Shrimp

Here, fresh shrimp gets gently poached in herb-laced coconut milk. The spicing is subtle, so as not to obstruct the milk’s sweet flavor.

This one-pot meal is herby, sweet, and garlicky all at once. To add more green, throw in a handful of arugula or spinach at the end; for more garlic, pair it with garlic toast.

Shrimp are quick to cook, but still manage to feel rather special. This recipe borrows spices from the southern shores of India; I tasted a dish similar to this when I was learning about the local cuisine. At first, you get pure heat from the chiles; when it subsides, you're left with delicate and delicious flavors. Here, I have toned down the chiles and added some background warmth by using fresh ginger instead. I’ve used tiger shrimp and removed most of the shell, apart from the tail. I prefer to leave the tail on, as it means that you have something to hold on to when biting into the shrimp, but you can take the entire shell off if you prefer. Just make sure the shrimp are raw and that they have been deveined.

There is no better use for leftover rice than chahan. A brief trip in a pan resurrects the grains and a few pantry ingredients—little more than eggs, oil, and salt—transform tired rice into a super-satisfying meal. To give the humble dish a little flair, I whip up a saucy broth filled with vegetables and shrimp and pour it on at the last minute. Of course, you can add any ingredients you like—peas or asparagus, kimchi or Japanese pickles, pork, or even, as I do at Morimoto Napa, duck confit.

Add ready-peeled shrimp to tomato sauce spiked with fennel and chiles for a fast and flavorful weeknight dinner.

Keep frozen shrimp in your freezer and a few staples like rice and coconut milk on hand and you can whip up this one-pot dinner any night of the week.

Frying ukoy the Bad Saint way is a very active process­—the fritter will blow apart in the oil before you tease it back together. Use a tall pot with plenty of extra room since the oil will bubble vigorously when the mix hits it.

This classic New Orleans-style shrimp is dipped in buttermilk then coated in cornmeal before frying for a flavorful crunchy exterior.

These dim sum–style shrimp toasts make a surprisingly simple—and utterly addictive—at-home snack. With this method, you don’t even need a deep fryer to pull them off.

Translation: Garlic shrimp. Which explains why there’s a clove of garlic for every shrimp in this saucy dish.

Step into January with this healing, brothy Cambodian-inspired soup, perfumed with warming spices, revitalizing ginger, and spicy dried chiles.

This recipe makes more bonito butter than you need. Use the smoky, slightly salty mixture to top your next steak, or to sauté greens.

A robust soup brimming with mixed vegetables and protein in a rich dashi broth, this one-pot stew is eaten by Japanese wrestlers in training. It’s wonderfully hearty without being heavy.

This fast one-pot dinner is rich enough to comfort, but light enough that it won’t weigh you down.

Tom Yum is made so many different ways that no two batches are really ever alike. Simultaneously spicy, tart, and sweet, this soup grows on you the more you eat it. Try it along with rice to cut some of the heat, or eat it throughout a meal for a welcome contrast.

Chicken, seafood, glass noodles, and vegetables get briefly poached in dashi-based broth. Cutting the ingredients into uniform pieces ensures they cook in the same amount of time.

Tamarind juice concentrate helps gives this riff on the popular Thai stir-fry its tangy flavor.

Bursting with fresh corn and a hint of spice, these summery fritters take inspiration from the Southern classic shrimp and grits.

This classic Spanish dish comes together in a snap when cooked on a baking sheet.

In the state of Chiapas, these are made with chewy dried shrimp and called tostadas turulas. Use the most flavorful shrimp and best tomatoes you can find.

I love kimchi. To me, the world is a better place when we all enjoy kimchi. Fiery and fun, it gives a kick to all food.

Fresh fava beans have been a mainstay of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean diets for centuries, and lately they have been enjoying popularity in the United States. Bright green and firm-fleshed with a sweet and mildly nutty flavor, they resemble lima beans but are really more like an overgrown split pea. Fava beans are a bit time-consuming, as they require double peeling: first the outer pod, and then the hull that protects this little spring gem. Once you're done, you will have more debris than edible beans, but it's worth it, as this recipe will demonstrate. The gentle butter poaching method for the shrimp yields tender, succulent meat that contrasts beautifully with the spring fava bean.