Regional Cuisine, Side Dish Recipes

A traditional Russian beet and carrot side dish sautéed with onions in tomato sauce, brightened with red wine vinegar and a touch of sugar. Served cold after hours of chilling. Earthy, tangy, and deeply satisfying.

Indian gazpacho with hot green chiles, garlic, and dry red wine in a chilled tomato-based vegetable soup. The South Asian spin on Spanish gazpacho with a slow-burn heat.

Hungarian-style chilled cherry soup with whole cherries, red wine, cinnamon, cloves, and lemon, thickened with quick tapioca and topped with sour cream. A classic Eastern European summer starter.

Kesari bhaat (sweet saffron rice): Indian basmati rice perfumed with saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, and clove, sweetened with jaggery, and finished with almonds and currants. Traditional festival dessert.

Salat iz yaits: classic Russian egg salad with hard-boiled eggs, sour cream, mayo, garlic, scallions, and a touch of hot mustard. Bright pimento garnish, ready in 20 minutes.

German braised red cabbage with bacon, apple, onion, and a sweet-sour vinegar-sugar finish. A traditional side dish that gets better with every reheat.

Spiced zucchini and peas simmered in tomato sauce with turmeric, cumin, and cayenne. A quick Indian-inspired vegetarian side dish ready in 30 minutes.

Achara Zuke: Japanese pickled turnips with kombu seaweed, dried chili, and rice vinegar. A crisp, tangy tsukemono made by slow-curing accordion-cut turnips. Side dish or banchan.

Russian marinated pearl onions (Luk Marinovannyi) pickled in apple cider vinegar with dill, caraway seeds, red pepper flakes, and peppercorns. Ready in two weeks.

Malinnik is a chilled Russian raspberry soup blended with claret wine and sugar, lifted with a fizz of soda water, and finished with a dollop of sour cream. A bright, boozy summer dessert soup.

Santa Maria salsa is the no-cook California barbecue staple: chopped canned tomatoes, celery, onion, and green pepper sharpened with horseradish, vinegar, and Worcestershire. Pour, chill, serve.

The spices bring out a tantalizing flavor in this dish which is best served with flat bread or rice.

Indian chilled carrot salad (Sonf Gazar Subji) with cumin, turmeric, asafetida, and fresh dill, tossed with brown rice and eggless mayo. A spiced, cold vegetarian side dish.

Traditional Scottish skirlie made with oatmeal toasted in meat drippings alongside mushrooms and onions. A rustic side dish that doubles as a stuffing for roast lamb.

Indian yellow rice cooked with ghee, turmeric, saffron, whole spices, and green peas. Fragrant with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves, topped with golden fried onions.