Sauces recipes

Cha gio are Vietnamese crispy spring rolls stuffed with pork, shrimp, bean thread noodles, and wood ear mushrooms. Fried golden and served with lettuce, herbs, and nuoc cham.

Homemade beef jerky from flank steak marinated in honey, soy, garlic, and lemon, then oven-dried for chewy strips with a touch of sweetness. Use tamari to make it gluten-free.

A multi-day Sichuan duck project: dry-rubbed with toasted spiced salt, air-dried overnight, steamed, battered, and deep-fried to shattering crispness. Includes a tea-smoked variation. Worth every step.

Southern Thai grilled chicken: chicken rubbed with a fragrant spice paste, even under the skin, marinated, then grilled over low coals until charred and juicy. Big, bold Thai flavor off the grill.

Ground beef browned and simmered with uncooked noodles, tomato sauce, and onion soup mix in one pot. No stirring until the end. American-style goulash that practically cooks itself.

Southern-style pork chops simmered in a creamy peanut butter mushroom gravy until fork-tender. A comforting one-pan supper ready in just over an hour.

Auntie Yuan duck salad slivers honey-roasted duck and crispy skin over puffed mai fun noodles, shredded lettuce, scallions, and cilantro. Drizzled with garlic-soy-rice vinegar dressing for a Chinese-American restaurant classic.

Chinese chicken with fermented black beans (dow see), green peppers, and sherry in a savory sauce. A classic Cantonese wok dish with proper velveting technique.

Creamy puréed winter squash soup with nutmeg and sautéed carrots, topped with a ruby-red whole berry cranberry dollop. A stunning fall soup that's lighter than it looks thanks to skim evaporated milk.

A succulent crockpot dish that's made with a scrumptious pork roast, orange juice and a bit of honey.

Hearty stew loaded with boiled whole chicken, browned Italian sausage, crispy bacon, and elbow macaroni in a rich tomato broth. A 5-star rated crowd-feeding powerhouse.

Very Garlic Shrimp with Tomato and Cucumber recipe

Vegan oat patties seasoned with soy sauce, Italian herbs, ground nuts, and nutritional yeast. Baked until crispy-edged and firm. A hearty plant-based burger that holds together.

Lavender angel food cake with 12 egg whites beaten to stiff peaks and dried lavender folded into the batter. Light, fragrant, and fat-free. Ready in about an hour.

Ro*Tel-style chili: quick, punchy ground beef chili built on canned tomatoes with green chiles for instant Tex-Mex heat. One pot, 30 minutes, weeknight dinner solved.

Steaks Esterhazy is a Hungarian-style dinner of broiled sirloin or T-bone topped with a creamy paprika sauce of mushrooms, sour cream, and Worcestershire. A 35-minute weeknight take on a classic recipe.