This hearty lentil curry recipe is perfect on a cool day. Featuring tender lentils and plentiful veggies, it’s nicely spiced with curry powder and cumin. Curious about the spice level? I’d classify it as mild. The dish is lightly creamy thanks to some coconut milk, but not heavy.

Make this curry when you want to warm up and eat your vegetables as the same time. I tested this recipe five times with a variety of vegetables and love the final combination of onion, bell pepper, carrot, potato and cauliflower. You could treat it as a light main dish or a vegetable side dish.

If you’re a fan of dal makhani (the classic Indian lentil curry) or lentil soup but want to try something different, give this dish a try. It yields quite a bit, so you can freeze individual portions for later in the season.

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This crunchy, light fennel and orange salad features thinly shaved fennel, fragrant chunks of orange and a refreshing mix of both lemon and orange juice that complements the aromatic fennel. It makes a great side dish for light and hearty dishes alike! A Recipe for Citrus Season When summer berries, stone fruit, and watermelon recede […]

Everything you love about enchiladas, minus the fuss! This super flavorful, cheesy vegan enchilada skillet comes together in about 30 minutes with simple methods, minimal dishes, and no need to fill or roll tortillas. 

This easy, nourishing dish features tender cubed sweet potato or winter squash, fiber- & protein-rich black beans, and a rich red enchilada sauce. Everything gets simmered in 1 pan and topped with a melty cashew “cheese” that makes it SUPER satisfying and delicious!

Cheesy Vegan Enchilada Skillet (30 Minutes!) from Minimalist Baker →

Fried milk (炸鲜奶) is a Cantonese dessert that just melts in your mouth. It’s a soft custard-y pudding bite that solidifies enough to coat in coconut flakes and fry until warm and toasty. Its light sweetness will be nostalgic for many of you!  How Do You Make Fried Milk?  Fried milk starts with a simple […]

I have tested and tweaked this Spaghetti Bolognese over the last 3 years. It’s richly meaty with a mixture of beef and pork, with layers and layers of flavor. It’s become my personal Sunday sauce—my “I need to feed people and make them feel loved” recipe. Dare I say, it’s exactly what you want in […]

This sheet pan red curry chicken is the kind of recipe that feels like it shouldn’t be this easy. Under 10 ingredients, one sheet pan, and a can of Thai red curry paste doing the heavy lifting while you do… not much. Chicken thighs go golden, crispy-skinned, and full of flavor, while the butternut squash […]

Let’s get cozy with cornbread and chili! I’m so excited about how this cornbread recipe turned out. It’ll be my go-to from here on out. It has the same irresistibly crisp edges and subtle brown butter flavor that I love in my honey butter cornbread recipe, but magically tastes even more like corn.

This wholesome cornbread is gluten-free because it uses almond flour instead of regular flour. It’s an easy and nutritious swap that yields amazing cornbread. Does it taste like almonds, you ask? Not at all—the cornmeal is the star of the show here.

If you’re simply curious to try it, or looking for a gluten-free or lower-carb cornbread, this recipe is for you. I hope it becomes your new favorite, too.

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Pineapple Chicken is a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, and full of tender velveted chicken and juicy pineapple chunks. Why Does Pineapple Feature in Chinese American Recipes?  This Pineapple Chicken is a retro Chinese American stir-fry dish that, depending on where you live, you may not see too often.  But once upon a […]

Beef with Garlic Sauce is a savory, garlicky, saucy stir-fry that hits all the best notes of Chinese-American takeout. Tender beef, crisp vegetables, and a glossy brown sauce with just enough tang and a hit of garlic, it’s a one-pan meal with meat and vegetables that comes together in about 30 minutes! What Is Garlic […]

Our recipe for Disco Fries features crispy crinkle cut fries smothered with plenty of melty mozzarella cheese and our literal secret sauce: egg foo young gravy! These are insanely tasty and a real treat!  A New Jersey Dinner Staple For most New Jerseyans, Disco Fries need no introduction. They’re a staple in New Jersey Diners […]

A simple stir-fry of scallions and peppers showcases just how delicious each ingredient is. This dish is for anyone who loves strong flavors! It’s spicy, oniony, and definitely a break from our usual. For the Spice Lovers Let me tell you, this unassuming-looking dish is not for everyone thanks to its heat! Plenty of oniony […]

This basic, easy Chinese pork stock can be used as a base for many dishes, from wonton and noodle soups to braises and gravies! The key to a really clean and flavorful pork stock is a couple simple preparation steps. We’ll show you how to make it!  How to Get a Really Clean Flavor We […]

These healthy Chicken Meatballs are delicious and fiber-rich. Plus, they’re versatile enough to meal prep and use in all sorts of ways throughout the week!  Your New Favorite Chicken Meatball Recipe  In the past, I’ve made a version of ground turkey or ground chicken meatballs with carrots, a little onion, garlic, and herbs. They’re great, […]

Sesame chicken is one of the most popular dishes on the menu at any Chinese takeout restaurant or buffet. Deep-fried boneless chicken coated in a savory sweet sauce and topped with toasted sesame seeds? It’s a favorite here in America.  That said, there is a lot of subpar sesame chicken out there! Too sweet, too […]

We are all obsessed with this Toum, or Lebanese garlic sauce. It is spectacularly garlicky, creamy, and a little bit tangy thanks to lemon juice. It’s absolutely addictive with lamb chops, salmon, chicken, potatoes, and is one of those sauces that makes anything better!  The Non-Traditional Difference: Egg White Toum is traditionally made with four […]

There are two things I need to tell you about these cookies.

One is that they’re crazy-good. And the other is that they’re huge. The recipe makes just five cookies but each one is so packed with flavor, that you’ll be glad you can have one all to yourself. Your other four friends or guests will be delighted as well. (But they’re quite generous, so it’s okay to share…)

What makes these cookies extra special is their slightly savory, umami note, due to walnuts glazed with white miso. Miso is fermented soybean paste that can be purchased in Asian markets, but has become so popular, you can often find it in grocery stores. In these cookies, it adds a little je ne sais quoi, since it adds a subtle, yet complex note of flavors. Umami is often described as a flavor that’s craveable, and it certainly makes a compelling case for that description in these cookies.

If you don’t have white miso, or don’t want to make the candied walnuts, no problem. Just use toasted walnuts. Pecans, or another favorite nut will also work. You can also leave the nuts out, or swap in dried fruit for them. Do-ahead tip: The walnuts can be made a few days in advance and kept in an airtight container. The glaze will get a little sticky, but the walnuts are perfectly fine to use in these cookies.

Another “secret” to these cookies is to incorporate large chunks of chocolate into the dough. While it may be tempting to use chocolate chips, they’re really best if you chop up chocolate from a bar of good-quality chocolate. I leave the pieces quite rough and irregular, which – when baked – create large pockets and bites of dark chocolate.

I’ve adapted the recipe from SIFT: The Elements of Great Baking by Nicola Lamb. Her book explains many of the hows and whys of baking, as well as offering an array of creative recipes. Some are completely original and others are riffs on classics, and it’s a book that I refer to often and these cookies are a big hit whenever I bake them. I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I do!

Consider this your new go-to marinade for grilled lamb chops. While our choice of spices borrows from Sichuan and Northern Chinese flavors, they have a chameleon-like quality and don’t read “Chinese” at all. They just season the lamb so well, and go with a wide variety of other flavors and side dishes!  Pure Umami  If […]

This creamy chipotle sauce is bold and punchy! It’s the kind of sauce that takes your meal to the next level, and brings together component-based dishes like tacos and burrito bowls. You can also serve it as an irresistible dipping sauce. It offers a thicker drizzle than chipotle mayonnaise and tastes better, too.

To make this chipotle sauce recipe, you’ll need a few basic ingredients. Start with a base of sour cream (use Greek yogurt if you prefer), chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (more on those below), a dollop of mayonnaise for a silky texture, dried garlic granules for intrigue, and salt and pepper.

Chipotle sauce should be somewhat spicy at minimum, but you control the spice level when you make it yourself. I’ve written the recipe below with a range of chipotle peppers. Start with the lowest amount, then taste, and blend in more if you’d like.

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This may or may not happen to you, but sometimes when I’m a guest in someone’s home, where everyone pitches in to make dinner, all eyes (or just the host’s eyes) fall on me to make dessert. Gulp. I happy to pitch in with the cooking or bringing along a few baked goodies for the weekend, but I’m not always prepared to bake on the spot.

If you’re lucky, there may be a scale, a cake pan, a sharp knife, and hopefully sugar, butter, eggs, and flour. If you’re really lucky, there might be a whisk and a spatula, too. But if you’ve ever tried to peel a dozen apples with a steak knife because it’s the only one that’s even close to sharp, or eyeball 1 cup/140g) of flour, you know what I’m talking about. I once did a post on Things I Bring When I’m a Guest for the Weekend, which raised the ire of some, but I require a minimum of a knife, a spatula, a bowl, and a cake pan if I’m going to bake something, like a cake.

You’re likely familiar with the Moelleux au chocolat, the soft warm individual melting cakes that everybody loves. (If you have the kind of friends that have six to eight ramekins, well, that’s great.) I recently saw French food writer and journalist François-Régis Gaudy (his book, Let’s Eat France, translated into English, is a lot of fun and pretty amazing) make a Moelleux à la abricot on his Instagram page, which didn’t require a mixer or any special equipment. Not even a whisk!

His Apricot Cake was a very casual affair, baked in a rectangular mold on a sheet of parchment paper, and came out of the oven rather free-form, looking exactly like something that would come out of a French home cook’s kitchen, when baking dessert for friends. I’m fine with that but didn’t know if you were, so I thought I’d tinker with it and make it in a cake pan, which is easier to slice. I also fiddled around with the ingredients, as well as putting the brown granulated sugar on top (rather than underneath), to give the moelleux a nice sheen.

I used a springform cake pan but you can use any similar-sized vessel; an 8-, 9- or 10-square or round cake pan would work, or even a baking dish. The baking time will vary but if your experience with using a variety of ovens in other people’s homes is anything like mine, you’ll find that each one is different, and what one says is 350ºF/180ºC will be different than another whose dial says 350ºF/180ºC. I don’t travel with an oven thermometer but may add that to things I bring when I’m staying with people.

Tip: If you’re staying in someone’s place for the weekend, you can mix the dry ingredients in a container or zip-top bag then put the dessert together when you get there.

I made one cake with apricots first, which was sensational, but knowing fresh apricots are harder to come by elsewhere, I made another one with plums, which came out great as well. It would work with other summer fruits and berries but I really like the tanginess of apricots or plums against the moist cake layer, so stuck with those two. A handful of berries wouldn’t hurt either, but I do recommend keeping it simple.

This recipe, from The Great Book of Chocolate, is one of my favorite recipes in the book. It’s a deep-dark chocolate spread that’s just as welcome on the breakfast table with warm croissants or toast, as it is as an afternoon snack, swiped on a slice of baguette.

The recipe comes from my friend Deb Perelman, of Smitten Kitchen, who came to Paris and made it in my kitchen with me. You can watch the full video here.

Since you’re making it at home, unlike store-bought spreads, you know what’s in this delectable. This recipe uses olive oil, which is healthy and delicious with the dark chocolate. I like to use one that’s fruity, which compliments the chocolate perfectly.

Depending on the type of chocolate you use, and it’s percentage of cacao solids, as well as the ambient temperature of your kitchen, the spread can be a bit firm, or soft, at room temperature. If it’s too firm, you can zap it for a few seconds in the microwave to make it more spreadable. If it’s too soft, it can be chilled briefly. In my kitchen, it’s perfect just as it is at room temperature…and I think you’ll love it too.