Regional Cuisine, Main Dish Recipes

Lamb stew with chestnuts and pomegranate layers tender braised lamb with saffron, cinnamon, ground walnuts, and tart pomegranate juice. A jewel-toned Persian-style stew, sweet, sour, and savory, spooned over saffron rice.

Crispy battered shrimp deep-fried until golden and tossed in a spicy-sweet sauce with garlic. This Chinese restaurant favorite is ready in 40 minutes for a crowd-pleasing dinner.

Ukrainian meat and fish loaf with ground beef, lamb, and milk-soaked herring blended with potato and yogurt. A regional Eastern European baked loaf with goat cheese topping.

Pork and chile burritos simmer cubed pork with tomatillos, jalapeno, cilantro, and warm spices into a tangy, fork-tender filling rolled into flour tortillas, broiled with melty cheese.

Kibbee bissaneeyeh: Lebanese layered ground lamb and bulgur casserole stuffed with spiced lamb and pine nuts, baked in a diamond-scored pattern until golden.

Chinese cashew chicken stir-fry with snow peas, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and toasted cashews in a soy-cornstarch sauce. A classic takeout favorite made from scratch at home.

Chinese-style broiled chicken breasts marinated in soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, and garlic with a hint of red pepper. Crispy-skinned and lacquered with a sweet-savory glaze.

Beef bobotie is South Africa's national dish: spiced curried minced beef with raisins and chutney baked under a golden egg custard topping. A sweet-savory casserole classic.

Irish-style spaghetti sauce with ground beef, red wine, tomato puree, chicken broth, and a warm hint of nutmeg. Simmered for an hour into a rich, velvety meat sauce.

Perfumed wtih Benali 5-spice (panch puran), this tasty melange of vegetables is wonderful with basmati rice.

Southern-style no-bean chili with 4 lbs of beef, banana peppers, and a 3-hour simmer in beef stock with barbecue sauce, hot sauce, and a deep spice blend. Bold and beanless.

Quick Chinese stir-fried chicken with hoisin sauce, bamboo shoots, ginger, and crushed red pepper. Marinated in sherry and soy for a glossy, savory-sweet glaze that's ready in under an hour.

Paneer tikka, cubes of Indian paneer marinated in spiced yogurt with tandoori spices, chaat masala, ginger, and garlic, then pan-fried golden and served with peppers and onions. A vegetarian Indian classic.

Ham and broccoli stir-fry in a savory oyster sauce with rice wine, ginger, and toasted walnuts. A quick Chinese-inspired wok dish served over gingered rice.

In other parts of Central Asia this dish is made with red beans and I have it made with beef, horse, camel, chicken, and venison for the meat instead of the lamb. It is excellent anyway it comes.

Thai stir-fried beef with red bell peppers tosses matchstick flank steak in a fiery chili-soy sauce that clings to every shred. A wok-blasted weeknight dinner with bright crunch and serious heat.