36 long recipes

Buttery wild rice layered with sauteed oysters and smothered in a creamy mushroom sauce spiked with hot sauce. A Southern casserole that steals the spotlight at any holiday table.

Saffron-infused rice tossed with smoky chorizo, sweet peppers, and fresh coriander. This crowd-sized paella salad feeds 12 and travels beautifully to potlucks and cookouts.

Black tea smoked chicken: Sichuan-and-five-spice-rubbed thighs hot-smoked over rice, black tea, and brown sugar, then tucked into lettuce cups with peanuts, scallion, and a soy-ginger glaze. An impressive, gluten-free-friendly appetizer.

A favourite served at Din Tai Fung gets a healthy make-over. Water spinach, commonly known as kangkong, is rich in fibre, magnesium, vitamins A and C and is very low in calories. Word of caution: do not eat it raw as it may carry parasitic cysts from the waterways that are its natural habitat.