What do you do when you have leftover chicken from khao mun gai or gai yang? You turn it into a dish befitting the situation. My mother did that best, letting very little go to waste. You could poach chicken just for this salad and it would be delicious, especially if you serve it slightly warm. What’s even better, the next time you make khao mun gai, poach extra chicken to make yum gai the next day. If you’re not starting with leftovers, poach raw chicken and tear it into strands. I like adding the skin — it provides richness and moisture, the way oil does in Western salads. Slice it into thin strands.
A favorite from Alexis Alvarez Armas, this dish is inspired by Cuba's Chinese- Criollo cuisine. After cooking delicate trout fillets in a bamboo steamer, Alexis dresses them with a Chino- Latino blend of soy sauce, fermented black beans, olive oil, and lots of scallions and chives. It's a dish we could eat every day.
You might argue that onion dip could appear almost anywhere in this book, but the scallions—their color and fresh bite—are what really bring this version to life.
This jade-green gazpacho is beautifully surprising and satisfying. Garnish it with a swirl of plain yogurt and add a great crunch with fried nuts.
This is the classic poke, the one that you probably think of when you hear the word. It showcases the evolution of the dish over the decades, with the more prized ‘ahi tuna replacing bony reef fish.
In this poke variation, ruby red beets, slicked with sesame oil and studded with crunchy limu seaweed, give a pretty good imitation of ‘ahi.
Smoking food with black tea leaves can result in a highly smoky and overpowering flavor. This dish goes for a tamer smoke quality, infusing potatoes by boiling them in brewed tea and then tossing them with aromatic spices and fresh ginger.
Use this sauce anywhere you need firepower, literally.
A global favorite yet barely known in this country, kohlrabi is a rather sweet vegetable with a mild, broccoli-like flavor. When it's quickly cooked and then pureed, it can become a creamy (if cream-free) canvas for delicate, sweet enoki mushrooms and crunchy, salty peanuts.