Lunch
8 recipes
Pancit Bihon with Shrimp
Thin rice noodles stir-fried with shrimp, cabbage and carrot, then finished by letting them drink up a soy-and-broth sauce. Squeezed citrus at the table is what pulls it together.
Onigiri Rice Balls
Hand-formed triangles of salted short-grain rice with a pickled plum center and a strip of nori. They hold at room temperature for hours, which makes them a practical packed lunch.
Mercimek Koftesi Red Lentil Patties
Turkish red lentil and fine bulgur patties worked with softened onion and red pepper paste, then shaped by hand and eaten cold in lettuce leaves with lemon. The lentils are cooked dry so the bulgur can absorb what is left.
Jerk Chicken Wrap
Chicken thighs coated in an allspice, thyme and Scotch bonnet paste, grilled over direct heat and wrapped with crunchy cabbage slaw and a lime-scallion sauce. Heavy on warm spice, cut by acid.
Falafel Pita with Tahini Sauce
Fried patties ground from soaked dried chickpeas, parsley and cumin, stuffed into pita with tomato, cucumber and lemony tahini sauce. Dried chickpeas are essential; canned ones fall apart in the oil.
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.
Banh Mi Sandwich
A Vietnamese sandwich of quick-pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, cilantro and chile packed into a light baguette with seared caramel-edged pork. The pickle brine does most of the seasoning work.