make sure you render the duck breasts well when cooking to get that ultimate crispy skin.

What the lime is to Mexico, the yuzu is to Japan: a versatile citrus whose bumpy rind and juice are used in all kinds of dishes. Yuzu's flavor? Imagine a cross between a mandarin orange and a lime. The juice makes a floral vinaigrette; it's also used in ponzu, an addictive Japanese dipping sauce. Bottled yuzu juice can be found at specialty foods stores and Asian markets. If unavailable, substitute 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice and 1/2 tablespoon fresh orange juice.

A staple of classic Japanese cooking, teriyaki is wonderful with not only seafood but also poultry, beef, vegetables, and tofu. Often, however, this versatile sauce can be quite sweet. My version uses fresh orange juice, which adds just a touch of natural sweetness as well as some acidity to temper the sweet mirin. Pouring some of the teriyaki sauce into the hot pan with the fish further reduces it so the sauce really coats the fish with a deep, caramel glaze that enhances the delectable moist, buttery, and tender qualities of black cod perfectly. Other good fish for this dish are Alaskan cod, true cod, sablefish, or wild salmon. Searing each side of the sticky rice cake gives a nutty flavor and crisp texture. I also like to serve these rice cakes with vegetable stir-fries in place of plain rice. If you have a rice cooker, use it to prepare the rice according to the manufacturer's directions. If not, follow the instructions in the recipe to prepare it in a saucepan.

All sorts of neglected or leftover vegetable bits can be transformed into these lovely, lacy-crisp, colorful tempura pancakes.

Shojin Chawan Mushi The classic version of chawan mushi, often part of a formal banquet menu, is made with eggs and fish-based dashi. But lightly seasoned soy milk can be transformed into a custardlike consistency reminiscent of the classic by adding the coagulant nigari, in a process similar to the making of tofu. I have filled my vegan chawan mushi with seasonal tidbits: wild mushrooms in the fall and asparagus tips and fresh bamboo shoots in the spring. The custard must be served in the same heatproof container in which it is steamed. The Japanese use special chawan mushi cups with lids that are placed on top only after steaming. Ramekins, custard cups, or teacups without handles can be used in their place.

Daigaku Imo Hanamaru Market, a highly successful, long-running Japanese television talk show, opens with a short cooking segment every weekday morning. Finding ways to make impressive classic cuisine simpler and less technically demanding is the theme of many of the episodes. In the autumn of 2008, one of the broadcasts featured an innovative recipe for daigaku imo (candied sweet potatoes) that topped all previous viewer-rating charts. Indeed, as of this writing, nearly a year later, it remains the all-time favorite. Syrup-glazed, black sesame-studded sweet potato first became a popular snack among university students at the turn of the twentieth century. Indeed, that is the origin of the name of the dish: daigaku means "university" and imo is "potato." Most recipes for daigaku imo instruct the cook to deep-fry sweet potato chunks first and glaze them afterward. Although delicious, the classic version results in a high-calorie snack that is messy both to make and to clean up. In contrast, the Hanamaru Market version offers a (relatively) healthy snack.

This spin on onigiri, Japanese sticky white rice balls, combines the earthiness of brown rice and mushrooms with the crunch of a sesame seed crust. The key is cooking the rice until it releases all of its starch, then chilling it in the fridge so you can easily roll it into balls before baking. If you have any sheets of nori (seaweed) lying around, you can cut them into strips and wrap them around the rice balls before or after baking.

Like the Tripoley and cribbage we used to play so often together, yakitori is something of a tradition in my family. Dad's navy career had us living in Japan for a few years (I was born there), and just outside the gates of the base was a small yakitori restaurant my parents often patronized. This recipe is based on one my mom came home with from Japan. These flavorful skewers can be made with chicken in place of beef, if you wish. I recommend using boneless, skinless chicken thighs; they remain more tender and juicy on the grill than does chicken breast meat.

Most freshwater and ocean fish can be marinated for only 30 minutes at most—or they turn opaque and are essentially "cooked" before you even go out to the grill. The exception, though, is strong-flavored, oily fish like amberjack, bluefish, salmon, mackerel, marlin, mullet, or even our old standby, farm-raised catfish, which can stand up to longer marinating. In fact, marinating these oily fish for a longer time makes them taste even better. Our Japanese-style marinade is not too acidic—it's the acid from citrus juices or vinegar that can "pickle" fish in minutes. Soy sauce and sake add a spirited flavor. Sugar and mirin, a sweet Japanese wine, give a glazed appearance to the finished dish. And fresh ginger makes it all come together.

Bulgogi (grilled marinated beef) is a traditional Korean dish. Here, lamb stands in for the steak. The meat is served with lettuce leaves and other veggies, hot pepper paste, and a slightly sweet dipping sauce. Guests use all of the ingredients to assemble their own lettuce wraps, which is a common practice in Korean restaurants. Timing note: The lamb needs to marinate for at least four hours.

Craig promises that if you follow this recipe, you can make dizzyingly delicious Chinatown char siu ribs at home in the oven or on the grill. That makes them a great choice for the winter, when you've got a hankering for ribs and the smoker is snowed in. Many Chinese restaurants use spareribs that are chopped into 3- to 4-inch riblets. If you want, your butcher can make you riblets with a band saw. Craig likes baby backs for this recipe because they are a bit meatier. You can also substitute 4 pounds of pork loin for the ribs if you wish. The booze is important for the marinade because it helps penetrate the meat, and even if you're a teetotaler, don't worry—there isn't any measurable alcohol in the ribs. If you must skip it, use apple juice or water. You can buy char siu sauce at Chinese specialty stores, and it makes a fine glaze, but it doesn't make ribs that taste like Chinese restaurant ribs. That's because you need to marinate the meat in a thin sauce first.

The rice needs to stir-fry in a generous amount of oil. (It's fried rice, after all.) If you don't use enough oil, the dish starts to taste more like a rice casserole. Note that except for the 2 eggs, 1 onion, and 1 garlic clove, all the other ingredients begin with 4.

This recipe is a take on bibimbap, a Korean dish often made up of rice topped with vegetables, sliced meat, a fried egg, and hot sauce. Serve with ice-cold beer.