Ingredients:

2 ounces dried hijiki seaweed
1/2 carrot
1 cake abura-age deep-fried tofu
1 1/2 cups frozen edamame in pods
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup dashi stock
1 tablespoon sake
2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Place the hijiki seaweed in a sieve, immerse in cold water, and wash while shaking the sieve. Transfer to a large bowl and soak in cold water to soften, about 20 minutes. Drain hijiki in the sieve and set aside.

2. Peel the carrot and julienne into 1 1/2-inch long matchsticks. Thinly cut abura-age tofu into 1 1/2-inch lengths. Boil the frozen edamame briefly, drain, and shell.

3. Heat the vegetable oil in a pot, add the carrot, hijiki, and abura-age and saute. Add the stock, sake, sugar, soy sauce, and salt, and simmer over medium heat. When the simmering liquid is almost completely gone, add the edamame and mix. Turn off the heat and arrange in a bowl. Serve at room temperature.

I’ve since learned to make sholeh zard on my own, though my calligraphy skills are sorely lacking. This rich dessert is otherwise easy to make, but requires some attention. Just remember to check the pot frequently. You want your finished dish to have a thin pudding-like consistency, as it’ll thicken when it cools down.

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice
7 cups or more water
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup unsalted slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup rosewater

Garnish:

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons slivered almonds
2 teaspoons slivered pistachios

1. Clean and wash the rice, changing the water several times. Drain.

2. Combine the rice with 4 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil, skimming the foam as it rises. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes over medium heat until the rice is soft.

3. Add 3 more cups of warm water and sugar, cook for 25 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the butter, almonds, saffron water, cardamom, and rosewater. Mix well. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and cook over low heat, uncovered, for another 20 minutes or until the mixture is cooked and has thickened to a pudding.

4. Spoon the pudding into individual serving dishes or a large bowl. Decorate with cinnamon, almonds, and pistachios. Serve the pudding cold or room temperature.

I usually give mussels a French marinière treatment: white wine, garlic, parsley, and a bit of butter. This time, I was craving something more complex, so I tried a Southeast Asian version. Fragrant and spicy-sweet, this Thai riff goes well alongside jasmine rice.

Ingredients:

1 shallot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable or coconut oil
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3-in. pieces and crushed
1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 pounds mussels, scrubbed
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves, plus slivered leaves for garnish
1 lime, cut into wedges

1. Saute shallot and garlic in oil in a large pot over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add lemongrass and cook 1 to 2 more minutes. Pour in coconut milk, then stir in curry paste, fish sauce, and sugar. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.

2. Add mussels, stir until coated, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mussels open, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped basil and spoon into wide, shallow bowls, discarding any unopened mussels. Garnish with slivered basil and squeeze with lime to taste.

Long beans are traditionally used in this recipe, but green beans work as well. Feel free to omit the ground chicken as well for a vegetarian version. Last but not least, make sure your beans are completely dry before frying them — this will ensure a blistered texture.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or chili bean sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 pound green beans or long beans, ends trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths

1. Marinate the chicken: stir 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and cornstarch together in a medium bowl until the cornstarch is dissolved. Mix the chicken in the marinade until incorporated. Let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce: stir the chicken stock, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil together in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved.

3 Pour the oil into a 2-quart saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Carefully slip the green beans into the oil and cook, stirring continuously, until they are wrinkled, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to paper towels to drain. Reserve the oil.

4. Heat a wok over high heat until hot. Pour in 2 teaspoons of the reserved oil and swirl to coat the sides. Slide the chicken into the wok and stir-fry until the meat is crumbly and changes color, about 2 minutes. Add the green beans and sauce and stir until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Scoop the contents of the wok onto a serving plate and serve warm.

Think of it more as an indulgent snack than a meal. Adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe, these addictive fritters are best eaten fresh. They’re easy to make, too — perfect for that post-workout reward.

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 dried red chili, crumbled
7 ounces spaghetti
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. Place all your ingredients, apart from the spaghetti and olive oil, into a bowl and mix. Meanwhile, add spaghetti to a pot of salted, boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse under cold water to cool it down. Once the pasta is cool, snip it with scissors into pieces roughly 4 inches long and add them to the bowl. Mix well.

2. Pour a few tablespoons oil into a pan and place over medium-high heat. Using a fork, add piles of the spaghetti mixture to the pan and fry until golden and crisp on both sides. Serve warm.