PAD THAI

PAD THAI

SERVES 2 Sometimes you just want a pile of something spicy, creamy, and comfortable, like Pad Thai. But the original dish uses rice noodles (fail), soy sauce (fail), peanuts (fail), and sugar (fail) to create the delicate Thai balance of sour, sweet, and salty. This...
CREAMY ITALIAN DRESSING

CREAMY ITALIAN DRESSING

MAKES 2 to 4 I was never happy when I found a sandwich in my packed lunch. But I always loved salads, especially with a major dose of creamy Italian dressing. When I was in grade school, my mom would put my lunchtime salad in a Tupperware, then pour just the right...
SRI LANKAN CURRY SAUCE

SRI LANKAN CURRY SAUCE

SERVES 4 to 6 I’m a sucker for anything leopard print and any recipe that includes coconut, which sort of explains how this recipe came to be. Sri Lanka is home to the distinctively-spotted Sri Lankan leopard, as well as a traditional dish called “sambol,” a paste...
MOROCCAN DIPPING SAUCE

MOROCCAN DIPPING SAUCE

MAKES ½ cup I’ve yet to encounter a vegetable or grilled meat that wasn’t improved by a little drizzle of olive oil and herbs. These two sauces come from opposite sides of the planet but share one lovely characteristic: they make already good food even better. And...
BEST STIR-FRY SAUCE EVER

BEST STIR-FRY SAUCE EVER

MAKES 1/3 cup When I was a small-town kid, my parents would sometimes take my brother and me to a Chinese restaurant in the next town over. There were lush potted palms and a koi pond with a bridge in the middle of the restaurant. The big round table (“our table”) had...