Main Course

Fried fish with Thai tamarind sauce (pla rad prik)

Traditionally an extremely spicy dish, you may tone down the heat by substituting bell pepper for half (or more) of the chilies in the sauce. For a fruitier version, I add mango cubes.

Cook time: 30

Servings: 2 people

Chicken, mushroom and egg rice bowl

Cubes of chicken thigh fillets, shimeji and scallions are boiled gently in dashi seasoned with soy sauce sake, mirin and a little sugar before beaten eggs are poured in.

Cook time: 10

Servings: 4 people

Grilled spicy pork belly skewers

Cubed pork belly and thick slices of Japanese cucumber are tossed in chili sauce, skewered, grilled and brushed with more sauce until beautifully charred. Spicy, juicy, perfect.

Cook time: 2

Servings: 4 people

Native chicken adobo with immature eggs

It took four hours in the slow cooker to tenderize the lean and intensively flavorful meat, but the long wait was worth it. The eggs are a wonderful bonus!

Cook time: 4 15

Servings: 4 people

Seared salmon and mango salad

Salmon and mango salad: sweet, tangy, spicy

Seasoned salmon is seared in a pan, broken into chunks, and tossed with tomato, cucumber, onion, chilies, sweet ripe mango, cilantro and calamansi juice.

Cook time: 5

Servings: 4 people

Hainanese chicken congee

Hainese chicken congee with ginger-scallion sauce, sweet soy sauce and chili sauce

Inspired by Hainanese-style white chicken, the poached chicken is served on top of the congee with the traditional ginger-scallion sauce, sweet soy sauce and chili sauce.

Cook time: 30

Servings: 1 bowl of congee

Spicy pasta tinapa with sweet mangoes

Salty and tangy with the inimitable smokiness of tinapa and the unrivaled sweetness of fully ripe mangoes harvested at the height of summer.

Cook time: 18

Servings: 4 people

Pork version of gyudon

Strips of thinly sliced pork belly take the place of beef in this salty-sweet Japanese meat and rice dish.

Cook time: 10

Servings: 3 people

Pork adobo with kimchi and coconut cream

In this adobo variant, kimchi replaces vinegar to provide the acidic element. To balance the heat of the kimchi, coconut cream is added.

Cook time: 50

Servings: 3 people

Beef tendon shoyu ramen

Simple, tasty, indulgent. All you really need is a slow cooker to tenderize the tendon. Everything else is a matter of assembly.

Cook time: 6

Servings: 3 people

Korean-style ground beef rice bowl

Spicy, salty and sweet, this ground beef stir fry is even better when garnished with toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions, and served over hot rice.

Cook time: 10

Servings: 6 people

Spaghetti with gourmet tuyo

Fillets of salted dried fish soaked in spicy olive oil are flaked and sauteed with cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic, onion, Thai basil and mint before cooked spaghetti is tossed in.

Cook time: 12

Servings: 4 people