Cilantro

This herby bright green chutney comes together in minutes and can be drizzled on rice, roasted veggies, eggs.

Pickle brine (any kind will do!) lends a distinctive tang to the rice, giving the whole dish a nice, lively jolt.

When summer is technically over but it's still pretty hot outside, I'll be here eating chilled noodles.

Whether it’s scooped up with tortilla chips or spooned over a simple fillet of fish, this zippy charred corn salsa is the ultimate peak-August condiment.

The spicy Thai curry paste from Brooklyn’s Ugly Baby restaurant.

All the things that you love about elote (Mexican grilled corn), now in a convenient tossed-together form.

These easier-than-easy shrimp tacos are packed with flavor, and ideal for busy weeknights.

This smoky sauce goes well 
with any grilled meat or fish. The grill tames the heat, don’t worry.

Nothing beats serving this salsa still warm and freshly blended.

This yogurt sauce will work on virtually any protein you can think of. Even tofu. Yeah, we went there.

They're delicious, and you should be cooking with them.

This cabbage salad is packed with herbs that make it taste super fresh and green—and it's perfect for a crowd.

Coconut cream gives this soup velvety richness.

Feel free to use whatever fresh chile you can find, but remember that this sauce is supposed to pack some heat.

How to make Win Son's signature bar snack at home.

A simple, creamy baked egg recipe with a limey-hot sauce on top.

Salsa cruda tastes best drizzled atop some kind of meat-based antojitos or entrées (such as carnitas), or at least a dish with very robust, “meaty” vegetables, like grilled portobello or king oyster mushrooms. It's a little too raw-tasting to eat on its own with chips.

This creamy dip requires almost no effort to blend together.

You can replace some of the cilantro or parsley with other tender herbs—basil, dill, chives. Just make sure to include the tarragon; it gives the dip an anise-y, bittersweet punch.

Senior editor Rick Martinez looooves tacos al pastor, but on his last trip to Mexico City, he opted for fish tacos al pastor at Contramar. He did not think he could possibly like a fish taco more than a pork one until that moment, hence the origin story of this recipe.

Serve this tart and earthy chutney with grilled meats, samosas, or your favorite Indian curry.

If you don’t want to make the chicken stock from scratch for this congee recipe, simmering some store-bought broth with a few slices of bacon and ginger for 20 minutes or so will give you a huge head-start on flavor.

Let’s not have a big fight about this: The MSG might not be essential, but just a tiny bit does magical things to these cukes.

Mixing lemon and lime juice, as well as a shot of apple cider vinegar, makes for a much more dynamic dressing than just one type of acid could ever achieve.