Recipes By Naz Deravian
140 recipes found
Milk Bread Pull-Apart Rolls
Asian milk bread, also known as Japanese milk bread or Hokkaido bread, is pillowy soft and buttery with a hint of sweetness. Tangzhong, the traditional Chinese technique of cooking flour and liquid (milk, water or a combination) into a paste and adding it to the dough when cooled, is the key to full, airy-soft, squishy buns that stay fresh longer. (You can also use this technique for cinnamon buns or hot cross buns.) These pull-apart rolls are a version of milk bread popular at Asian bakeries. The dough, with the addition of tangzhong, is supple and easy to work with. You can shape the rolls into balls or, for a little flair, twist them into knots. Use a round 9-inch cake pan, or similar pan, to bake the bread.
Chirashi Sushi
Just as beautiful to look at as to eat, chirashi, meaning scattered in Japanese, is a colorful dish often served on celebratory occasions. The sushi rice, seasoned with rice vinegar and barely a hint of sugar, lays the foundation for a kaleidoscope of flavorful and textured toppings that vary by region and family. This version is a home-style chirashi scattered with a variety of vegetables and cooked fish, including sake-steamed shrimp and sticky sweet grilled eel (unagi). A savory vegetable mix of shiitake mushrooms, carrot and kanpyo (dried gourd strips) add texture and fill out the rice. For a splash of color and added protein (you can skip the fish altogether and add more vegetables for a vegetarian dish), bright yellow kinshi tamago (egg ribbons) are scattered on top like thin party streamers. Crisp ginger-pickled lotus root enlivens everything, and rosy-hued ikara (salmon roe) pop with subtle flavor from the sea. Preparing this dish from scratch is a multistep project, but you can take shortcuts and prepare components in advance (see Tips). All ingredients are available at Japanese and Asian markets. Use the suggestions below as a guide and scatter your chirashi sushi as you like.
Idli (Fermented Rice Cake)
Fluffy, tender and slightly tangy, idli is a South Indian breakfast staple. The wild fermentation of idli rice, along with urad dal and fenugreek seeds, makes for nutrient-rich and protein-packed steamed rice cakes. The addition of poha (flattened rice flakes) ensures that the idlis turn out soft and fluffy. Use an Indian wet grinder or a blender to grind the ingredients, along with their yeast-rich soaking water, into a thick paste. For the right texture and requisite tangy flavor, the batter needs up to 24 hours to ferment. (In colder climates, you might need to soak the ingredients longer; in the hotter ones, you might need less time to ferment.) The fermented batter will keep, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days, so you can whip up idlis as you like. To steam the rice cakes, you’ll need an idli stand. (They’re available at Indian markets and online, as are the ingredients.) Serve idlis with coconut chutney and sambar, or any chutneys you like, such as mango-tamarind, cranberry or cilantro-date, for a satisfying and energizing breakfast or lunch.
Upma (Spiced Semolina With Cashews and Chiles)
Capable of soothing the soul, lifting spirits and energizing the body, upma is a popular breakfast food in parts of India (and beyond), where protein- and nutrient-rich semolina is a canvas for more potent and invigorating savory flavors. For this fluffy and flavorful preparation, coarse-grain semolina (called rava in the south of India and sooji in the north) is toasted in the pan and then cooked in water flavored with tempered spices, like sizzling black mustard seeds, plus aromatic curry leaves and toasted urad and chana dals, creating a thick, savory porridge. Cashew nuts or peanuts lend a happy crunch, and the chiles wake everything up with a touch of heat. You can also add a small handful of vegetables to the mix, like frozen green peas, chopped green beans and carrots. The water-to-semolina ratio ensures the upma is fluffy and light rather than mushy like oatmeal. Serve bowls of fragrant, belly-warming upma with a squeeze of lemon, extra sugar and coconut chutney for a satisfying breakfast or anytime snack.
Alitcha Kik (Stewed Yellow Split Peas)
Genet Agonafer, chef owner of Meals by Genet, offers an array of dishes using a variety of legumes at her award-winning Ethiopian restaurant in Los Angeles. Alitcha kik is a comforting, protein-packed yellow split pea dish that is spiced and tinted with turmeric. Alitcha refers to a meat or vegetable stew prepared without berbere, the fragrant, chile-based spice mix widely used in Ethiopian cuisine. According to Ms. Agonafer, the foundation of most Ethiopian dishes is onion. To properly cook down the finely chopped onion, she quickly boils it and then cooks it in oil with crushed garlic and the rest of the ingredients. Yellow split peas need plenty of water to soften. Alitcha kik shouldn’t be too thick; add water as necessary for a creamy consistency. Alitcha kik is traditionally served with injera, but it also pairs well with rice or bread of choice.
Quick Injera
Assertively sour, injera is a spongy, round flatbread that serves as a nutrient-rich staple of the Ethiopian diet, as well as a serving plate and utensil. Preparing injera in the traditional method takes a lot of practice and just the right set of circumstances for the days’ long fermentation of the batter. This version uses 100 percent teff flour, but streamlines the fermentation process for the novice. It is not quite as sour and shortens the fermentation time with the addition of baking powder. The hallmark of a well-made injera is the “eyes,” the tiny holes that pop up on the surface of the batter as soon as it hits the hot pan. Ideally, you want many eyes to pop up on the top, plus a smooth surface underneath. (If you have eyes underneath, it’s a sign that your heat is too high.) The consistency of the batter should be somewhere between a pancake batter and crepe batter, and, ideally, you don’t want the injera to crack. You will need a 12-inch nonstick pan to mimic the mitad, the griddle injera is typically prepared on. Be patient and don’t worry if your injera is a little finicky at first. It can take some practice to get the heat and consistency just right. Place injera on a plate and spoon dishes such as alitcha kik, tikel gomen, shiro and doro wat on top. Tear off a piece of injera and scoop up its toppings.
Siu Mai
A mainstay of dim sum, siu mai are open-faced steamed dumplings filled with juicy, seasoned pork, and sometimes shrimp and shiitake mushrooms, like in this version. Dim sum, a variety of small dishes meant to be shared, roughly means heart’s delight in Cantonese. Its origins are thought to date back to the tea houses along the Silk Road in Southern China where weary travelers shared small bites of food alongside their tea. Unlike other more intricate dumplings, wrapping siu mai is not too fussy. For their signature buttery hue, use round, yellow dumpling wrappers, sometimes labeled “Hong Kong Style.” Adding cornstarch to the meat filling is a Chinese culinary technique called velveting, which ensures the meat is juicy with a silken, velvety texture. For added contrast, add chopped water chestnuts to the filling. Top the siu mai with fish roe (or finely chopped carrot) for a pop of color, and serve with black vinegar, soy sauce and chile paste for dipping.
Tikel Gomen (Cabbage and Carrots)
Vegetarian Ethiopian dishes are a hallmark of Genet Agonafer’s menu at her acclaimed restaurant in Los Angeles, Meals by Genet. Tikel gomen, a flavorful, turmeric-tinged cabbage dish, is simple to prepare without compromising on taste. Ms. Agonafer prepares her tikel gomen (meaning cabbage in Amharic) with fork-tender carrots; other versions may also include potatoes. The cabbage is silky without being mushy and stands up well to the pronounced garlic. To achieve just the right texture and flavor, Ms. Agonafer first boils the finely chopped onion before cooking it in oil with the rest of the ingredients. Tikel gomen is typically served with injera; while not traditional, it can also be served with rice or any bread of choice.
Pakora
Crunchy, savory and well-seasoned with cumin, turmeric and chiles, fried vegetable pakora are a popular South Asian street food and snack. Pakoras are a perfect opportunity to use up just about any vegetables you have on hand. This version uses thinly sliced onion, potatoes and carrots, which get extracrispy when fried. Broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, peppers or cabbage also work well; and you can also grate or chop the vegetables rather than slicing them, if preferred. The thick, sticky batter is prepared with nutty gram or chickpea flour, but rice flour can also be used, just be sure to add the water judiciously. Pakora are best served right away, but they can also be stored in a closed container in the fridge and reheated in a hot oven for a couple of minutes. Serve pakora with mint chutney for dipping, and chai to drink alongside.
Chicken Adobo
Adobo, often referred to as the national dish of the Philippines, is a braise of meat, seafood or vegetables in a mouth-watering sauce of vinegar, soy sauce and other spices (and sometimes a coconut milk). It is a technique that has been used by Filipinos long before colonization, and variations abound by region, household and personal taste. This version calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, but you can also use boneless, if you prefer (see Tip). Cane vinegar, available at specialty markets and online, is used here for its mild flavor, but you may also use white, cider or rice vinegar. The signature, irresistible tang from the vinegar may be balanced with sugar to taste. Serve with rice, generously spooning the zippy sauce on top.
Agua Fresca
Sipping on an agua fresca is like doing a cannonball into a crisp, cold lake on the hottest of summer days. Cooling, thirst-quenching and uplifting, the drink is widely consumed in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. In the United States, the invigorating beverage is found on the menus of many Mexican restaurants, but it’s also sold by street vendors. Meaning fresh water in Spanish, refreshing aguas frescas are a blend of water, sugar and often lime juice with a variety of ripe fruits, dried flowers or nuts and grains. How much sugar you add depends on the sweetness of the fruit. Agave syrup may also be used as a sweetener. The mixture is typically strained to remove pulp, but you can skip straining if you prefer. The fruit suggestions below — melons, pineapple, strawberry, cucumber and mango — work great, but you can try any variety of fruit, like oranges, peaches, bananas or tamarind. Serve agua fresca on ice, or cover and chill in the refrigerator before serving.
Salt and Pepper Shrimp
Temptingly seasoned salt and pepper shrimp is a Cantonese dish that takes little effort to prepare and is a joy to eat. Jiao yan is the salt and pepper mixture that livens up the fried shrimp with a quick jolt of flavor. It is typically prepared with white pepper, or, for a fiery heat, with Sichuan peppercorns, but you can also use black pepper (if using Sichuan peppercorns, use 1 part peppercorns to 3 parts salt). Toasting whole peppercorns and then grinding them draws out even more flavor. This recipe makes more of the seasoning than you may need, but you can store the mixture and use it on tofu, chicken, pork chops or vegetables. Coating the shrimp in cornstarch and then shallow-frying makes for an irresistibly crunchy exterior and juicy interior. For the classic restaurant-style preparation, use head-on, shell-on shrimp (the shell is edible when fried), but use peeled shrimp if that’s easier, and don’t be shy with the salt and pepper mix. Serve either as an appetizer with a cooling drink, or with rice as a main dish.
Mango Salsa
Bursting with sweetness, tang and a little heat, mango salsa is the colorful sidekick that’s always invited to the party. A balance of flavor and texture is key to building this simple condiment. Choose ripe but not mushy mangoes so the flesh doesn’t fall apart. For a contrast in textures, use one riper mango and one less ripe mango. The sharp bite from the red onion and the heat from the chile pleasantly complement the sweetness of the fruit. Add as much lime juice as you like to wake up the taste, and don’t forget to season with a little salt to draw out all the natural flavors. Have fun adding other ingredients like avocado, pomegranate seeds, cucumber and jicama, plus a sprinkle of Tajín for an extra kick. Serve with tortilla chips or pita triangles for scooping, or alongside grilled meats, fish or tacos. Mango salsa is best served the day it's made, but will keep covered in the fridge for up to two days.
Rice Pilaf
A fragrant, fluffy buttery rice pilaf is pure comfort. The word pilaf generally refers to a rice dish in which the grains are toasted in a fat like butter, ghee or oil before being cooked in broth or other liquid, and the dish’s many iterations span the globe from Central and South Asia, the Caucasus and Eastern Europe to the Caribbean. (Other grains like barley and bulgur, and noodles such as vermicelli or orzo – see Tip – can also be included.) In this simple version, onion and garlic are cooked in butter, which is then used to toast long-grain basmati rice until nutty and gently seasoned. The process of first rinsing the rice, then toasting in fat, prevents clumping. The amount of added liquid may vary slightly depending on the brand of rice, but do cut down on the salt if using a salted broth. With this base, you can get as creative as you like and add a variety of vegetables, herbs, spices, chopped nuts, dried fruit, ground meat or even shrimp. Or serve as is alongside chicken, fish or vegetables.
Tonkatsu
For crackly crisp yet juicy tonkatsu, or Japanese pork cutlets, pound boneless pork loins until impossibly thin, dredge in flour, egg and panko, then deep-fry, not once, but twice. (After the first fry, the pork rests for a bit, allowing it to finish cooking from the residual heat without drying out. It’s quickly fried a second time until golden brown.) Drizzle the finished pork cutlets with tonkatsu sauce, a spiced, sweet and tangy sauce. Here, ketchup and Worcestershire make for a quick rendition, but you can also purchase premade sauce at Japanese markets and online. Serve piping hot tonkatsu and rice alongside a heap of cold shredded cabbage drizzled with a creamy dressing, if you like.
Shrimp Tempura
Crisp, light and airy, the coating for battered and fried shrimp tempura is achieved with a few simple, though crucial, steps: Using seltzer in the batter adds airiness, and chilling the ingredients, including the flour, prevents gluten formation, making it more delicate and light. It’s important not to overmix the batter, and using chopsticks as the stirring tool helps. Finally, don’t overcrowd the pot when frying, and make sure to maintain the oil’s temperature so the shrimp don’t absorb it and become greasy. For a classic shrimp tempura, follow the prep steps here as best as you can to keep the shrimp from curling. Serve the dish hot with tentsuyu, a savory dashi and soy dipping sauce.
Eel Sauce
Unagi no tare, or Japanese eel sauce, is a salty-sweet combination of soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake that is typically brushed over grilled eel and eel sushi. It’s similar to teriyaki sauce, but sweeter, and can be thickened to your liking. Besides using it as a glaze, try eel sauce as a marinade or dipping sauce for any number of dishes, such as chicken, fish, eggplant, mushrooms or tofu. Or, drizzle over rice, noodles or stir-fries.
Champurrado
This creamy and rich atole, or corn-based drink, is made with Mexican chocolate, cinnamon and raw cane sugar, then thickened with toasted masa harina for a soothing hot drink that is often served in cooler months and for holidays like Día De Los Muertos and Las Posadas. Piloncillo, a cone-shaped raw cane sugar, is usually added for sweetness, but you can use brown sugar in a pinch. If you’d like to experiment, add warm, whole spices, such as cloves and star anise, or orange peel to the simmering pot. Traditionally, champurrado is prepared in a clay pot and mixed with a molinillo, a wooden whisk, to make the drink frothy, but for a similar effect, continually whisk the champurrado, or use an immersion blender to froth it up right before serving. Champurrado is often served with hot, crispy churros alongside.
Shabu Shabu
Shabu shabu, which means “swish swish” in Japanese, is named for the sound the ingredients make when they’re cooking. This warm and festive style of Japanese hot pot is meant to be shared with family and friends, cooked and served tableside in a donabe over a portable gas stove. A beautiful variety of vegetables and beef or pork are sliced so they can quickly poach in the mild kombu, or dried kelp, broth. (Sometimes, the kombu is paired with a bonito dashi.) If you don’t have a donabe, a Dutch oven or similarly sized pot will do; the portable burner is a must, though. Use this recipe as a guide, and select the ingredients you like from each category. A trip to a Japanese or Asian market will take care of the shopping, but many of the ingredients here are available at standard grocery stores. Once everything has been prepped, all that is left is to gather around and cook together.
Mozzarella Sticks
Hot, crunchy, gooey and salty, mozzarella sticks check all the boxes. For a crisp crust that sticks to the gooey cheese, use low-moisture mozzarella, and double coat it in flour, egg and panko. (For a smart shortcut, use store-bought string cheese; it will be slightly thinner than hand-cut cheese.) Freezing the breaded sticks before frying ensures that the coating adheres and doesn’t fall off in the hot oil, so don’t skip that step. Serve the classic snack with pizza sauce, or homemade or jarred marinara.
Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings)
Filled with seasoned pork and savory broth, these delicately pleated dumplings are a labor of love. The trick to getting the soup inside the dumpling is using aspic, a gelatin that forms when meat broth (traditionally made with pork skin and feet) cools and hardens into a jelly. Here, powdered gelatin is dissolved in chicken stock, chilled to set, then cut into small cubes and added to the filling. The pork and aspic are bundled up in the dough, sealed, then steamed, melting the aspic and filling the area around the pork with a heavenly, slurpable broth. Assembling the soup dumplings requires patience and practice, so solicit family and friends to join in on the work. Serve immediately with black vinegar and sliced ginger, and some chile crisp for a little kick.
Detroit-Style Pizza
With charred and cheesy edges, a thick and chewy crust, and a reverse order of toppings, Detroit-style pizza has earned its place in the seemingly endless world of pizza. This hearty pie first appeared on the menu at Buddy’s Rendezvous Pizzeria in the Motor City, in 1946. Owner Gus Guerra baked his mother-in-law’s recipe for Sicilian-style pizza in the deep pans typically used to hold auto parts; the dark, industrial steel better distributed heat than traditional baking pans. Using plenty of sharp, aged Wisconsin brick cheese (see Tip) cut into cubes, with some touching the sides of the pan, helps create the pizza’s coveted burnished edges. You can find a Detroit-style pan online, but a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan will also work. (You’ll just have to settle for slightly less crispy edges.) Inspired by J. Kenji López-Alt’s Detroit-style dough recipe, this version calls for bread flour, which creates a delightfully light and chewy crumb.
Hot Pot
Featuring a steaming pot of savory broth surrounded by platters of meats, seafood and vegetables, Chinese-style hot pot is a fun, interactive dining experience meant to be shared with friends and family. The practice likely began during the Song dynasty (960-1279), when cooking food in a communal copper pot became popular among nobility, but nowadays, a large metal pot — or double-sided pot if you want both a spicy and a mild broth — perched atop a portable burner is used so everything can be cooked at the table. Diners choose their ingredients, dip them into the bubbling soup, then into accompanying sauces. When it comes to ingredients, the more the merrier: All of the amounts below are just suggestions, so mix and match until you have a variety that makes you happy. For a vegetarian hot pot, double up on the tofu or bean curd and vegetables. The soup base and ingredients vary by region: Sichuan-style hot pot, for example, is famous for its numbingly spicy red broth spiked with Sichuan peppercorns, the Cantonese version is loaded with seafood, and Beijing-style is made with mutton. (Here’s everything you need to make hot pot at home.)
Ranch Water
Bold, tart and fizzy, this mix of blanco tequila, lime juice and carbonated mineral water, is a refreshing thirst quencher that packs a punch. Use the amounts here as a guide, and pour to suit your taste buds. To take the edge off, add a little sweetener like simple syrup, or a touch of orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau. For an extra hit of flavor, rim the glass with chile-lime salt. While Topo Chico is synonymous with Texas ranch water, preferred for its highly effervescent bubbles, you can use other sparkling waters, too.