Thai

Bow tie-shaped pasta is mixed with Thai-flavored pesto sauce and tossed with cooked shrimp for a fast, colorful entrée.

Pla Phad Phrik Khing The pummelo salad makes a nice first course with this dish.

You can make the salad with roast chicken if you prefer. Offer purchased sesame noodles as an accompaniment. For dessert, serve sugared sliced plums, topped with vanilla ice cream and chopped crystallized ginger. Look for the Thai fish sauce in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 4 hr

Though it's not essential to make both sauces for these wings, we think the contrast between the rich peanut sauce and the light-yet-spicy gai yang — a classic Thai sauce for poultry — is a flavor combination that shouldn't be missed.

The chile-tamarind sauce is a refined, complex variation on classic satay sauce, which is traditionally thickened with peanuts. This rendition owes its silky texture to mashed kabocha squash. At Arun's, this is served both as an appetizer and as a main course.

If canned unsweetened coconut milk is not readily available in your area, you may substitute 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1 tablespoon sweetened flaked coconut. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Salamander's chef, Stan Frankenthaler, combines mussels with spicy sausage and Thai flavorings, such as coconut milk and lime juice.

(Thai Sticky Rice) If you have never tried sticky rice, you are in for a unique treat. Thai sticky rice, sometimes called "sweet rice" or "glutinous rice," is opaque-white when raw, unlike most other rices, and when cooked has a wonderful scent and distinctive texture. Make sure to buy long-grain Thai sticky rice, not the Chinese-style short-grain or the kind grown in the Untied States, which lack the aroma and texture of the Thai variety. On the label look for the words pin kao or gao nep. There are a few options for steaming sticky rice: If you live near a Thai, Lao, or Vietnamese market, chances are it sells the large, conical baskets used for cooking sticky rice as well as the lightweight pot the basket rests in as the rice steams. Otherwise, use a large sieve lined with cheesecloth or muslin and put it over a large kettle of water In Thailand and Laos, cooked sticky rice is kept warm and moist during the meal by serving it in small covered baskets, which can also be found in some Southeast Asian markets. This recipe was created to accompany Grilled Beef Salad , Charred Chili Salsa , Thai Grilled Chicken , Thai Eggplant Salad and Chicken Stir-Fry with Holy Basil .

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

Here, lime juice replaces the traditional lemongrass, which can be hard to find. The result is a quick, authentic-tasting Thai-style soup. If coconut milk is unavailable, substitute 1 3/4 cups half and half mixed with 3/4 teaspoon imitation coconut extract.

This hot and tangy Thai version of coleslaw is one of those dishes that I don't know if they really serve in Thailand but it certainly seems they should. I like it more than traditional coleslaw, and it seems to better suit our modern-day taste for lighter dishes and for the forthright flavors of Asian ingredients. I serve this salad with grilled meats — it's especially great with spare ribs.

Nam Prik Ong Relishes are a cornerstone of Thai cooking, playing a crucial role in the balance of hot, salty, sour, and sweet that Southeast Asian cuisine strives for. The vegetables are traditionally dipped into the relish and then eaten, but you might find it easier to use a plate. Because this dish is quite spicy even with just a few chiles, we suggest using the least amount the first time you make the recipe. Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

You can control the heat by adjusting the amount of chili oil used. Serve with swordfish, tuna or fried wonton chips.