Stir-Fry

When fresh wide rice noodles are stir-fried, they are called fun. Fresh rice noodles have to be pulled apart and fluffed before cooking.

Ginger and crushed red pepper help round out the Thai theme of this quick dish.

Turmeric add color and chilies add heat to this superb side dish. Mound it in the middle of the Vegetable Stir-fry.

This dish takes just minutes to prepare, so steam some rice ahead of time. A salad of sliced radishes and sweet onions drizzled with a light vinaigrette rounds things out. For dessert, try vanilla frozen yogurt topped with sugared strawberries.

Ever wonder how soybeans turn into smooth, creamy tofu? First, the beans are pressed to extract soy milk, which is then curdled. The curds are drained, pressed, and cut into blocks of tofu.

There's no alternative to Chinese sausage—it's slightly sweet and very flavorful.

Serve with: Spinach salad topped with toasted almonds, and sesame breadsticks.

It may seem odd that we use frozen green peas, but, sadly, even the best fresh ones can taste starchy by the time they make it to the supermarket. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Pad Pak Khana This vegetable is more about leaves and stalks than its namesake cousin. It also has a sweeter flavor and juicier stems. All those green buds eventually blossom into white flowers, so when you're at the market, be sure to look for those with only a few open flowers — and the thinner the stalk, the better. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

Offer a salad of snow peas and sliced radishes in a ginger vinaigrette. End with oranges and almond cookies. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Pretty and delicious, this pasta has plenty of vegetables, lots of snap and crunch, and a terrific Asian-style peanut sauce.