Simmer

This Hong Kong staple is the ultimate one-pot comfort food.

You may be surprised at how quickly this broth builds flavor, with massive depth from golden onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, and just a tiny bit of butter for a silky finish.

This one-pot meal is cozier than your favorite bathrobe, with fragrant basmati rice, tender chicken, warm spices, and coconut milk.

Green curry paste adds heat and lots of complex flavor to this 30-minute lentil soup.

A beloved Hong Kong dish with approximately one billion variations, this soup—which relies heavily on fridge and pantry staples—is meant to be a little sweet and a touch sharp. 

This cream of broccoli soup (without the cream) gives the classic a run for its money.

When scratchy throats, phlegm, and other mid-winter side effects set in, get relief with a savory-sweet cough syrup.

Garlic, leeks, and chives are all you need to make this savory infused oil, great on its own or as a base for just about any sauce.

Dry vermicelli is toasted in lots of butter to create extra nutty flavor and richness, a method used in pilaf traditions across communities.

Use this dairy-free condiment on its own as a savory dressing or blend it with Dijon mustard for a vegan aioli.

To make this dish vegetarian, skip the shrimp and use cubed pumpkin or squash instead.

This satisfying vegetarian stew is recipe developer Rachel Gurjar’s riff on North Indian-style lobia masala. Black-eyed peas soak up the flavors of an onion- and tomato-based gravy along with kale or any greens you’d like.

A silky-smooth soup from Marcus Samuelsson’s cookbook, The Rise.

A steamed-then-mashed sweet potato adds creamy sweetness and extra nutrients to this cozy oatmeal that can be easily customized to fit dietary preferences. 

Cabbage has emerged as the hero of weeknight pantry cooking. Inexpensive and infinitely versatile, with an impressively long shelf life, one head of cabbage goes a long way. In this recipe, half of a cabbage is bathed in a turmeric-accented coconut milk until it’s meltingly tender and sweet. 

The best way to use Thanksgiving turkey leftovers is in pozole verde, where the intense turkey broth balances with fresh green chiles. 

The ideal weeknight meal from Maneet Chauhan’s new cookbook Chaat. 

This sour-salty soup was made for using up sweet, late-season tomatoes.

Christina Chaey’s mushroom dashi can go with whatever vegetables and proteins you have in the fridge. It’s her favorite cold-weather meal.

Hibiscus is used in drinks throughout the African diaspora but most notably in Jamaica. Inspired by sorrel—a festive Caribbean punch—this sauce is sweet, tangy, earthy, and the perfect complement to the peppery profile of Jamaican jerk. Rum, allspice, and fresh ginger add a level of warmth and richness of flavor that is the signature of Caribbean cuisine. Serve with Jerk Turkey Sheperd’s Pie. 

Crunchy chicharrones are ideal for soaking up bright tomatillo salsa, taking on an ultimate crispy-gone-soggy chewy texture. 

This Persian stew of tomatoes and spiced eggplant is just the warming dish you need on a cool, fall night.

Trinidadian chickpeas and potato suspended in a delicious mash.

My grandma used to make a version of this dish using pork and showers of Parmesan. I have updated it to include ground chicken and miso for a lighter, late-summer dish with equally deep flavor,  but feel free to use whatever ground meat you prefer. Gently poaching the meatballs is not only faster than roasting, but means none of their flavor is lost to a baking sheet.