Rice Cakes

These rice cakes are a good use of leftover rice, and a quick and simple snack or light meal. These are different than the flavorless puffed rice disks that you find in the grocery store.

Larb

Larb is a Laotian minced meat dish that is commonly found in Thai restaurants. The meat is mixed with onions and seasoned with lime juice, fish sauce, and herbs. Any kind of meat can be used, and it can be a meal by itself or a dish in a larger meal. I made this after having some at a restaurant, and being disappointed in the intensity of the flavors.

Indo-Chinese Chili Chicken with Fried Rice

Indo-Chinese food is a cuisine that isn't well known in the US, but is an incredible fusion of Chinese and Indian ingredients and techniques. Many Indo-Chinese dishes are somewhere between a stir-fry and a dry curry, and tend to be spicy and fried. This chili chicken is a simple, delicious one-pan dish.

Seafood Dinner

One useful thing to be able to do in the kitchen is prepare several dishes at once. A few simple side dishes can add extra flavors and textures to meal, creating a more satisfying (and often more nutritious) meal. The trick is to be able to use time efficiently in preparing and cooking ingredients. This dinner consists of crispy baked cod, aromatic steamed shrimp, grilled corn, and caramelized fennel.

Dinner with Eleanor

A few weeks ago, my cousin Eleanor came over for dinner, and we cooked up a nice big dinner of candied yams, collard greens, and dirty rice. All of these require some cooking time, but not a lot of preparation so its possible to prep one thing, start it cooking, and then prep the next dish, and so on.

Vaguely Middle-Eastern Rice with Lamb Sausage

I wanted to try to a rice dish along the lines of pulao, and had some nice lamb sausage on hand. This is what I came up with...