Vegetarian

Flaky, nutty, buttery paratha you can prep ahead.

Ginger and orange juice give this raita a holiday feel. Treat it like cranberry sauce–it goes with everything.

This refreshing drink Sohla El-Waylly often uses to break fast during Ramadan gives all kinds of holiday vibes.

Make this on a Monday and show Garfield what’s up.

Make these sesame buns today, then question why it took you so long to make your own buns for burgers, egg sandwiches, fried chicken, and fillets o’ fish. This recipe from bread master Bryan Ford is based on his Master Dough recipe; simply portion it out, roll into tight balls, then dip in sesame seeds (or any small seeds and seasonings of your choice—poppy, flax, dried onion…). Ford bakes his buns in muffin rings, which gives them dramatic height—but free-form works just as well.

Lara Lee’s vegetable nasi goreng combines the beloved Indonesian fried rice dish with sambal matah and a citrusy relish fragrant with lemongrass, ginger, and makrut lime leaf.

Tearing the sweet potatoes creates more surface area to char and glaze. (It’s also fun.)

If you’re looking for a simple recipe for a tender sandwich bread—the kind of loaf that’d be great turned into a grilled cheese or crunchy croutons—this is it. This recipe from Bryan Ford is his Master Bread Dough, rolled into a tight log and baked until golden brown. We recommend slicing it and then freezing in a resealable plastic bag or airtight container for instant toast.

The secret behind many great breads is something called a preferment, a portion of the dough that ferments separately from (and for more time than) the rest of the ingredients. A preferment increases the strength of your dough (improving its final crumb structure) and contributes to aroma and flavor. In baker Bryan Ford’s cookbook New World Sourdough, the preferment is a sourdough starter; in this recipe, however, his preferment is the lower-maintenance poolish—a mixture of flour, water, and active dry yeast that grows overnight. Mix the poolish with more flour, water, and yeast as well as a touch of olive oil, sugar, and salt, and you get a resilient, flavorful dough that can be used in a nearly infinite number of ways. This is an instance when you really do need a kitchen scale—Ford encourages all bakers, especially beginners, to use one. The master dough can also be scaled up or down as desired.

A little goes a long way.

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

The combination of corn, soy, and butter is as delicious as it is classic. As Hiroko Shimbo writes in her book Hiroko’s American Kitchen, corn and butter are a common pair in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, where both are produced. Here, the three come together along with pan-fried tofu, scallions, mirin, and sesame oil to make an ultra-flavorful, just-rich-enough vegetarian main. Serve it over rice, a chewy grain like farro or wheat berries, or arugula dressed with rice vinegar and more sesame oil. A crispy fried egg would also be welcome.

Muffins! Burgers! Okay, yes, salads!

In the fall, crisp peak-season pears or apples are an undeniably delicious way to enjoy this refreshing fruit salad with a nutty Salvadoran seasoning.

Sprinkle this toasty, salty Salvadoran seasoning on everything from scrambled eggs to vanilla ice cream, or use it as the backbone of your next broth.

These “like a thousand times fried” beans are a crucial part of a Salvadoran breakfast.

Relajo is the foundation of many Salvadoran dishes; this version of the spice mix has bay leaves, achiote, chiles, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds.

Use the silky shreds of this flaky Trinidadian flatbread to scoop up everything else you’re eating.

This herby, peppery blend is used as a seasoning for many traditional dishes from Trinidad and Tobago.

In this Trinidadian dish chopped onions, peppers, and chiles get sizzled in hot oil before they’re poured over broiled peak-season tomatoes.

Trinidadian chickpeas and potato suspended in a delicious mash.

A simple and refreshing Trinidadian chow made with pineapple or mango.

Chitra Agrawal took flavor inspiration for this simple dish from her mother’s home state of Karnataka in South India, where thuppa means “ghee” and anna means “rice” in Kannada, the local language.

Tomato slices are salted ahead and then set into a garlicky, somewhat spicy olive oil bath with Cotija, a dry-aged Mexican cheese.