30 Minutes or Less
48 recipes
Miso Soup with Tofu
Kombu dashi loosened with barley miso off the heat, with silken tofu and wakame. The two rules that decide it: pull the kombu before it boils, and never boil the soup once the miso is in.
Menemen
Turkish eggs stirred loosely into softened green peppers and cooked-down tomato until just set. It is served in the pan it was made in, soft and loose rather than firmly scrambled.
Masala Peanuts
Raw peanuts jacketed in a spiced chickpea-flour batter and fried until the coating shatters. A standard Indian tea-time snack that stays crisp for a week.
Mango Lassi
Ripe mango blended with whole-milk yogurt, a little sugar and cardamom into a thick pourable drink. The mango does most of the sweetening, so use fruit that is soft and fragrant.
Jicama and Citrus Salad
Cold jicama batons and orange rounds under lime juice, ground chile, and salt. The jicama stays snappy and faintly sweet, which is the whole point of serving it raw.
Jeera Aloo Cumin Potatoes
Boiled potato cubes tossed in cumin seeds bloomed in hot oil with turmeric and green chile, pan-fried until the edges crisp and finished with amchur and lemon. Dry-textured, meant to go alongside dal and roti.
Horiatiki Greek Village Salad
Ripe tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, and onion under a slab of feta, dressed with nothing but olive oil and dried oregano. It stands or falls on the tomatoes.
Haydari Yogurt Dip
A thick Turkish meze of strained yogurt whipped with raw garlic, dill and mint, finished with a spoonful of warm chile butter poured over the top.
Greek Yogurt with Honey and Walnuts
Thick strained yogurt under toasted walnuts and a spoonful of honey. Four ingredients, no cooking, and the contrast between cold tart yogurt and warm honey is the whole point.
Goma-ae Sesame Spinach
Blanched spinach squeezed dry and dressed with toasted sesame seeds ground to a coarse paste with soy sauce, sugar and mirin. Nutty and lightly sweet, served at room temperature in small portions.
Goi Tom Vietnamese Shrimp Salad
Shredded cabbage salted and squeezed dry, tossed with cooked shrimp in a lime and fish sauce dressing. Mint, peanuts, and fried shallots go on at the last second so they stay crisp.
Gambas al Ajillo
Shrimp cooked fast in olive oil infused with sliced garlic and dried chile, then deglazed with dry sherry. The oil doubles as the sauce, so serve it with bread or rice to catch it.
Fried Sweet Plantains
Blackened-ripe plantains cut on a long bias and shallow-fried until the sugars caramelize into dark lacy edges around a custardy center. Salt and cayenne go on while they are still hot.
Fattoush
A Levantine chopped salad of romaine, tomato, cucumber, and radish in a lemon and sumac dressing, tossed with toasted flatbread that softens at the edges as it sits.
Esquites Mexican Corn Salad
Corn grilled until blistered, cut off the cob and tossed warm with lime, chile, cilantro and crumbled cotija bound in a little mayonnaise. The char is the whole point, so let the kernels blacken in patches.
Doenjang Jjigae
A fast Korean stew of fermented soybean paste with potato, zucchini, tofu, and green chile in a kelp and shiitake broth. Deeply savory and salty, built to be eaten with rice.
Crumbled Tofu Larb
Crumbled firm tofu browned hard in a skillet, then tossed off the heat with lime, chile, toasted rice powder, and a fistful of mint. Sour and hot rather than rich.
Creamed Spinach
Chopped spinach folded into a nutmeg-scented bechamel and cooked down until it holds its shape on a spoon. Squeezing the spinach dry is what keeps it thick instead of soupy.
Chile Lime Pepitas
Hulled pumpkin seeds toasted in a skillet until they puff and pop, then tossed off the heat with lime juice, ancho chile and salt so the seasoning dries onto them.
Chilaquiles Verdes
Tortilla chips folded into fried tomatillo salsa for barely a minute, so the edges soften while the centers keep their crunch. Finished with crema, queso fresco, and raw onion.
Chicken Caesar Wrap
Sliced cooked chicken, crisp romaine and grated Parmesan tossed in a garlicky anchovy dressing and rolled tight in a flour tortilla. Assembly only, built on chicken you already have.
Caprese Panini
Fresh mozzarella, ripe tomato and basil pressed between oiled slices of ciabatta until the crust is ridged and the cheese just slumps. Salting the tomato first keeps the bread from going soggy.
Buttermilk Pancakes
Thick, tender pancakes from a barely-mixed buttermilk batter cooked on a moderate griddle. The lumps are intentional; overmixing is what makes pancakes rubbery.
Basil Pesto
Basil, pine nuts, garlic and Parmesan worked into a coarse green paste with olive oil. Ground rather than blended, so it stays textured and does not turn bitter.