Asia & Pacific Ocean recipe collection

Curried parsnip fritters pan-fried in butter until golden brown. Boiled parsnips pureed with eggs, flour, and curry powder, then served with rice and gravy. A parsnip-hater's conversion recipe.

Yummy chicken curry: tender curried chicken in a quick, creamy sour cream sauce with sweet golden raisins, ready in about 20 minutes. A fast, mild weeknight curry that skips the coconut milk and the long simmer.

Chicken pad thai: soaked rice noodles stir-fried with chicken, egg, and a sweet-sour-salty tamarind sauce, finished with peanuts, bean sprouts, and lime. Better than takeout in 30 minutes.

Easy kimchi for first-timers: salted napa cabbage fermented with green onion, garlic, ginger, and dried chile in a simple brine. No fish sauce, no special paste. Let it bubble on the counter, then chill the funky, sour, crunchy result.

Hot and sour shrimp soup built on a quick homemade broth simmered from the shrimp shells, with tender chayote, mushrooms, fresh lemon juice for the sour bite, and chili paste for the heat. A bright, light take on the takeout classic.