Thai basil drives me crazy. It's difficult to find in a regular supermarket and impossible to grow. (My Italian basil grows like a weed indoors, in a crummy plastic pot.)

A lot of people think that Thai curries are so hot that they will blow your head off. Not true.

Some Thai dishes need a dipping sauce, such as grilled or barbecued meats, fried spring rolls, dumplings, and fish cakes.

Fried rice is a great addition to round out some Thai food you whip up in a wok. Plus, it’s a great way to use up the leftover white rice from a previous meal.

Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, has a somewhat different cuisine from the rest of Thailand, partly because it’s close to Myanmar, China, and Laos…

I’m a big fan of fast food. No, not the crap you buy from a drive-through. Not even those salt bombs you pick up at the supermarket because you are pressed for time. 

Last time I was in Sydney, my friend Kaoru gave me a packet of flavoring she said would spice up simple sushi rice. I thought it would be a good base for a rice bowl with some tuna.

I love dim sum.

There’s generally not much beef in Vietnamese diets but this recipe is a classic. And it’s simple to make.

The Vietnamese prefer to leave the shell on the shrimp because, they say, it keeps the shrimp moist.

Szechuan Chicken is tasty and quick to prepare. A little chopping, a quick stir fry, and it’s ready to eat. Serve it with some steamed Jasmine rice.

One of the easiest and most delicious pasta dishes is made with clams and mussels. This takes no time at all (less than 20 minutes) and is pretty hard to mess up. (Just don’t overcook the seafood.)

There are a zillion Chinese stir-fries. I've been trying to perfect a few favorites for weekday meals.