Southeast Asian

Serve this salad with grilled meats; it's especially great with spare ribs.

Chef-owner Neath Pal is known for his fusion of French-Asian and New England cooking. So serve this dish with slender noodles tossed in a purchased peanut sauce. Finish with coconut ice cream.

Almost any type of seafood, meat, or vegetable is superb cooked in a sambal, the fiery spice mixture that is a mainstay of Malay cooking. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Here, lime juice replaces the traditional lemongrass, which can be hard to find. The result is a quick, authentic-tasting Thai-style soup. If coconut milk is unavailable, substitute 1 3/4 cups half and half mixed with 3/4 teaspoon imitation coconut extract.

Fermented soybean paste-called miso-is the key ingredient here.

Nuoc Tuong Pha This vegetarian dipping sauce can be made with any soy sauce, including the Japanese-style Kikkoman, although the Vietnamese prefer the lighter-bodied Chinese-style products marketed under the brands Kim Lan, Bo De, and Pearl River Bridge. Like dipping sauces made with fish sauce, you can embellish this with different aromatics such as ginger and cilantro.

A Vietnamese-style salad that makes a refreshing accompaniment to any kind of barbecued meat.

Kao Kua Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 25 min

Serve this Thai-style dressing over chilled pasta or mixed raw vegetables.

Sweet, salty, and spicy, nuoc cham is the indispensable sauce of Vietnam's cuisine. It's a favorite dipping sauce for spring rolls and for fresh rice-paper rolls such as these.

The cilantro lime topping in this recipe is a Southeast Asian variation on the classic Italian gremolata, which is made with parsley, lemon zest, and garlic. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 20 min

The following recipe is our version of gai yang, the grilled or roasted marinated chicken for which there are many variations in Thailand. Although gai yang is traditionally served with only a sweet chili garlic sauce for dipping, we were so taken with the complex flavor of the marinade that we decided to make extra and turn it into a second dipping sauce. Both sauces offered here are simple and delicious, but the Cornish hens can easily stand on their own.

Using shrimp instead of chicken in this recipe makes for an equally delicious soup.

This hot and tangy Thai version of coleslaw is one of those dishes that I don't know if they really serve in Thailand but it certainly seems they should. I like it more than traditional coleslaw, and it seems to better suit our modern-day taste for lighter dishes and for the forthright flavors of Asian ingredients. I serve this salad with grilled meats — it's especially great with spare ribs.

(Charred Chili Salsa) In Thailand, vegetables are grilled in a grilling rack over an open flame. The method for charring described in this salsa recipe uses a dry-frying technique; you can, of course, char the vegetables over a grill instead. This northern Thai salsa is quite hot: The main ingredient is traditionally num, a long, medium-hot, pale yellow chili very similar to the banana chilies available in North American. If you want a milder taste, substitute Hungarian wax chilies for some or all of the banana chilies called for in the recipe. Remember that this sauce is meant to accompany sticky rice, not to be eaten on its own, so its flavors are punchy, with a distinct smokiness. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A thin but flavorful low-fat sauce that serves as a dipping sauce and marinade.

Yam Jin Gai Mom's chicken noodle is great, but this soup is all about heat and bold flavor. Thais typically incorporate soup into a menu rather than making it a separate course. Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 5 1/2 hr (includes making stock)

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Editors note: This recipe was written in 1991, before Southeast Asian ingredients were widely available. For a more authentic take on the dish, substitute rice noodles for the capellini or thin spaghetti. (To cook: Soak the rice noodles in a large bowl of cold water for 15 minutes, then drain the noodles, and boil in salted water until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the noodles, rinse under cold water, and drain again.) You can also replace the dried hot red pepper flakes with an equal amount of sambal oelek, and use 1 1/2 tablespoons (or more to taste) fish sauce in place of the soy sauce and anchovy paste. Also: Feel free to use flank or skirt steak in place of the shell steak, adjusting the cooking time as necessary.